I'm currently trying to restore an old Everett reed/electic organ cabinet,
it was in awful shape when I obtained it, but I thought it was worth
restoring due to its rarity. Most of the veneer was peeled and there wasn't
much left of the original finish, so the only option was to completely
restore it from scratch. I was able to reglue most of the original veneer,
and the rest was replaced with new walnut. Now for the tricky part; I'd like
to replicate the original finish as closely as possible. I know from
experience that simply staining the wood isn't enough - the original finish
contained some kind of darkening agent in the varnish itself.
The best idea I can come up with is this; stain the wood as usual, but add
something to the varnish (Varathane, actually) to darken it. Is it possible
to darken it with paint? If so, what kind of paint would mix best with the
varnish, and what would be a proper mixing ratio?
Thanks for any advice.