Over the past couple of weeks I tried out the steelwool-vinegar mix on some projects. I did test on a scraps before doing the actual piece. the first is a frame for a customer. The wood is white pine. Color came out to a golden brown. the second is a design I modified from smitty312. I had to remove the dates in the middle because I broke off one of the numbers while handling ( an Oh crap moment). the mixture was brushed onto the frame with a foam brush, the heart plaque was actually dipped. The wood was also white pine. The color of the plaque is actually darker that it looks in the picture and the grain shows nicely. Darn near the color of walnut. The other picture is an non stained piece (once again a modification of Smitty312 design) in white pine. Even though the wood is the same, the colors came out different. Each test piece reflected the color accurately. The mixture is -well the only way to say it - it stinks, stinks, stinks. It took 3 or 4 days for he smell to be out of the wood. The frame then got 3 coats of gloss lacquer. The customer loved the color, so all was well.