Merlin is more of a "wizard" staff-not really a practical walker, but something that looks ancient and
very natural. I peeled the bark with my fingers and noted the beautiful coloring and the etching by beetles. It looks like an artist carved it. All I did was oil and buff-for about ten coats maybe. A little steel wool and a rasp here and there to kill rough edges, and it made a pretty corner piece, very much in the spirit of wabi-sabi.