Hello Martin,
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I hope covering of gilding with zapon lacquer will be sufficient.
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Well, gilding on an iron blade (koftgari and even inlay) changes the game dramatically: Be very, very careful! If in doubt, better do nothing or just stabilize any active rust rather than doing harm by irreversible actions.
If a blade with koftgari/etc. has not been cared well for, chances are that you'll loose some or even all of the gold by removing rust that may have developed below the koftgari and even next to the inlay.
Please post close-ups of the piece of interest and I'm sure the specialists can give you some pointers. This really needs to be explored on a case by case basis; and with lots of patience and expertise!
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Is there slight polish necessary after the final short etch (and neutralization), or this final polish would destroy the optical result ?
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Again, this depends on several variables - Jens gave already an example.
In general, polishing after the etch will result in lower contrast; buffing a protective topping of renaissance wax may be enough to get the blade shiny. In a perfect world, you'd not have to polish again if the etch was spot on: better etch a bit too shortly rather than too long resulting in a dull blade.
Regards,
Kai