GOoD NEWS! I finally grew the balls to sand my slide.. Look at the pic above, u see all those tiny scratches? Well i removed them all

I used 2000 grid sandpaper and soaked it.. i gently and carefully sanded in 1 direction....based on my experiences, i would NOT use anything less than 2000 grid unless if your scratch is very deep.
EDIT: it looks even shinier now too