I got a cheap mini wood lathe at harbor freight over the weekend, with their liquidation sale and an extra 40% off clearance sticker price with my membership this thing was a steal! Upgraded it with a few parts from Woodcraft and made my very first lathe project! It's a neat little wine bottle stopper made out of Zebrawood. I just need to add a nice finish to it and it will be finished. I'm really excited to learn wood turning, so if anyone has any tips, tricks or suggestions I would love to hear them
I've got no lathing tips for you because I've only used a lathe once and I'm more of a carver but you've done a great job there for a first attempt! For the finish I'd recommend smoothing it out with some 240 grit sandpaper, cleaning it off with white spirits or similar then giving it a couple of coats of Danish or boiled linseed oil. The grain will look absolutely beautiful.
Be sure to post an update photo!