Post #138537 by seamus on Mon, Jan 31, 2005 2:28 PM

Aaron, I know how you feel bro. I can get the same kind of thing happen in concrete on occaision. Sometimes it adds to the uniqueness of the item, and some time it detracts. Fixing the problem is often a gamble as well.
When I first saw the photo I thought maybe the part that wouldn't take the stain was the part of the tree close to the bark that hadn't got shaved off. But looking closer the light color appears to go in deeper where the undercuts are, so that's probably not it.
I would try dabbing the light parts with the same stain, going a little heavier to see if it will absorb. Maybe even give it a light roughing up with some coarse sand paper to help w/absorption. Going with a darker stain might help, but you have to be willing to accept the idea of going over the whole thing w/ the darker stain if it doesn't look right. It's really too bad. The grain really looks great in the photos.
Good luck, and keep us posted.