On Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 3:40:55 PM UTC-7, Gramps' shop wrote:
I have a nice walnut slab with significant bark and I want to maintain the bark in the finished piece. What can I use to stabilize it? Thinking of epoxy.

I've heard of unpigmented PVA application (either thinned white glue, or the decoupage
'paint' that one sees in crafts shops). It's unclear how well epoxy penetrates,
I've not found it to be the best at holding wood together , though it's a popular filler.

The ultimate stabilization is 'atomic wood', where you vacuum impregnate with a monomer,
then X-ray the stuff into plasticizing.