18-08-2019, 12:21 PM
On the subject of wood, writing from my floating wooden home I can confirm that pretty well any timber can be steam bent successfully. The planks on our boat are 2 3/4 inch thick oak and are beautifully curved round the stern. Oak though durable is very heavy which would be a problem in an Austin 7. Ash was used for a reason. We have found that the most durable finish for handrails, capping rails etc is woodstain. We use Ronseal water based which allows the wood to breathe out trapped moisture and has worked well for us for the last 12 years (it does do what it says on the tin). Use one of the lightest shades and it should look good on a woody.