Cleaning dingotone before clear coats

[JKB5]

Hey everyone,

so i've finished applying the stain coats and intensifying coats of Uluru red Dingtone to a flame maple tele body and it's looking great. nearly ready for the third bottle and final coats!!! now everything is going well so far and i'm really keen to get going into the next stage but i'd noticed a nice greasy looking smudge of grime or something going down most of the body along the grain. i'll try attach a picture so you can see. i haven't had a lot of experience working with stains and this is my first time with dingotone also. i'm just wondering if there would be a way to help clean the grimes stuff of without removing any of the stain?

another thing too, i've just applied my first coat of clear to the neck and released after applying it that i hadn't actually sanded or steel worked it smooth and it's drying with small imperfections over it still. once it's dry, will it be possible to go back over it and smooth it down before continue to add more thin coats?

thanks everyone who can help

[JKB5]

this link should show three pictures, showing the grime smudge:
https://imgur.com/Y2LKRJB
https://imgur.com/UtcwqX4
https://i.imgur.com/fJcaTp1.jpg

any help to remove the smudge without removing stains will be highly appreciated

[Simon Barden]

Looks rather like a variation in the grain pattern/wood colour to me, which the stain has probably highlighted. Not sure you will be able to remove it.

[Bakersdozen]

I could be wrong here, but i did spot those when I was working with DT. I believe it could be areas where the prior coat(s) of DT haven't fully cured yet and you've added another coat in top. Different parts of the grain will soak up DT at different speeds, so all though the prior coat may appear cured and it's bit tacky anymore, there may be some sections that may have not fully cured universally across the entire body.

[Andy40]

Im not seeing it in the photos, but I think BD is probably correct. Also the grain in different areas will take the stain differently.