Looking good.
What grit did you start with? If you don't go coarse enough then you don't get down through all of the low spots. If it were me, I'd go over it with one more pass, using water to keep your paper lubed and unclogged. Don't move on to the next grit until all the marks from the previous grit have been removed, stepping up too fast through the grits or skipping too far ahead will result is a common mis-step and I think i see some sanding marks still in your pictures.
Another thing you can do is make a "sanding block" by folding your wet paper around a piece of rubber hose, that just fits into the grooves in the hub. That'll help you achieve the super-flat surface you need for a bright polish. On the flat surfaces, use a thin neoprene sanding block, your hands aren't stiff enough to do the job.
As far as polishing, I agree with Oldhatt45, since you're already going the redneck route, chuck a polishing wheel onto an angle grinder, and then use THAT to polish the hub while it spins. A drill press doesn't generate sufficient RPM for actual polishing.
Anyway, stay safe and keep up the good work.
mystic_1
