Reddit mentions of Minwax 60910000 Wipe-On Poly Finish Clear, quart, Satin

Looks pretty easy. The basic steps are Sand, Seal, Stain, Finish

1. Sand - Get a Random Orbit Sander and some 100 and 220 grit pads for it. Use the 100 grit to sand everything down until it looks like new again, then use the 220 to sand it all nice and smooth. Do a good job here, because poor sanding will show up in the finished product. You don't need the random orbit sander for this and could do it by hand with a sanding block, but the machine will do a better job of sanding and do it in about 1/20 of the time.
   
   
2. Seal - I've used Minwax pre-stain conditioner. There are instructions for how to use it at the link
   
   
3. Stain - Get a nice oil based stain and apply it. I use a foam brush to apply the stain, wait about 30 seconds, then wipe it off with a cotton rag (old t-shirts work great). Wait a couple of days after staining before proceeding to step 4
   
   
4. Finish - This is always the hardest part, because it's the part that will show/bring out any imperfections that were left in the previous steps. You'll need to find a dust free room (floating dust in the air will land on the finish as its drying and become embedded in it). My favorite finish is wipe on poly because it applies easily with a rag (another old t-shirt, cut into strips), and doesn't leave runs or brush marks. I typically wipe on one coat a day, applying each coat on top of the previous one. I'll normally do three or four coats. Some people say you need to sand between coats but from my experience I don't see any difference between sanding and not sanding, except that sanding takes off some of the finish, requiring more coats and also requires cleaning the piece between coats.

Thanks for the reply! Is this a good one?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001OBMDXQ/ref=olp_twister_child?ie=UTF8&mv_color_name=1&mv_size_name=1&mv_style_name=0

An alternative to shellac would be wipe-on polyurethane. This is the stuff I use, works like a charm. Goes on thin so you don't have to worry about drips or runs. It does darken the wood a little bit since it's oil based, but that means that the grain and any figure also pops.

Minwax 60910000 Wipe-On Poly Finish Clear, quart, Satin https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OBMDXQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4iGACbZFG5Q08

• Rubber Feet 1 1/8".
  
• Cable Tray x2.
  
• None of the steel is painted currently.
  
• Stain - Provincial 211 used 2-3 coats then applied some Wipe-On Poly to protect it. I actually built the top and did the stain 2 years ago and this is how it looks today... it has held up really well.
  
• This desk is only 60" long (5'). Mostly because it was more cost effective for me to purchase 2"x6"x10' boards and have them cut in half in store.