I'm refinishing a solid cedar chest that is probably 90 years old.
I've stripped the original finish and have sanded the entire thing a
couple times. The wood is mostly in good shape, but there are what
appear to be some water stains on the top. I want to minimize these
as much as possible. I've heard oxalic acid will help remove the
stains.

Also, I was advised that some careful application of light or diluted
stain could help even out the color on top. If so, what type of stain
would be best for cedar? I know cedar isn't usually stained, but in
the interest of cleaning up the discoloration. I still want it to
look like cedar of course, but my tastes prefer darker cedar over
light.

So my questions a

1) Can anyone confirm that oxalic acid is worth a try, and that it
won't harm unfinished wood?

2) What type of stain should I use on cedar to hide some of the
discoloration? Or is this a bad idea all around?

abe