Jumping in on this conversation, as I'm aiming to achieve a similar effect as McCreed's TL on an Ash ST, only I want it to be darker (blood-like).

I've started with ebony timbermate grain filler, and am thinking of applying a diluted black stain to darken the overall the body colour, and hopefully make the grain pop a bit more, then go over with a red ink stain, followed by tru-oil.

I'm a bit hesitant over spirit-based vs water-based combinations here, so correct me if I'm "wrong", but does this order work?:
- Timbermate grain filler
- FW spirt stain
- Acrylic ink
- Tru-oil

Maybe I should swap out the ink for U beaut, after reading this thread.