I'm ready to try my first strip job and I'm going to start with a Ratchet that I picked up from Vance over on Bladeforums.com. My second project is my tan SAR5. I want both of them to be shiney!

I picked up some stripper and the parts I need to remove the paint so I'm good with that part. Where I need help is how to make it smooth and satin... I need some step by step advice.

I took a look at HornDog's post on stripping and I have a 1" x 30" Harbor Freight Belt sander with a few assorted belts + paste. I don't have a Bench Grinder or any Scotch-Brite wheels but checked out HomeDepot earlier today and can pick up a good looking Bench Grinder for $39 and wheels (they don't carry Scotch-Brite brand) for another $10. I have assorted sandpaper.

After I strip the knife...
1. Use belt sander of ??? grit to polish spine? (applies to knife)
2. Use bench grinder with ??? to smooth/polish?
3. Finish with sandpaper?

Is that right? Advice is very much welcome. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Wish me luck. I'll post pics once I'm confident enough that I know what I'm doing to finish this project.