Are there experienced cabinet finishers out there?  I am repairing and
refinishing a mahogany piano with walnut stain.  The veneer is being
repaired in numerous places.  I am matching the grain pretty well using
the mahogany pieces that I have.  I would like to refinish the case
properly, even considering sanding the whole case down to the lighter
layers of wood (not too sure about that).

I intend to stain or dye the wood, use black paste filler, coat with
lacquer sanding sealer, and coat with clear gloss lacquer coats.

My questions are many:

- water or alcohol based (black) wood filler?
- water or alcohol based (walnut) aniline dye (or surface stain)?

Of course, I want the veneer patches to be invisible, so a dark walnut
coloring works to my advantage.

I have seen properly refinished cabinets that look fantastic, so I know
it is possible to do this right.

Thanks for any comments.

Larry Toto