In article
,
geraldthehamster wrote:
You could try the old ploy of spraying a mild alkali over the boards,
this brings out that nice mellow colour in minutes. Half a teaspoon
of caustic soda to a litre of water in a plant sprayer, mist it over,
allow to dry. Works a treat.

I did that on some new timber shelves once - scrubbed them with
caustic. It certainly took the hard edges off, and yellowed the wood.
Looked OK once I'd gone over it with Fiddes, but nowhere near as nice
as the pine frame of a mirror left on a sunny wall for a year...

Absolutely. Natural ageing beats staining etc every time. But I reckon
the varnish does add to the colour - in the same way as oil based white
paint doesn't stay white for long.

--
*It's lonely at the top, but you eat better.

Dave Plowman London SW
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