Hey there,

I just thought I'd suggest a new way of getting that first grit off during the hand finishing.

I picked up an air file from Harbor Freight. I won't lie, it's definitely a cheap tool. However it's a perfect size for working on blades, and has a long enough reciprocation where it won't just vibrate and do basically nothing. I take 150 grit PSA paper and wrap it around the flat file. It keeps grind lines crisp, gets into the plunge lines pretty well, and saves your wrists. It's a little bit faster than going to town with 120 grit paper. It's not a huge time saver, but it's a huge energy saver, and it doesn't use a lot of paper. You'll still need to clean up a few spots by hand, but it will get the bulk of the belt scratches out pretty quickly, and won't wreck your blade or pit it like a rotary sander (ya I tried that too that too lol).

Try it out. It's only like $17. I only use it for the first grit and continue by hand as usual.

Thanks,

Nick