Finish for this honey locust bowl

[Daner Steel]

I'm finaley finishing this big 18" bowl ,Its been roughed out for over a year now.

This wood is very hard and it has a nice grain IMO

I'm undecided on the finish I should use......Its going to be a salad bowl......What would you use as a finish??

Thanks for your Ideas

Dan:)

[John Keeton]

Wow!! That is a lot of salad! I would use walnut oil, and perhaps a mix of oil/wax for a little luster. I have gotten away from "build" film finishes on bowls - just don't care for them anymore.

[Daner Steel]

Wow!! That is a lot of salad! I would use walnut oil, and perhaps a mix of oil/wax for a little luster. I have gotten away from "build" film finishes on bowls - just don't care for them anymore.

John I feel the same way about the build film finish, like A.O ETC.....theres just too much playing around with them.

Thanks

[Jon McElwain]

I have only made a couple of salad bowls, but I too used an oil/wax mix. They have held up pretty well so far.

Not to distract from your original question, but I recently reoriented my shop so that the lathe is parallel to one wall and I work between the lathe and the wall. I noticed that your lathe is situated the same way. How do you like having your tool rack right behind you? The first thing I noticed when I started rough turning a form the other day was all my tools suddenly had curlies covering them. I used to use a table to the left of the headstock and while it would get a few chips, it was never covered. I also have some shelves dedicated to turning paraphernalia behind and to the left that get showered in chips and curlies. I'm beginning to rethink the tools behind me idea.

[Daner Steel]

I do work be hind the lathe, always have, whe i rough out these big bowls there always a big mess around the lathe no mater where the lathe....Here's a older picture but it shows where the lathe Is....also a picture of my CT-128. Thats the lathe i used to rough out that big Honey locust bowl......Thanks for looking

Ps......Whats the oil wax mix?? I need to give it a go........Thanks

Daner

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Daner,
First of all, nice big bowl turned out of one of my favorite woods. The grain is spectacular and gets better with age. I've been finishing all my "user" bowls with a product called Livos oil. Livos is the brand name but I can tell you it is an all natural oil made from linseed oil and linseed oil byproducts. It goes on easily, like any other oil and dries much quicker than regular boiled linseed oil and dries to a nice hard finish that is not a top coat. The particular Livos oil I use is called Ardvos. It is a light honey color but very transparent. It is available on line but is a product of Australia. It's primary use is as a floor oil so you know it is durable yet because it is all natural, there are no toxins in it of any kind. It is relatively expensive but a little goes a long way. This is a small Honey Locust bowl with Livos brand Ardvos oil so you can see the natural look of the finish. This is only two coats. The more coats you add the higher the gloss.
faust223938

[Jon McElwain]

It has been a while, but I think I was doing a mineral oil soak (two or three applications, wipe off excess) then I let it sit for a few days, and then gave it a light carnauba wax buff. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I was melting some carnauba onto a rag and kept a heat gun going on the wood so that the carnauba soaked rag was applied to the wood, it would sort of melt into the grain. I would sort of friction burnish the wax with a dry piece of cotton rag to make sure there was no buildup. This was well before I knew how you were "supposed" to use carnauba. I had heard that it would be a good safe finish, but I had no idea how you were supposed to apply it. Now I would tend to apply it with a buffing wheel. Not sure about my methods, but the bowls have been in daily/weekly use for years now and the finish is holding up.

[Del Hollingsworth]

I am a true believe in Bob Flexner and his book, "Understanding Wood Finishing", so what I say here is what I learned from him in a class and later from his book. That said, tung oil, if you use actual tung oil and not products labeled "tung oil finish" (which may contain no tung oil and actually be wiping varnish or varnish/oil blends) is the most durable natural oil finish. It is also water clear and darkens less than other oils. It will keep the brightness of honey locust (if that is what you want to preserve) more than any other oil finish. I've used the pure tung oil from Woodcraft on bowls and other turned items, as well as the Sutherland Welles polyermized tung oil from Garrett Wade on furniture. It is refined from a nut, and is food safe unless allergic to nuts.

[Marty Eargle]

I'm going to agree a bit with Mr. Keeton and suggest walnut oil. On the two salad bowls that I've made, I used a slurry of beeswax and walnut oil and it came out looking good.

[Jamie Donaldson]

I use only mineral oil on any food related pieces, especially with so many buyers scared off by the mention of any nut oil like walnut being hyperallerginic.

[mike ash]

I had used walnut oil for several years and tried several other finishes as well, until I came across a commercial product called BeesOil by Tree Spirit. It's a mixture of bees wax and mineral oil and has the consistency of boot grease when applied. I like to put it on thick and rub it in by hand and then let it sit overnight before wiping off excess. Sometimes I put the coated bowl in the oven with the light on to give it a little increase in temp...so that the pores oak in the oil, and then wipe off. I find that it gives a great finish and doesn't need recoating as often.

I found it at Bed Bath & Beyond and from higher end kitchen stores (ie Sur La Table).

[Reed Gray]

As near as I can tell, mineral oil is temporary at best, and really has no lasting benefits. I prefer the walnut oils. I have used Mike Mahoney's for years, and will try some of the Doctor's Woodshop oils when I run out of Mike's. He is local, and did a demo for our club, and dumbed things down enough so we could understand. The walnut oils are heated to break down the nut proteins that cause allergic reactions.

http://www.doctorswoodshop.com/

robo hippy

[Thomas Canfield]

Some type of oil seems obvious, and I would suggest you look at Grape Seed Oil as an alternate to Walnut Oil. The Grape seed oil does not seem to have the same yellowing and for some woods has a higher luster. You need to apply several applications, wiping off excess after about 5-10 minutes and letting dry between applications.

[Jake Helmboldt]

I also used walnut oil followed by oil and beeswax mix on the salad bowl I made. Just replenish it every few months when it starts to dry out. For the mix just take a small bowl and mix a little oil and some wax shavings and heat in the microwave on medium heat to melt the wax and create a thin paste.

[Ted Calver]

On my users I use Mahoney's Utility Finish (Walnut Oil) and after it dries I rub in a paste made by blending five parts Mahoney's with one part bees wax. I use the paste periodically whenever the bowl starts to dry out and look funky. Hasn't failed me yet.

[Pat Scott]

This is a really subjective topic as everyone has their favorite finish.

I know Mineral Oil is food safe, but I don't like it and don't use it. Mineral Oil, Grape Seed Oil, and the rest in this list are considered "non-drying" oils, which means they never dry. Weeks or months later when you pick up a bowl that's been coated with a non-drying oil, you'll still get oil residue on your fingers. I don't like that, and I don't want to take a chance of leaving an oil ring on my table. This list is non-drying oils or oils that I don't use:
1. Olive Oil
2. Sunflower Oil
3. Peanut Oil
4. Canola Oil
5. Corn Oil
6. Safflower Oil
7. Cottonseed Oil
8. Sesame Seed Oil
9. Grape Seed Oil
10. Almond Oil
11. any Vegetable oil or Vegetable based oil
12. any type of cooking oil

Walnut Oil (like Mahoneys) is a "drying oil" and it will dry. But it can take months to dry before you stop getting oily fingers. The length of time may vary depending on the wood. The last Maple bowl I used it on took at least 3 months to fully dry. I asked Mike Mahoney about this during a class I took from him. He agreed it can take a while to dry and said his galleries know that when they get his bowls they'll have to wipe them off and that everything is oily.

Wax offers virtually no protection and starts coming off as soon as you wash the bowl. It makes the bowl feel and look nice, but doesn't last very long and is not durable.

What I like to use is General Finish Salad Bowl Finish (I'm sure Behlen's Salad Bowl Finish would work as well although I've never tried it). Salad Bowl Finish is really just a Danish Oil. But I don't use Salad Bowl Finish straight from the can, I reduce it 50/50 with Mineral Spirits. Wipe it on, let is sit for a minute, then wipe off as much as you can. What I end up with is a really thin finish that soaks into the pores and doesn't build up on the surface. Let it sit overnight, then apply a 2nd coat the same way. It's dry to the touch the next morning. Usually 2 coats is all I use but sometimes 3. Then I let it sit for a week or two until I can't smell any finish when I stick my nose right against the bowl.

While it's safe to use a salad bowl with Walnut Oil (or Mineral Oil, etc) immediately after applying it - even if the bowl is wet - I prefer Salad Bowl Finish or a Danish Oil. I can afford to let the bowl sit a week or two before using it while the finish cures in the pores. Bowls and Cutting Boards that I coat this way last a long time before they need touched up. In fact I've never had to touch up a Salad Bowl, they look just as good today as when I made them. My cutting board that we use every day lasts 6 months or more before I touch it up. This is the same finish I use on my plates as well.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use Mike Mahoney's walnut oil and his walnut oil/wax mix to finish my utility bowls. I just got in some Doctors Wooshop walnut oil and his walnut oil paste wax to give it a try. So far I have did one salad bowl and like it pretty well.

[Reed Gray]

I will not use a solvent based finish on my bowls. If I can't eat it straight out of the can, I won't put it on anything I will eat out of. Taste is not the issue here. I know that all the solvents evaporate and cure out, but I did run into some one who was sensitive to them, and she said that is not really true.

The walnut oil seems to cure out in about a week. Mike said that UV light helps the curing. I also found out that a low wattage bulb, under a wire rack of bowls helps a lot as well. I never reoil my personal bowl after the first use. I prefer the acquired patina from everything I put in it. The problem with it taking months to dry seems to be if you put on multiple coats. If the first one penetrates, than a second is put on over before the first one cures, the first one never gets to totally cure, and can bubble back out later, especially if it is in hot sun shine. I guess if I was to do it properly, the bowls would soak in a vat of warmed oil for 24 hours or so, then drip dried, then put in a warm lighted kiln to cure out. The Doctor can explain the curing process way better than I can.

robo hippy