Does anyone have any experience using dead wood from the wild rather than the stuff one buys at the store? Particularly what should be done to pretreat
the stuff before I start working with it? I have hear some people who use wood for in bird enclosures bake the branches in an oven at low heat to dry it out and kill molds. Is that sort of thing necessary for modeling? Should I peal the bark off and paint it or will the wood last if I leave the bark on? I would appreciate some advise on this. Thanks.

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"Draw your sword with a heavy heart, but swing it with a heavy hand"

Have not done this, but you will want to be sure to protect it from rotting somehow, so it does not get mold. Depends what it is for, too. But I think it should be dry wood, not wet or green. Completely dead, but not rotten. Try calling a hardware store like Hone Depot, they probably know best.

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By all that you hold dear on this good Earth,
I bid you stand, men of the West!

I would avoid calling Home Depot; as a previous harware store employee I can tell you the majority of the folks working at the big box stores know little to nothing about the products and projects they are selling.

I have worked with wood before, and treating it can be very simple. I suggest letting the wood dry out completely (feel free to do this via the baking technique you mentioned above or naturally, either will work depending on the time you have). After the wood is dry, take an old brush and brush a thin layer of wood glue or apply a thin layer of matte varnish to the wood.

I've used both of the techniques I detailed on pieces I made nearly 10 years ago and have had no issues with rot and what not thus far.

Hopefully that helps!!

Interesting. Thank you for the feedback Zach. I will have to run some tests to see what kind of seal I want to use.

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"Draw your sword with a heavy heart, but swing it with a heavy hand"

I use natural wood in many of my terrain pieces.
I keep an old Microwave in my garage to zap whatever in bring in from the wild. Wood is combustible, so you have to stand there and watch it. 20-30 seconds maximum.
While it's still warm, soak the wood in a solution of 50 & Matte Medium and 50% water. The wood will absorb the solution, and seal it so that nothing can grow inside. It also prevents the wood from rotting.

That's it.