Somehow I thought that would come back to haunt me..........it is eluding me in recall just now, but there are wood 'treatments' which will enhance the grain variations more vividly than just staining. And BTW, I have preferred alcohol based stains over water based for some years too. Seems to me that I remember you can brush on a solution of household lye as a pre-treatment to stain, but it must be neutralized before proceeding. Info may be in the Dixie Gunworks catalog, they have a section with a bunch of 'old time' info. Hopefully I will remember where that reference of mine is, or someone else will, and get me off the hook!
