Hard to believe how smooth things come up with micromesh pads until you start using them.

Where you are at you probably think that is smooth but after 8000 it is super smooth and once done with 12000 it will feel like a piece of glass.

One trick with using wet and dry is to have a soft cloth rag to wipe down the body as the milky film starts to build up and also remove the excess moisture. This is extremely important so that you don't drag the fine crap in the milky solution back across what you are trying to finish as there can sometimes be a few hard bits in it which could scratch things before you notice.

Always wipe the area dry after you have finished and if possible hang it up to dry rather than let it sit on one of the sides or faces so that it doesn't sweat from any moisture left behind.