I think my own turning point was realizing I’d have to introduce *all* of the scratches first, then remove all of those one stone at a time. Halfway through the first stone I didn’t know where the original scratch was anymore
Scuffs from a 1k stone shouldn't be that deep. That's the good news. Now the bad one: you never will get the same finish as the one it had originally. The only thing you may do is refinish the entire surface and getting an acceptable result where the scuffs have disappeared, but the same applies to the original finish.
Scratches can only be removed by abrasives of the same grit. Now grits of different media aren't easily compared. You will have to find out how low you will have to go. I would start with a high grit automotive sandpaper, say P2000, and lower little by little, until the scratches are gone, P800 or 600 or so. Only apply strictly horizontally. Once you have found the lowest value you go up again. Clean your knife between different grits when going up. I found these pads by Robert Bosch to be very helpful. They are in the P400—800 range. Just my guess. The industrial standards for grit size don't apply to them, so the manufacturer doesn't give exact sizes. https://amzn.eu/d/iXiqsEkI use Autosol Metal Polish for others' stainless. Don't know about availability outside of Europe.
After the work on the finish the knife will certainly require a good, full sharpening, starting with a medium-coarse stone.
