I just finished shaping and the intial 180 grit work on my Padauk scales. They are still losely attached to each other. This raises several questions...

1) Would it be better to cut the brass wide and sand it down to match the wood or the other way around?
2) Should I do the liners at this stage or after I finish-sand the wood? I am assuming at this stage.
3) Should I use some finish on the bottom of the wooden scales before fitting the liners or will the epoxy give enough protection?
4) There are some hollow spots along the grain of the padauk that seem to be a natural feature but I don't like their appearance. I believe that more sanding won't do anything to eliminate'em. Should I leave them as is, or is there a particular finish that will do a better job of concealing them? My options are CA and Truoil.
Thank you in advance for your input gentlemen.

P.S. This is my first scale-making from scratch project.