I think, in my experience, it depends on the piece of stockwood you have. Sometimes, just applying the stock finish to the "new" checkering does not color the checkering correctly. If the new stock has the new checkering cut into fine diamonds, not flattop checkering, it may never look like the gun did when it was made. Sometimes it is better to "stain" the new checkering , starting with a lighter color, until the right color is achieved. Then you can put a thinned finish over the checkering , as noted above.
