[Arran]

Russ;
  I got a little blowback the same way with regard to someone's brand Z console cabinet, the know it alls insisted that with "Cowards" restore a finish the party that owned it wouldn't need to strip and refinish it, the trouble was that probably 50-60% of the finish had flaked off and was down to the bare wood, the rest was lifting and about to flake off. They were all talking about it like they were preserving an original finish, the trouble being is that there was no original finish to save, so basically it was just a cover for laziness. Sure , it brings up the grain, then six months later (at the most) the oil dries out and it looks like a "chicken coop" special again, so why not do it right the first time? I honestly hate "Howards" almost as much as I hate the refinisher in a can stuff, too many sleazy antique dealers, fleabay sellers, and craigslist sellers used it on their cabinets just to make it look good for the photos, more then one guy on here has overpaid for a set because they thought it was a nice original when in reality they were paying for a bottle of "Cowards" to be rubbed on it.
Regards
Arran