Gil
Yes I pinched the room keys. I have about two dozen of them. Do you need some? I travel every week so the supply is unlimited.
The rottenstone does effect the final color of the wood. I have never found this offensive though.
As to checkering, I put masking tape in the border line that is around the checkering. I use magnafiers and an X-acto knift to trim the tape and then I run my finger nail into the line. After my third layer of this slurry I remove the tape and use a tool around the border. This is usually all that is needed as the rest of the checkering is clean.
With the same magnifers you can actually look into the pores in the sunlight. I use the type that is about 10X.
Regards, Gordon
