Maybe the picture is bad on my screen, but from what I could make out. it
looked like there were cross grain scratches and cross grain sanding. And
forget the manufacturer's instructions when re-finishing. Mostly they are
for new wood. You'll learn, as you go, when you refinish, make sure you sand
out all the scratches. They will trap stain and be darker than the rest.
Best to just dab a little on a rag and make light swipes until you get like
you want it. Avoid the deep scratches and Q-tip them lightly to match up
after you get the rest even.
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'm attempting to refinish a crappy old desk. This is my first
refinishing project and I hope it'll be good practice.

I've stripped it and sanded it and now I stained it (according to
manufacturer's instructions).

And the result can be seen he

http://i.math.drexel.edu/~pg/board.jpg

You might be able to tell that it is very uneven and somewhat blotchy.

What am I doing wrong and can it be fixed at this point?

Very many thanks in advance!

Aaron Fude