First Go on a belt and with buffers

Most of you guys know I do the majority of my stuff by hand sanding, with only a minimal amount of machine assist.

But a day spent in the company of Ed Wilson of Happy Cat Cutlery got me some time behind a belt sander with a roughly handled W&B
I dont have any before pictures, but it was in need of attention, and the pitting was at the point where it was no longer "character" and was just an open wound needing to be dressed.

I went with a fancy blue colored belt that Ed said was equivalent to 120 grit, and then on to a belt that was supposed to be about 400 grit. I THOUGHT I had gotten all the grind marks out from the previous belt, but when I went to hand sand with the 600, I started to get a wonderful shine that showed up all the deeper lines that still remained. If I had left it a total satin finish, it would have been completely invisible.

All in all, it came out wonderfully, and yet, as it is, I am not thrilled with the finish, although I have now come to the realization that I should never return to hand sanding again, and I am morally obligated to find myself a nice belt sander!
So, those of you with more experience, now that I am back to hand sanding at home, Would it be more feasible to drop back to a courser grit to restore the satin finish? or is there any chance of buffing the lines so they blend into each other for a less obvious scratch pattern? Or should I just suck it up and keep at it until the lines are all gone. (my fingers beg me no!)
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My fingers are sore now, but I think its an improvement. Guess its going to take some practice before I am good with a belt sander! with and without flash...
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my fingers feel for ya. Greaseless compounds are what I use now. But every once in a while I get those deep scratches you just have to hand sand out. Looking alot better now though.

I have been doing a LOT of hand sanding the past few weeks. The pits and scratches left behind when you get to the fine grits always make me frown and more determined to pay attention as I go. When I hand sand I change direction for each grit. This makes the last grits lines show up better. You can't do this with a belt grinder of course and when I start using one I am thinking it maybe wise to try a little hand work between each grit to see what's happening. I am going to put a sign on my work bench that says, " Why move to the next step if you don't finish the first one. " :<0)