Walt: Yep! Vaseline! I learned a long time ago that its much easier to wipe off vaseline, then to try to clean up cured acraglass from someplace it doesn't belong.
Allan: These are all hidden tang knives, but yes, I finish the fronts of the guards, then "glue" everything up in rough form....then once the acraglass is cured, finish everything as a single unit, to where I want it. Makes for a much nicer "flow" overall, and makes everything much easier.