I first hit the plate with some 80 grit sandpaper, followed by 400 once everything was smoothed over. Then I did about 5 coats of flat black followed by just one of clear coat. Would have liked to have done a few more rounds of clear coat but simply ran out of time.
Also went over the handlebar mounts with the steel brush again, but this time using a lower speed than yesterday (about 40% versus 90%). I think the lower speed actually prevents some of the discoloration and patchiness I was seeing before. Followed all that with some Autosol polish.
First, a reminder of where we originally started back in June of 2011...
And as of today...
Start to finish on the fork plate.