Poated a lighter colored one a couple weeks ago. This one was dyed black with India ink, then sanded back to add shadow to the platter. It was then stained with medium walnut. I steel wooled the stain to lighten the highlights. I applied 5 coats of lacquer (should have seal the wood with oil) just to build a decent finish. The photo of the front doesn't show the fiddle quite as well as the back.