Wow! Talk about a major improvement from your last attempt! This isn't some incremental little win, this is a gigantic leap forward in fit, finish, and overall execution!
If anything, this ought to reinforce to you that the quality of the end result depends on taking that little bit of extra time on every step. This is the same knife as the last time. The difference is not racing to the finish line. Each process is its own piece of the puzzle, and when you do your absolute best on each process on each little piece of the puzzle, those more-perfect pieces fit together more perfectly. The overall process becomes easier and the end result is that much better.
The absolute worst thing you can do to yourself is work to a hard deadline. It's not always avoidable, but bumping up on a deadline never makes things turn out better. It seems whenever I have a hard deadline, that's the knife that will have some errant scratch or blemish or handle that won't cure... it's always something time dependent to fix. During the build process, always remember that there is no better time than now to get it right. The farther along in the process, the longer everything takes. A lesson I have learned the hard way in my life is, "If you don't take time to do it right, you'll end up taking time to do it twice."
ALWAYS ask yourself before moving on to the next phase if this piece of the puzzle is as perfect as you can make it. The answer is usually no, but sometimes it is. If you have the ability to make it better, then do it. BUT, also recognize when something is the best you can do. It may not be perfect, but it's as good as you can get it. No knife will ever be perfect, but so long as it's the best you can do at this time, it's as good as it's going to be. Make peace with that. Put it on the list of things you want to learn how to improve.
