Pepper Mill Inside

[Jay Rasmussen]

Doing my first Pepper Mill, I’m planning to sand the inside smooth but was curious if should finish it with something. What do you mill folks do?
Thanks for your input.
Jay

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm gonna help you out on this one. Don't listen to anyone who tells you to sand the insides of your mills. The inside of a mill needs to be left rough. The peppercorns need to be rotated to remain fresh and flavorful and the friction between the peppercorns and the slightly rough sides of the mill aid in this. Ask any gourmet chef worth his salt... er...pepper...

[Jamie Donaldson]

Why waste your time sanding a surface that will never be seen? Peppercorns don't care if the surface is smooth or finished!

[Pat Scott]

I do sand the inside of my mills, but I don't get carried away doing it. I don't sand the inside any finer than 100 or 120 grit. All I'm trying to do is sand the fuzzies away and any torn grain. I don't try and remove every mark, but I do want the inside to be somewhat smooth. When making the bottom I drill 1/2 way and then flip the bottom around and drill from the other end. If I've done my part where they meet will be aligned. I don't want to have a ledge where the drill bit didn't line up and one hole is off-centered from the other. That ledge could prevent peppercorns from flowing down into the mechanism.

Granted peppercorns might not care what the inside is like, but as a craftsman I do. I like to think this is a small area that sets my mills apart from others. Attention to detail if you will. When the owner goes to refill the mill, they can see that I took the time to make the inside look nice. If you have burn marks and all kinds of torn grain from drilling, if you leave it this way it is a reflection of your work.

What I do to minimize sanding is use a freshly sharpened 1/2" skew laying flat on the tool rest. Push the skew into the mill and just skim the inside wall with the long point of the skew. You'd me amazed how clean the surface will be and how little sanding is needed (if any). I try and go in several inches with the skew, but 1" to 1-1/2" inches is probably all that's needed. Once you get the mill put together and the shaft is installed, you can't look inside much more than that. So when a customer fills the mill, the 1" to 1-1/2" is about all they'll see, but it will look nice.

There is no reason to put a finish on the inside of a mill. But if you feel compelled to, I would ONLY use Shellac. If you use anything else like Danish Oil, Lacquer, etc, the smell will never go away and the peppercorns will pick up the smell. I took a weekend class on making pepper mills from professional turner Paul Chilton. He sands the inside of his mills but only spends a few minutes doing it (enough to get rid of the fuzzies). We talked about finishing the inside and he does not finish his and said there is no reason to. He said if it made a difference and if he could charge more because of it he would. But otherwise he thinks putting a finish on the inside is a wasted step.

[Jim Burr]

There is never a reason to finish a mill interior. Particles of the finish will over time, end up on your pepper. The unfinished wood also helps control moisture...just like in a salt box.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I never sand the inside of my mills. I also started putting a couple of coats of shellac in cedar mills but just have continued doing it on the rest. You don't need to but I do.

[Jay Rasmussen]

Thanks for your comments! Much appreciated.

[John King]

Sand inside lightly and seal with shellac. I use Zinsser Bulls Eye SealCoat 100% Wax-Free Shellac. - John