Man I had that exact same thing happen last summer with an old Sturmey Archer hub wheel. Grabbed the spokes and just let my hands do the work and it was dead smooth in like 5 minutes. The dial indicator is nice for perfectionists but sometimes the old ways just get it done faster.

Nah, that's exactly what's happening here. People love to say gear is the answer but most of the time it's just a $35 reminder you still can't nail down your feeding schedule. Your starter is probably fine too, it's the oven temp or the stretch and fold routine that's the real variable.

I heard someone say you should start with what annoyed you most about the last book that's a good shortcut.

Goes against the manual" usually means you're skipping a step that matters later.

Is that really a common issue though? I've been using an old toothbrush on my headlights for years and never noticed any scratches, your mileage may vary on softer plastics I guess.