how can I get this cleaner?

[smalltank]

started with 600grit..went down to 400 grit..got better..back up to 800..then continued to 2k grit..each piece of sandpaper being wet and dry

[Hirlau]

My 2 cents;
I use this a lot to polish & refurbish. Use the gray side first , then the white. Maybe it will help you.
Found at Sally's Beauty Supply Stores.

[smalltank]

what is that?

[Hirlau]

It is a buffer for polishing finger nails. Go to sally Beauty Supply and read about it.

[baldy]

Basically if you want it cleaner you will have to spend more time on it.
Personally I would drop below 400 grit, maybe 240 or somewhere around there. Then dont move up in grit until your satisfied with how much you've cleaned the steel
When you start going up the grits, all your doing is removing the scratches from the previous grit. Your really not doing anymore cleaning.
Thats how I look at it.
Grant

[smalltank]

Note to self as being a restorer n00b...start at 220...go upward til 2k..much much nicer now..2 hours later :-)