I have an old gunstock, beech I believe, that has been stained walnut. I sanded it down but the old stain is deep in the grain and it's blotchy. I want to restain it and put on an oil finish. What can I do to get rid of that blotchy look and get a good stain?

At this stage, you are gonna have to bleach it to reduce the blotching.

Make sure all the linseed and oil stain are out first. A thick paste of Whiting (Brownell's) and mineral spirits applied under a heat gun and left to stand for a few days in a warm room will help - as many applications as necessary for the Whiting not to turn brown.

Then, after drying, make a paste of Oxalic Acid (Constantines.com or any large wood finishing supply) apply to the spots and let sit for a while, checking the action. As many applications as needed, then rinse with water to neutralize.

You may not get it all out with European Beech, or Yellow Birch, so get some aniline dye stains in the color you want and "paint" around the blotches to equalize color before finishing.

And aniline dyes pentrate deeply - which is why I mention them - but fade, so after you get as even a color as you are going to, recoat with a pigmented oil-type stain before the topcoats.

And next time, don't sand - that's only for repairs - it makes gobs of unecessary work, as you are discovering. Use Formby's Refinisher and 0000 steel wool to take the damaged topcoats off, and adjust your color from there before topcoating.

[ 03-09-2003, 06:15: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

Bob

Thanks for the advice, now I'll see what I can do with it.

Chuck

Check your email, Chuck.