There is no supposed to! Both routes are great, and you can go half way- smoke it unfinished for 20 years, then have at it. More seriously, I have a handful of unfinished basket pipes from Wilke, Ries, Sherman that I did nothing to, except way later- decades later- had a carnauba finish buffed on and they shone like shellac!
The more I think about it, Joeman, the more I want to do it. Mine has some fills along the bottom right side of the bowl in a line going to the bottom of the bowl that began to stick out like a sore thumb as the briar has been darkening. They'll still be visible with a stain I'm sure, but maybe not as much of an eyesore. I'm in the process of finishing another pipe right now, so once that's done I think I'll do it.
