I used Tru-oil first then Spar simi gloss over it. The one disadvantage I found using a snake this big was the scale pockets or sockets had corners that would flip up a bit and cause something like spines. I had to put a coat of finish let dry and lightly sand in one direction so as not to lift the spines again and repeat. The end finish you see is so many coats and sandings that I lost count!!! The end result wprked out but there were times when I thought the spines would never lay down!!