Got this.....understood the dilemma.


But after reading the “furniture doctor” which fundamentally said do “no harm”
abd oiffers much more advise to folks whoooo are inclined tp “strip the piece”

Some years ago I was pleased to find “finish amalgamator” (?10$) which if I
recall correctlly is a Mohawk product,  you can take an old chest, clean off the
obvious crud, and  specifaclly wipe it down with this stuff, and it not only
dissolves the crud and a bit  of he existing finish, , but also dissoves
remaining crud , and  generally amalgamates it to cover dents/scratches with the
same patina as the rest of the item., although the reflectivity of the surface
may be marginally different. Defects almost disappear

Ja it sounds  too simple, but all it takes is one swipe to see if it works. It
might not, but two seconds will tell you if it does, but if you want to fuss for
hours and spend bucks trying to find a matching stain.....feel free to do so.

Regards

Eric 
in cowtown