Create a twig style window shutter for privacy and shade....Love!

Now if you want to step it up a notch and make it less temporary:

How to preserve a natural stick?

• trillium_fae asked 5 years ago

I just cut a really nice silver birch stick off a fallen tree to serve as a walking stick. The tree was rather fresh and still moist and green under the bark. I would really like to preserve the bark and inner wood as best as possible to make the stick last. Any tips?

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• tootall1121 answered 5 years ago

There are no good ways to preserve a piece of wood with the bark still on. You might be able to take the bark off in large pieces, dry it and the stick, then glue the bark back on. 

You can seal it with many commercially available sealers without doing this, but it will still rot. You must get the water out of it somehow, or it will disintegrate eventually. 

One thing you can try if you have one available is one of those vacuum sealing machines. Dry the wood thoroughly, then make a bag long enough to hold the stick. Put some type of wood preservative in the bag, but don't fill it. Put in the stick, then vacuum seal it. That will allow the preservative to infiltrate the wood easier. You don't have to leave it bagged for long, maybe overnight would be best. 

Of course, you could just soak the entire thing in some preservative, coat it with poly after you're done, then forget it. It won't rot for years that way, it is after all, only a stick, how long does it have to last?

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  woodbutcher answered 5 years ago

  If it were me, I'd air dry it slowly. Seal the ends with a coat of wax (melt paraffin and dip the ends). This way it will dry slowly with the least amount of checking (cracking at the ends). Normally, wood will air dry to about 15% moister in 6 months to a year.
  
  The bark may or may not stay on.
  
  If the bark comes off, treat the wood with several coats of boiled linseed oil (get it at a big box). This is a very durable finish and will not peel and crack like poly will and is better looking for a walking stick of this type.
  
  If the bark stays on, then use a marine grade varnish as it is less likely to crack.
  
  What ever finish you use will "yellow".
  
  Good luck

  Source(s):

  That's why I'm the Woodbutcher

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