I've got a solid mahogany study that is ruined (IMO) by a dark stain. I would like to sand off the finish (a lacquer, I was told) and the underlying stain or dye to get to bare wood and then apply a pure tung oil finish. Why tung oil? Well, someone told me it looked great and could be renewed easily. I'm been reading threads here about tung oil and have got myself confused. First, it sounds as if I may not need a dye -- that the tung oil itself will perhaps give me the look I want. I've experimented with a scrap piece and removed the finish and then wetted the surface with water and it looked about like what I'm looking for -- maybe just a little too light, perhaps not. So, questions:
1) Will multiple applications of the tung oil result in further darkening so that I can keep applying (after drying) until I get the color I want?2) Or will a dye be necessary, first?
3) If I dye and get the exact color I want, will putting the tung oil over it darken the color?4) And I'm assuming that I *can* put tung oil over wood dye -- can I?
5) What grits of sandpaper should I use to get the wood stripped and then ready for applying the dye or tung oil?6) Do I sand or use steel wool between the dye and the tung oil or between applications of tung oil?