Finishes for Cannon Wheels

[XxLT250RxX]

I have purchased two cannon wheels made of Hickory for the cannon I am building.  I am trying to decide how to finish them.  What kind of finish (Teak Oil, Boiled Linseed, Tung, Polyurethane........) do you perfer and why?  Stained or not?  The entire cannon will be matt black (except for the wheels) with some polished brass parts.  I can do pretty much anything with metal but wood working is not my thing.  All opinions welcome.

P.S.   This cannon is not meant to be an exact scale model of any particular cannon.  I am not interested in a particular paint recipe or original color scheme.  Just interested in making my wheels last for a few years under moderate abuse and still look good.

[GGaskill]

Good quality paint will provide much protection.  Black will probably last longest but may not be the preferred color.  Civil War era US field artillery was an olive drab color.  Frazee Army Green is what I use.

[KABAR2]

It all depends how authentic you want to be, most armies of the world painted their carriages,

If you want to go natural, I guess it would depend on how high a maintenance you plan, polyurethane and basically forget,

or lovingly hand rub tung, Teak, or linseed oil into it on a regular basis.

[thelionspaw]

KABAR2 is right about how to handle it. If it's a show-piece and NOT an exact reproduction, I wouldn't paint. Take a look at some of the avatars here. The natural wood ones, look like jewels.

rc