Wood finnishes

[spasm]

Hi guys,

just joined the forum so hello to you all, I recently bought myself a lathe and have been playing about with it I started to produce honey dippers they look easy to do and soon managed to make something that was usable for its purpose.

I used a piece of Beech all was good I then used a food safe finishing oil to give it a nice finish, let it dry and got out the honey pot. The dipper worked well but then when I washed it under cold water the finish was terrible the wood went all bitty or fury for want of a better word.

Can anyone give me some advice on what finish I should use on my next project that will come into mild contact with water?

 

[cornucopia]

hello and welcome

you did the right thing with the dipper except you missed out a stage when you were finishing it- next time before applying the oil....wet the wood with water to raise the grain then cut it back with your choice of grit (normally about 320 ish) then repeat until the grain wont raise up anymore then apply your food safe oil or some people leave the wood bare

 

[CHJ]

Welcome to the forum spasm, For things like the honey dipper you have already got the best answer.
For other items such as coasters subject to spillage or fruit bowls that may have soft fruit juices needing wiping off with a damp cloth then sealing and finishing with a melamine reinforced lacquer is about as good as anything.

For food bowls made out of Beech then they can be treated the same as the honey dipper, but if they are made from wood from a mature tree I have found that there is very little grain lifting as long as they are sanded to a fine grit level in the first place.

Never use a detergent when swilling an oiled wooden article, just plain water.

 

[Bodrighy]

Welcome to the forum. Only thing I would add is that I don't use food safe oil anymore but soak things like honey dippers in ordinary cooking oil for 24 hours after sanding back as advised. Some say it goes rancid but I have some things I did over a year ago that are still fine. T****'s or A***'s finest works well and hugely cheaper than liquid paraffin which is all food safe ail is basically.

pete

 

[spasm]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice will slowly take it all in, it’s nice to find a place like this where you can ask questions and have replies from people who know what they are talking about.
Once again thanks.

Rob