The actual claying of the blade and heat treat really doesn't take that long. Afterward I simply get a really good 600 grit hand sanded finish, etch, then hand polish. After the standard 600 grit finish, its only a few more hours. You can spend ALOT more time on polishing then that, but for using knives I only take the blade to a level that the hamon shows up well... those very highly refined polishes that go way up into the stratosphere into the 2000x+ grit, just don't hold up to use very well.