I’ve had a few pads put on by a very good local guy. After the pad has been cut and fit on the stock, he tapes off the wood and clamps it in a vice. He uses strips of of wet/dry sandpaper to work the edge of the pad down. He starts with 220 and works his way down to finer grits. He sprays Pledge furniture polish on the pad as he uses the sandpaper. End result is a nice smooth finish. I will also treat my pads with Armour All to clean and improve patina. I’m sure there are many other methods just as satisfactory