As a parent of a five year old girl I think I already know what you mean, Fretworn. The joys of working with a natural product. I was aiming for a matching neck burst but one side of the neck went dark right from the first coat of golden teak. There where also areas across the neck which were horribly patchy. I almost gave up and stained it all black. Glad I didn’t take any photos before this stage, it looked horrible. So not what I was hoping for but happy in the end.