Stained some wood, should I put on clear coat?

god

Hey guys

I have been refurbishing an old slot machine from the 1930's. The case has both metal and wood finishing. It has been repainted several times before I got it so I was not dealing with orignal paint or anything. I used varathane premium wood stain, (early american ) and didn t know if mabye I should use clear coat to protect the finish?
Over the years I have used stain a few times for house hold projects and I always have put on several coats of clear coat to protect the finish. But of course, these were shevles where items were going on the wood so I thought it really needed protection. I was leaning on not putting any clear coat to protect the finish on the slot machine.

What would you guys do?

Brushjockey

Stain is not meant to be the finish- just the color. It has no protective qualities.
Lots of good choices in finishes- think about sheen level- Satin is the most used, but it could be either flatter to retain the raw look, or shiner.
Varathane makes a good oil poly, if you want to go waterborne I know of no better to use than Zar Ultra Max- tough enough for floors. Ace Hdwe, among others carries it.

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ratherbefishing

I've had really good luck with Minwax and Behr Tung Oil Finish. Easy to apply and just the right amount of sheen for me.

god

I guess by sheen you mean whether its shinny finish or not. I like the raw look of it now, I ll check out a satin finish as thats not too shinney.
I used a oil base for the stain so I guess I have to go with oil for the finish?

Brushjockey

No- you can use either oil or waterborne as long as the stain is dry.
The flattest ( raw) look might be Dead Flat varnish by modern masters.

__________________
"It's better to come here with questions before you screw up than to come here after and ask how to fix them."- JS