Quick help with finish on scrollsaw project

[Northerner]

i use a lot of pine when i scroll and when i go to finish a project in a dark stain the edges are always darker then the surface, is there any way to prevent that from happening?

[Rapid Roger]

Yes.
Sand the edges to a higher grit. And pay special to the end grain, take it to the finest grit you have.
You might also try putting on a coat of 1# cut shellac before staining. It helps control the blotching that you get on softer woods like pine especially. Shellac closes up the pores of the wood a bit and makes for a more even finish.
What do you use for a final finish? I've used shellac, and polyurethane both with good results and a lot of people use lacquer also.

Rog

[cowboysfanatic]

Yep sand sand and sand some more the end grain on boards will always soak up more stain than the rest of the board.

[WynnD]

Minwax has a pre-finish that soaks into softer grains and takes the uneven color out of pine and other splotchy woods.  That with sanding pre-treating with lacquer or shellac will help.

[jimr1cos]

I've also used the Minwax Prefinish with good results on pine, birch, and aspen. The stuff evaporates quickly, so be ready to stain shortly after applying the pre-finish.
I also test my stain on a piece of matching scrap to see if the softwood is going to blotch.
Jim