I just completed a full restoration and refinish of an Oaklawn Camco set. It was a walnut kit from the factory, the original owner sanded that off to make them maple. It wasn't looking very good when i got them so I elected to put them back to walnut. I took a long time to muster up the courage to do this job myself as I have never done a stain and topcoat type of finish before.
The first order of business was plugging the small extra holes where the original owner have added old Pearl spurs. I used face grain maple plugs and also went ahead and plugged the tone control holes.
Camco stains were mixed into the clear they used which is why they age so terrible. One little bump and you expose the blond maple underneath. They have a very flat look to them and are often quite sloppy. I decided to use a gel stain as they sit more on top of the wood than a penetrating stain. The added benefit of this product is I could build it up until I got the color I wanted. Also this type of stain conceals any extra holes or other flaws very well.
[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f364/mariosdrums/Camco/IMG_9038.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f364/mariosdrums/Camco/IMG_9040.jpg[/IMG]
first coat of stain
[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f364/mariosdrums/Camco/IMG_9048.jpg[/IMG]
staining complete and ready for topcoat
[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f364/mariosdrums/Camco/IMG_9061.jpg[/IMG]
