I’m about to finish a Bastogne walnut stock it has a little figure but is very light in color. I’ve found a stain that will be exactly the color I want but the problem is if I stain the stock all the finish instructions I’ve read say to sand in the finish to fill the pores. I’m concerned sanding will lighten the stain or worse make it splotchy.
Question has anyone used spar Varnish to fill the pores then stained? I’ve seen a video we’re the spar varnish is applied let dry then sanded flush with stock, and repeated until pores are filled. Could you then stain the stock and then apply the oil finish without all the sanding? I don’t know how the spar varnish filled pores would look under the stain or if the oil based stain would affect the spar varnish. I don’t have a scrap piece of walnut to practice on and don’t want to trail an error on the stock. Any help appreciated
