Newbie needs advice on sanding sequence

[gables]

This is my second knife and I still have a way to go on the blade and bolster edges with the 150 grit.I was going to take it to 300 before hardening and tempering.

After the treating what sequence of sanding and applying the bolsters and scales do I follow? What is the best way to get a hand sanded satin finish? What grit should I take the wooden scales to so the pins and visible tang blend into the blade?

   

[beaver#1]

ok 300 is a good grit to heat treat with. make sure all your scracth lines are lateral.  even on top and the cutting edge.  after heat treat and temper go back with 300  lateral.  after all scale is off make sure all the deep scrathes are out. then go to 400 grit vertical lines get it to where all of the lateral scracthes are out even the tiny ones. then go back lateral with 500 grit till all the vertical scrathes are out then go vertical with 600 nnow when you get all the 500 grit scracthes out with the 600 going vertical go lateral with the with 600 gritt till its all even and scrathes are straight.  that should be pretty good on the blades.  i am not that great with handles and/or gaurds yet so i hope someelse will pick that up.  hope this helps

[Jeremy]

Hand Rubbing a Blade  

I grind my knives until the edge is about the thickness of a dime before hardening and clean it up to 220 grit (a dull 220 really) making sure all the edges are rounded and all the deeper scratches are gone.  Eliminate as many of the stress risers as you possibly can!

After hardening and tempering I finish the grind on the blade with 80 grit, then proceed up the grits on the grinder to 600.  Then I go back to 400 grit hand sanding, then 600 grit following the same basic proceedures as in the link above.  Occasionally I'll need to go back to 220 grit to get a deeper scratch I missed.  Switching directions between grits is the best way to see any scratches left by the previous grit.