Min Wax... wonders for Briar

Minwax does make a pipe look good. Minwax has a stain and a sealer in it both. I used it on the first pipe or two I restored, however many discourage the use of a petroleum based product. I don't know so much about all that but a sealer would inhibit the ability for the pipe to breathe fully possibly. I do like to apply carnauba wax from time to time for a new shine. For some reason I just feel like letting the pipe breathe is important for drying it out between smokes. It might be in my head but a pipe smokes better when its set for a spell.
I have one pipe I believe someone put something like polyurethane on it. It looks quite shiny but its staying shiny too long to be plain wax. Also there is a spot near the top which due to heat has the sheen flattened out. A painted pipe turns me off a little. I like a natural finish pipe too. Many suggest Fiebing's for staining. See This Thread for more info.

It's believed the some of the chemical (solvent) residues use to make furniture stains can vaporize when heated and cause health risks. That's why the usual recommendation for staining is alcohol based dyes. The alcohol evaporates leaving no solvent residue behind. It does require that you buff on a wax protection to get a good luster. Furniture stains likely pose some risk of exposure to toxins that my cause you to rethink their value. As with most things it's the cumulative exposure over time that is likely to cause a problem.