Best option for Blackened table top?

[pamulli]

I am interesting in blackening a peice of sheet metal to use as a table top, but I am concerned with corosion. I have seen blackened steel and this is the look I am trying to acheive, but I'm not sure how well it will hold up as a table top that will get wet. I would like to know how the blackened aluminum and stainless compare to the regular steel. The look I want is a near black finish. Also, are there any good clear coats I can use once I get the metal blackened to protect the finish? A friend had suggested I use blackened steel and then polyurethane it to seal it, but I'm not sure how well this will work.

Thanks,
Paul Mullis

[mcaswell]

Why not powder coat it black?