Took about a dozen pads and 2 hours, I just went over the entire thing to smooth as much of the casting marks as possible, I also used a a dremel and 120 grit to get into the detail areas...Also, if you go this route, make sure to press lightly! I started off my polished water pipes with this method but pressed heavily and it left deep gouges that took longer to sand out than sanding through all of the casting marks by hand.