Preserving out door carvings?

[pjoines]

My wife and I are carving some fairly large pieces for use outside. They're from Western Red Cedar. I usually use Amteco TWP300 finish for benches and such but these will have much more exposed end grain. Any suggestions for a preservative? I won't paint them, might as well use plastic.

The pic is the rough stage of a burro. It's 40 inches tall from 2 4x4x8' cedar posts.

[twymanok]

I am a fan of Poly or SPAR varnish for outdoor stuff

[Robson Valley]

I'd let them weather. WRC turns a nice silver-grey. That beast looks awful pale for WRC.
I like the carving style.
If and when I get my pair of big Ravens finished, I'll paint them once = rendered bear fat and crushed willow charcoal ( I have lots of both). Then, it's out to the garden, up on a post as a "Scare-Raven," and I can see them from the house all year long.

[Donsexton]

Poly is not good for out doors carvings exposed to much sun, oil is a better choice borate rods are good to keep bugs out of the wood.

[bob easton]

Agree with Don about Poly; not tough enough to withstand the weather. Spar varnish is OK if you like to re-do it about once a year. (Just ask the high-end "Concours" boat owners about that chore.)

While WRC has very good weathering characteristics, I think it needs more than oil to keep it in good shape. For my wooden boats, cedar, NOT Concours types, I use CETOL Marine finish. It has a slight yellowish cast and does need maintenance every few years, but not near as much as varnish.

On the other hand, the TWP you're already using might work out very well.

[Kadiddle]

How about log home finish. It is an oil and has UV protection. Pricey but does the job. I even think it has a component in it for the bugs. Don hit it right on with the bug issue though.
Carve On,
Kadiddle

[pjoines]

The wife wants to preserve the color of the cedar. The TWP is an oil based outdoor finish. I like it because it usually doesn't need to be sanded to add a new coat, usually about 4 years. The clear doesn't have UV blockers but the tinted does. It's biggest drawback for me is the price, $65 a gallon. I was hoping to find something cheaper.

[bob easton]

How well does the TWP preserve color?
I mentioned Cetol a couple of replies back. It does add a yellowish cast. Compare the pictures at the next two links to see what you think. The boat decking is Eastern White Cedar (actually a Juniper). Unfinished. Finished.

The finishing material is Sikkens Cetol Marine ... which works out to about $120 / gallon.

[pjoines]

Nice boat ?kayak?

It does a pretty good job. There are a couple of doors and benches I made about 5 years ago That have been re-coated once and they haven't turned gray yet. I used the "oak" color but will try the "cedar" for these

Next she wants a 7' giraffe, then a 4' tall chicken.


Know where to get a plan for an "egg dropper" mechanism? :>)