Paint is easy! Color is hard!
Sleuth work in getting the color right....
Top Row: You can clearly see what should be a previously covered
area that was under the bow light. Note the rather orange coloration!
Compare this to the image at lower left which looks much darker
and much more red under the windshield.
The only explanation that I have for the difference is that the deck
clearly was refinished at least once before and when I removed the windshield
it was clear that the frame was screwed down by something other than the
original screws. (they should have been brass and weren't) Plus they
had been shot in by a drill and were stripped and had to be removed by
drilling off the heads.... Anyway, the deck/dash darker color seems
to be caused by weathering and additional coats of varnish that may not
have had the correct stain applied. When I wiped the deck down with thinner
I got a similar red look.
Note the three colors on the bow point. The
lightest was an area with only varnish applied directly to the wood.
The more red area was one with a standard red mahogany stain applied and
the area from under the bow light was original. I think from this
that it is clear that some kind of stain was applied but it was a "light"
mahogany and Bart Hoekstra may well be right, the Petit Wood Grain Filler
may well have been used.
Lower Right: I can find no evidence of any stain used on the interior
but it is pretty clear that the varnish itself did some reddening over
time. Note the square patch of test stain to the left of the sanded
boundary! Actually it is pretty close but a little too dark.
To stain or not to stain?
Opinions (or real knowledge) is greatly appreciated!
