I've had good luck with artist's linseed oil, turpentine and alkanet stain. also, if you just want a simple to apply satin finish, you can use Minwax wipe-on poly. I've also added a little of that to linseed oil. Very easy to apply and to my eyes looks pretty good as well as being durable. I've also used the linseed mix and then applied a final wipe-on satin finish Minwax.

Last edited by cpa; 07/27/12 08:19 PM.