Ideas for finishing cottonwood bark

[whittlinguy]

I just recently did a couple of bark carvings. One was a gnome home the other is a woodspirit. I would like to know what do I need to finish it with. Stain? boiled Linseed oil? Tung oil?? I don't want it too dark. I did wet them with some water to see what it would look like stained. Does cottonwood bark need to be preserved?

[artolver]

My personal preference for finishing cottonwood bark is with the Meltonian Boot and Shoe Cream Polish. I have used it since the early 70's. I put on the Neutral with a tooth brush all over what I have carved, let it set in and then polish with a soft brush. Then apply a darker color to get in the cracks etc and buff off quickly with a cloth to show the features. As the years go by just brush the dust off with a soft brush. If you want to hang the carvings outside I would spray them to help keep the finish on. I think it's an acylic spray. Maybe someone has the name of what they use. You picked a couple of fun projects to start with!

Art/aka the BarkGuy

[twymanok]

I used Deft spray lacquer, I like it alot, real fine spray and seems fairly durable.