I had a recent stain encounter that actually turned out to be a blessing ( and a new trick ) Was staining one of the MIJ kits I have to give it a nice Mahogany color. Nothing too dark or too light. But something simple and classy. Did my usual routine and started with the toms. Came out as expected, perfect. Then I get to the bass drum. The stain wasn't soaking in. Gave it a good two days before it was finally dry and man does it look even better than the toms. My guess after really looking at it is this - somewhere along the way before I got the drum it had been given a quick clear coat or Lacquer or Poly. And though I sanded the shell before staining, clearly it was deep within the grain. Granted it turned out looking great, but now I have non matching toms,lol. This is why I love working with my hands though. You encounter something, learn and move on with new knowledge and understanding.
Cool story..And i absolutely agree with you when it comes to working with your hands.. Although i'm new to it, i love it as well.. I only started doing minor restoration for a the last 6 years and of course i'm still learning, but i love it. It can get frustrating sometimes, but that's where we learn our lessons i guess..;)
