/diy/ - Do It Yourself

clueless beginner here, i'm making a decorative shaft for an italian guisarme
i want it to radiate DIY juryrigged-garbage energy, but still be nice to look at

the mounting socket that was on the blade was a complete piece of shit so i decided to cut it off and slot the blade directly into the shaft
the shaft is a tree branch that's been drying in a shed for 3-4 years
i peeled off a bit of bark and thought the woodborer grooves were kinda neat-lookin' so i ran with it

all of the loose bark has been stripped off and i want to prep the surface for a (TBD) finish, but i've hit a wall
no matter how i sand it there are always raised wood fibres sticking up

i've had no success getting it smooth with any combination of:
>180/240/400/600 grit paper
>moderate/light pressure
>sanding circularly or going with/across/slightly diagonal to the grain

how badly will these loose fibres ruin an attempt to oil or stain the wood?
do i have to painstakingly remove everything that isn't heartwood before the surface stops trying to come off in tiny strips?
should i not worry?

obviously my next move is to blast it with fire and just burn off all the fuzz with a roofing torch, but i thought i'd better ask DIY first

i'm also looking for suggestions for a good finishing process to make the grooves stand out (nothing glossy)
many thanks