It went fine. Not perfect, but let's not forget that these are old shells, and that they weren't made to be stained. If you want perfect stain, my opinion is that you need to veneer the shells.
I read some articles on the internet on how to get a more even staining by applying one coat of thinned shellac sealer before staining. But I actually chose to follow CLOU's instructions and work directly on bare wood.
I actually rubbed the first coat working in the direction of the grain, and then I applied a second coat when still wet, by making circular movements with the sponge.
The overall tone is good and will look stunning under a high gloss clear poly.
The wood patches actually blended nicer than I thought they would.
Anyway, I like the green tone, it's not too dark, not to yellow, kinda classy. Next picture gives a good idea of what it looks like.
And masking the inside of the shells was definitely a good idea.
