Bare Timber or clear finish?

Morning all,
Looking for some advice/tips/assistance when it comes to finishing off a toy chest I put together recently.
I have previously used a dark stain on the pine to bring it up to a kind of brown treasure chest imitation (image attached), which has offset the aluminium bands very nicely. However this time I have used dark leather bands on the timber for a new look and have found myself stuck for how to finish it. I think the bare timber (just cheap pine) is a great contrast with the leather but don't know if I need to seal/stain it to protect it. At the moment it is just going to be holding some of my other creations and keeping dust off them, so it wont be getting a lot of abuse, but if a I decide to sell it or give it away for use, then it may get exposed to more spills or grubby little fingers. I know if I stain it I will enjoy the look of it (dark/darker contrast) anyway, but not sure if I will enjoy it more than the white/dark contrast

SO. Do I leave it bare or finish it and with what, beeswax, danish oil, poly and various stains are sitting on the shelf, also open to suggestions on products. I have found that the pine yellows slightly with the poly and would like to avoid the yellowing and keep it white as possible to continue the contrast.

Cheers, Carl.

Children's hands + beeswax finish? :no: Not unless you want to wax it every couple of days.....

I'd be inclined to use Rustin's Danish oil. Paint or cloth it on. I've used it on my workshop drawer fronts and was amazed at how little it fingerprints.

I have been running a bit of a trial using Marine Penetrol.

It has been on an outdoor table setting which is under a pergola type roof. It has now been on for almost 6 months and used as a BBQ table etc. the timber is the dark imported type but the Marine Penetrol which was put on like a wop, 3 coats is still as good as the day I put it on. It shouldn't change the colour of the pine but will certainly give it some protection.

One of my reasons for the trial was that any damage etc could be easily repaired.

Just a thought.

You could try using a Cabot's base tint with liming white stain. I have used it on some of my pine furniture I made and it comes up rather nice.

I quite like the look of that.

Does it still allow whatever grain there might be to show through or is it a little murky?

Yes you can still see the wood grain is does not smear it in any way. I have only got 2 coats on the pine but the more you put on the whiter it gets.

Thanks for that.

I would use water-based polyurethane because it is transparent, durable after approximately 10 days of curing and you can always strip away the finish using paint remover to apply other colours in future when you want to give it a new look.

When finishing products that children will use it is important to advocate for healthy non toxic products, oils that are certified foodsafe are a perfect choice. While children will not necessarily "chew" on items such as a toy box, their hand interaction using the box quite often also leads to their mouth area. These oils also protect the timber, leaving a lovely glow while the grain of the timber is highlighted but no plastic feel here, the natural wood feeling remains too. Oils such as Livos's Kunos range are available in a range of colors as well as a clear to best suit your needs. The clear will enhance the colour of the timber you are working on, in this case the honey colour of the pine, however the white for instance will keep it to its original sanded look. A light limed effect if you like. Always check the full ingredients listing of products that will be used to finish children's items, to check for any sensitises or allergies, and if a company won't provide one ask yourself why ?