What finish ?

[belprime]

I am working on carving a cling cross out of butternut. What would be the best finish to use. It has to let the wood grain show and provide a surface that can take the abuse of being handled and protect the wood as much as possible. Any Ideas ??? Thanks...

[Buffalo Bif]

Im a big fan of a mix of polyurethane, tung oil and mineral spirits (equal parts). It combines the penetration of the oil and the surface protection of the urethane, it will take more than one coat to build- you can stop after one if you like or apply enough to build a surface finish like a urethane. Dry time is one day on the first coats, a few days on the last coat if you build to a surface finish.

[Eddy-Smiles]

I recently carved three clinging crosses and used a dilluted water based polyurethane on them; sanding inbetween each coat; letting them cure overnight between coats; and applying a heavier coat on the last coat. I used a satin poly and since the water based is clear with no yellow highlights the natural grain and color of the wood (I used a stain since the crosses were carved of basswood) showed right through. And I don't think that you could ask for a harder surface.