How to finish Knotty pine?

[STUMPJMPR]

I am putting together a gun rack.  I used #2 pine.  It has a few knots but it adds character.  I know the soft wood never takes stain well.  I was thinking about coating with sanding sealer/shellac then staining and top coating with shellac.  Is there a better way? 

[Jack Ripper]

Wipe the whole thing down with mineral spirits before you stain it helps it absorb stain better.

[mannyrock]

 
  Any large hardware will sell you a can of softwood pre-stain solution.  You paint this on (clear) before you stain the wood, and it makes the softwood take the stain a whole lot better than without.
 
  Once this has been done, you can use a medium colored stain, (such as oak, pine, pecan etc.).  It is best to apply it with a rag, let it sit about three minutes, and then wipe it off.
 
   Once you get the stain like you want, let it dry.  No need to apply a shellac.  A very light coat of satin polyurithane works really well.  I use the type in a spray can.
 
Regards, Mannyrock

[chefjeff]

What manny said...

[bilmac]

I never try to make it look like anything other than pine, don't try to make it look like walnut, cause it never will.

All the trim in my house is pine that I chose for figure, knots, the pith of the tree, I even have some the looks like birds eye. As pine ages it darkens, and that is the look I tried to get by staining. I used Minwax oil base golden oak. Paint it on and wipe it off fairly quickly. Then Poly urathane over that. I used spar poly U in window sills that are exposed to sun. Some of this work is 10 years old now and still looks good.

[oldandslow]

I have built some display cabinets and bookcases out of #2 pine because I like the knots in it. I have also replaced the window trim and built valances over all the windows in my house but used clear pine. Like bilmac, I stained everything with MinWax golden oak oil based stain. My finish was Also MinWax poly. One coat of clear gloss, sand lightly, and finish with simi-gloss or flat MinWax poly. I didn't have any problem with either grade of wood and the stain.