Thread: First Restoration

All solid advice this far. A wine cork works great on the face of the blade. Using that as a backer for your sand paper helps keep the etch nice and crisp. Always make sure your final sanding strokes are from spine to edge. A bit of polish and you are there. Scales can also be sanded and polished out with metal or plastic polish.
Most importantly have fun. Ask questions when you hit a road block and if frustration rears its head, walk away.

Forgot to add, always start at a higher grit than you think you want at first. It's easier to see that 800 isn't working and step back to 600 or 400 than the other way around. No point in making more work for yourself