A few points.
First, about the initial prep for barrels in rough shape. You can either file of sand the pits, depending on depth and location. In areas where the barrel is thicker and pits are larger, I opt for the file first, switching to sandpaper when the pit is almost gone. If the barrel is really pitted, I'll place them in a shallow tray with water covering them so the water action removes the residue with each stroke, it's easier to see progress that way and saves on sandpaper.
Initial stroke length is not so important, it becomes more so in the last two grits, the last one especially, as even 320 can leave swirls if the strokes are not straight. Cross strokes are used in the coarser grits, they do aid in pit removal.
Focus on the spotted areas is ok, but if you cross sand make sure you blend the areas in before you move up in grit. Never move up until the mark is gone.
On really rough areas I sometime start with 80 grit, (spot areas) and in extreme cases, 46. At that grit, the file is an option, make sure to finish with a fine one and when switching to paper, remove all file marks with the first grit.
Last edited by Ken61; 02/19/15 09:22 AM.
