Stain color?

Ray Kepler

Curious about Wooden Canoes
I’m wondering if anyone knows the color of the ash thwarts/yokes for an old town guide Canoe from 1983. I can’t seem to replicate the color and keep having to sand it back. Almost seems like a golden oak but not sure.
 

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There was typically no stain in the varnish for the interior of an Old Town canoe during the 1980s. The color changes are usually due to sunlight exposure. Good luck with the matching process,

Benson
 
Stain very often does not look the same as aged varnish, mostly due to the way it tends to soak into the grain unevenly. I've had better luck matching old to new by starting on the new ash with a coat or two of orange shellac and then varnishing. The bow seat frame here is the original 1973 varnish. The stern seat had to be re-caned, so it was stripped down to raw, new wood, re-
guide-012.jpg
caned, shellacked and then varnished.
 
Stain, varnish, shellac.. I’ve got a lot to learn! Not sure of the differences.
I suppose I’ll try some shellac, which seems close to the color I need.
 
On that ash you might get fairly close using Captains Spar...it seems to have a bit of a yellowish clarity that resembles the Old Town trim.
Shellac could also get you in the ballpark.
It's best not to stain if you don't need to.
 
I had some shellac on hand and it turned out decently. I’ll be adding a couple coats of varnish and hope to be all set. (Maybe add some sunshine)
Thanks all.
 
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