A lot of the time I opt to completely strip old varnish and start new - too many dings and scratches.
Though a few times I run into some wood that just doesn't stain well, dark & even.
I spot test a number of stains from danish oil to zar stains, etc. And, with a pre of dilute shellac.
Without being an expert woodworker here, not sure what to do.
Hardwoods do not take stain well especially oil based stains. Some woods just take stain blotchy. Dyes are better on hardwoods and woods that blotch but they are difficult to learn how to apply and control.
Try a gel stain. Much easier - After the first gel stain coat apply shellac - let dry and if the wood isn't dark enough put on another layer of gel stain. You can do this multiple times until your color has the depth you're looking for. Final coat would be a poly
SA
Steve have you used any general finishes gels? They seem to be all the rage. Better than minwax and whatever else is available at the nearest store.
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I just ordered some GF since it's tough to find locally. Going to step it up a bit and recover this little mid century chair in a light blue leather, stain the legs java and the brass is already polished.
I haven't used the General finishes Gel stain but if it's oil based it will work well. I stay away from the water based products.
If you want the color to go on a little stronger don't stir the contents. With a spoon go down to the bottom of the can and dig out the good stuff
SA
Good stuff Steve. I read and hear rave reviews so I'll let you know how it works out.
Mostly don't like minwax but I did try their stain plus poly in one (black) that turned out well.
I know most of you folks aren't terribly excited about wood repair, etc, except for maybe Steve.
I have been asked specifically to repair these bumps and bruises. It looks like stain then poly. Asking for various methods of repair here.
i.e., repair the same method as original, stain then poly
or I have a selection of 'crayons' but I'm not sure that's a terribly durable fix and there is no way I'm going to allow something to go out the door that might get someone's expensive clothes dirty.
Another designer job so want it to look the absolute best possible.
http://gdurl.com/7ry4
65 Read up on Mohawk products. Mohawk is one of the best sources for finishing repair there is. They have toning aerosols that you can brush or spray, on to cover missing color like this. I wouldn't spray this repair as it is easy to apply too much. I never try to get an exact color match on this sort of repair I like to call it half way. What your looking at is pretty white and half way back to the original will blend in nicely. I've been doing this for many years and it does take some practice but a good trick is to spray on sealer when you have the color like you want it. The sealer will blend in the repair. And then apply the top coat. 99% of furniture is finished with Lacquer not poly. Poly is good for table tops as it doesn't do the white ring thing, but is hard to repair. Always spray light coats.
Most everything I buy is from Mohawk. Those types of blemishes don't seem to require filling. Lightly sand the void with 400 then 600 grit - black carbide paper dry.
Stay in the area don't make it a bigger repair then necessary. What you want to do is level out the surface so after the retouching it won't appear depressed.
Purchase earth pigments or what Mohawk calls blendal powders. Get all the earth tone colors and the primary colors - this will give you the ability to retouch any stain color using just 10 powered colors by mixing and blending. I have a plastic case that has tiny compartments 1 in. x 1 in. perfect for your touch up colors.
I use shellac for touching up. It stays wet longer than lacquer and is easier to clean your touch up dish and brush. It also won't react to residue on the surface that hasn't been cleaned away properly.
Now the artistic side of this repair. Using shellac, mixing the appropriate powder color(s) and possibly a drop of alcohol to thin out the mixture - start infilling the void. A good badger hair touch up brush will make work much easier. Like Paul mentions try to use a color that is lighter than the final color. Work slow - allow dry time in between and build your color. After over night drying you can spray aerosol lacquer over the repair feathering out to prevent a noticeable addition of spray in that area. When fully dry - light steel wool 4-0 followed by pledge spray wax -
SA
Is Mohawk available at any hardware stores or is it strictly sold online? Good products I hear. I guess the big names make it impossible for them to buy shelf space?
There are a few places that sell Mohawk products but they are few and far between. You can buy direct from them and they are very helpful in technical issues.
The set of Mohawk powders is about $125.
Can anyone guess what the color is? Maple?
I could buy one or two powders or a transtint and add it to the shellac that I already have.
I also came up with this idea: scrape a bit of varnish off where it isn't seen, then dissolve it in solvent and reapply to the scrapes.