Lew Schiller

Well that's a thought...
I did a second coat of stain and it really made a difference. Didn't darken it as much as it evened it and gave it a more warm look. I won't be getting to finish till the first of the week so there's time to decide.
So far so good :-)
I see that Greg Keeler has a 31 series decal set. I've sent email asking about the possibility of using some of the other decals to gussy her up. My concern being thae proportions might not work on the larger casting of a 31.

Dollyo

You can also use Tung Oil. It can be rubbed on w/a rag or by hand. I assembled and finished a 1790's museum reproduction Philadelphia Pie Crust table using it. It's easy to work with and is a beautiful finish. Here is a link to info on it.
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

sjdal

A nice satin varnish will look great, if you decide to not use the shellac. Gloss will make it very obvious that it is NOT original.

Lew Schiller

With all respect to Steve I do get the appeal of shellac - it's just that I've suffered more than a few glass rings on shellac finished table tops over the years.
Tung oil might just be the way to go - hadn't thought of that in this instance but .... yeah. I've had good results with it on other projects.

SteveH

non taken, I have no personal stake in your choice, just sharing my opinion.

Lew Schiller

That's what I thought :-)

After reviewing all the options I went with Tung Oil for a natural look, ease of application and most importantly because I had it on the shelf :-)

Lew Schiller

3 coats of Tung Oil. Might do a 4th but it's pretty nice as is.
Thanks for all the help and input :-)

SteveH

Looks awesome!!!! Well done.