First handsanding progressions Ever!!! What do you think?

[dtrain17]

First of all I want to thank all of the SRP members for the wealth of knowledge, it still amazes me how much you folks are willing to share and help guide the rest of us.

I am starting my FIRST EVER restoration project. I chose a Wade and Butcher hollow ground round-point as my first victim. The blade itself has a small amount of pitting and rust but I thought it would be a good one to start with. I ditched the scales and then began my journey.

After reading several other users "how to's" on hand sanding I did the best I could with the grits I had available to me. I can live with the results but I know there is much room for improvement. One particular pitting mark was quite deep and I decided to leave it after sanding quite a while in fear of unevenly sanding a divot in the blade (I know to evenly sand the entire length of the blade) or taking off too much of the steel. I started with 120 grit all the way up to 2000 before finishing on the buffing wheel with some Blue Magic polish.

After finishing I can still see some scratches and I'm sure this is from moving on to the next grit too quickly or too much of a jump between grits or a combo of both. Overall I am pleased with the results for my first time and realized how much I need to make a sanding stick to save my hands. Also, I relish in constructive criticism so please share your thoughts.

There are a few small pit marks near the edge which should come out with honing when I set the bevel.

Apologies for the poor lighting in the photos, a light-box is my next project.

The finished product is post #3 is this thread. Thnx