Wardrobe looks patchy after stripping?

[LFS19]

I have this old wardrobe I wish to re-stain (not sure if oak or not).
The original stain was very dark, but as you can see, it doesn’t seem to have come off very well.
I’ve never stripped varnish before, but it looks patchy; the top right panel and surrounding area looking much more like bare wood than the rest.

Is there a reason for this?
The entire thing has had an even distribution of the stripper on it and two coats.

Thanks!

EDIT: for some reason it says my photos exceed the maximum file size. Any ideas how to fix it?

 

[custard]

Chemical stripper won't remove stain that's penetrated into the wood.

 

[LFS19]

It’s a varnish, so surely that shouldn’t have penetrated deep?

It’s annoying I can’t post a picture.

Thanks

 

[dzj]

Try resizing your photos. Any graphics editor will do.
Hard to tell without them.

 

[LFS19]

Unfortunately resizing didn’t work. I think this link should, though.

As you can see, the right hand side top panel came off well but the rest is patchy.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[custard]

It’s a varnish, so surely that shouldn’t have penetrated deep?

Over time the stain in a coloured varnish or lacquer can migrate into the wood.

You don't say anything about the age of the piece, but it used to be very common for commercial pieces to be sprayed with stain or, if it's Oak or Chestnut, fumed, before being lacquered.

 

[LFS19]

It’s a varnish, so surely that shouldn’t have penetrated deep?

Over time the stain in a coloured varnish or lacquer can migrate into the wood.

You don't say anything about the age of the piece, but it used to be very common for commercial pieces to be sprayed with stain or, if it's Oak or Chestnut, fumed, before being lacquered.

Right I see. What would my options be if this is the case? My original idea was to bring it back to its natural colour and either clear varnish or stain it.

As far as it’s age goes, I have no idea really. We got it cheaply from an auction about ten years ago.
Is there any way to identify its age?

Thanks.

 

[custard]

Sorry, I didn't see the photo before. It's definitely Oak and I can see why you're fond of it, it could look very smart.

Three options. A second application of stripper. Bleach. Sand the dentil moulding (or some other carefully chosen spot) to evaluate how much work is involved in taking the whole thing back .

 

[LFS19]

Sorry, I didn't see the photo before. It's definitely Oak and I can see why you're fond of it, it could look very smart.

Indeed. And it was only about £70, too. It’s a gentleman’s wardrobe, so the layout inside is quite unusual. You have a mirror with a shelf, tie rack etc.

Three options. A second application of stripper. Bleach. Sand the dentil moulding (or some other carefully chosen spot) to evaluate how much work is involved in taking the whole thing back .

I see, thanks for the suggestions. Which would you personally go with? I can’t certainly do a second application, though if the old varnish has stained right through in parts, wouldn’t need the stripper be useless?
Don’t know what bleaching entails reallt so I’ll look into that.
Sanding is also something I’ve thought about so I’ll look into that also.

Thanks again

 

[Jacob]

What you've done is very drastic - there's no going back!
Wood doesn't really have a single "natural" colour - left to it's own devices it'll progress from fresh cut light shades, darken gradually and, if left alone, end up a silvery grey. All natural colours.

I'd give it a good wash-down with sugar soap solution and then hose it well. Give it plenty of time to dry out. Then apply raw linseed oil thinly, brushed on and rubbed out. It'll look very blotchy at first but very quickly balances out with a surprisingly rich colour on old oak.
First time I saw this done (old oak beams) I thought the colour was so rich it had been stained, but no it was just oil.

 

[LFS19]

What you've done is very drastic - there's no going back!
Wood doesn't really have a single "natural" colour - left to it's own devices it'll progress from fresh cut light shades, darken gradually and, if left alone, end up a silvery grey. All natural colours.

Oh right. What should I have done, then?
Are you saying what I’m looking at is mostly my natural inconsistencies in colour rather than patchy stripping?

I'd give it a good wash-down with sugar soap solution and then hose it well. Give it plenty of time to dry out. Then apply raw linseed oil thinly, brushed on and rubbed out. It'll look very blotchy at first but very quickly balances out with a surprisingly rich colour on old oak.
First time I saw this done (old oak beams) I thought the colour was so rich it had been stained, but no it was just oil.

Haven’t heard of that technique, thanks for the tips!

 

[Jacob]

....
Oh right. What should I have done, then?

Left it alone perhaps?

Are you saying what I’m looking at is mostly my natural inconsistencies in colour rather than patchy stripping?

Who knows.
Another answer could be to stain it very dark - black even. It'd obliterate all the blotches.
Did an old school desk with black stain - it looks very good like ebony.
Basically stripping wood can be very problematic unless you are going to paint it afterwards, or something else like very dark stain. It's rarely a question of 'getting it back to how it was'