Hi there -- In reply to Michael Taylor's question about what finish
to use on new pipework I would like to throw my two cents in.

Working as an organ builder myself there are two "schools" of opinions
the old and the new.  Organ builders of the old school swear by shellac
and we do use it when restoring and refinishing old pipework.  I like
to use a thin sanding sealer lacquer on most exposed pipework as this
gives a good seal and has a nice appearance.  I would shy away from
plastic type finishes such as polyurethane as they tend to yellow and
put a hard coating on the wood which may affect the pipes tone/speech.

Without getting into a treatise on pipe building do remember that the
type of wood, its thickness and type of wood -- softwood vs. hardwood
all have an effect on how a pipe will sound.  The resonance of the wood
greatly affects the sound.  So putting a hard coating on the pipe will
lesion its ability to resonate properly.  What you want to do is put a
good "Seal" on the wood so that moisture will not effect it.

Hope this helps

Thomas Grace