S.C.woods

Haven't been carving long but here's a few recent carvings. Still have some questions about finishing. Some of the bears are carved from Ash and were stained then sealed with Cabot spar varnish. Should that be enough to stop any mold on the wood.Will mold grow under the varnish? Does it hurt to leave some bark on? Thanks for any help.

Thanks for the info - So just some decking oil and that's it. Sounds easy. Local dealer has a 192 in stock but might look at the Echo's some to. The saw I have now is a John Deere but I think it was made by Echo and it's been a good one except the body bushings are wore out now and they no longer make them. The saw is 26 years old. Thanks

New here and have lots of questions about carving and especially finishing. Been reading the back threads hoping to answer some of them. Been thinking about carving for the past 15 years then a couple weeks ago I cut up a Oak tree that fell behind my house a year or so ago and carved up a few things out of it. Know I'm hooked and want to up grade my saw and learn some finishing tips for out door carvings. Thinking about a Stihl but not sure what model is best for carving and what clear finish is best for out door. Lowe's has Cobalt(might have spelled wrong) spar urethane for outdoors. If that would work do you thin the first coat? Do you put linseed oil first and can you paint some oil paint on first? Thanks for any and all help. Here's my first carvings.