Question re. Finish On A Bowl...

[BILL DONAHUE]

Haven't touched the lathe in about five months (been fishing) and thought I'd get back on something easy - a bowl. Have done mostly non-functional hollowed forms for years and only 13 small bowls. Am almost finished with an ambrosia maple bowl, 12" x 5" and not sure what finish to use. The question: what finish is best for a functional bowl that will be used in a kitchen? Danish oil, WOP, Odie's Oil, walnut oil? Any opinions?

[terry mccammon]

Be curious to see what the big guys say but I use bees wax melted in mineral oil (done in a double boiler, be careful). I use that for a sanding wax and then "polish" with friction when I am done sanding. Finish can be replenished with the same stuff over the years. If you get white bees wax the finish is almost clear.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill, for utility bowls I use Mike Mahoney's Walnut Oil (http://www.bowlmakerinc.com/finishes.html). I like it because it will dry, unlike mineral oil - which I have also used. You can re-coat any time the wood dries out and can even build the finish to a gloss if that is what you want.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I use Generals salad Bowl finish - it's an oil/varnish blend that goes on quickly, penetrates well, dries fully and lasts with normal use. It's held up well on utility bowls that get regular use in our home without maintenance beyond a little care to make sure they're not left soaking in water. It's pretty easy to apply a follow-up wipe every couple of years, if necessary.

[Scott Hackler]

Same as Steve, I use Mahoney's Walnut Oil. I was using mineral oil and have switched since it doesn't really dry out. I don't wax a food safe bowl covered in an oil. If I did, it would have bees wax on it.

[Reed Gray]

I prefer the walnut oils. I use the stuff from The Doctor's Woodshop as it has carnuba wax in it as well. I could never see that mineral oil did anything other than give the wood the 'wet' look for a bit and then it was gone. Bees wax does show finger prints easily, and goes pretty quickly as well. The 'microaggregated' carnuba in The Doctor's stuff seems to work better. I don't want to put anything on my bowls that I can't eat straight out of the can. Some don't put anything on their bowls. A finish does make the wood look better though. Vegetable oils can go sour, especially if there is any build up. They never cure and harden like the walnut oil will. It does take a week or two for the walnut oil to cure.

robo hippy

[Dale Gillaspy]

Another plus for Mahoney's Walnut oil. I have also used Doctor's Woodshop Oil and like it as well, for all of the above reasons. I don't use Mineral Oil for the above stated reasons as well, plus it just seems strange to me that people who are concerned about food safe finishes have no problem putting petroleum on salad bowls. I know all the research said its ok and it's FDA approved. I'm not an extremist, but it just doesn't sit right with me.

[jared parson]

+1 for Generals Salad Bowl

[philip labre]

+1 for Doctor's Woodshop. Not as dark as Mahoney's.

[Ted Calver]

I use both Doctor's and Mahoney's. Bought the last batch from Doctor's and haven't used it up yet. I give 'em both two thumbs up.

[Pat Scott]

Danish Oil for me, which is really the same thing as General's Salad Bowl finish (mixture of some type of oil and poly). I have used Mahoney's Walnut Oil, but I've had it take months before it dries. I don't want to pick up a bowl and get oil on my fingers a month after applying it, and I don't want it to leave an oil ring on the table. Yes I know sunlight, air movement, and a warm environment helps speed up the drying. But it still takes too long for me.

Mike uses Walnut Oil because it's quick to apply, and anyone of any skill level can apply another coat when the bowl needs it. He applies the oil, wipes off the excess, and immediately packs the bowl to ship to his Galleries. I said the oil isn't dry yet, and he said his Galleries know they will have to wipe them off again when unboxed. Mike said he would use Danish Oil if he could afford to wait a week or two before shipping. That's good enough for me as I can wait.

Walnut Oil isn't as durable as Danish Oil. I have only recoated one bowl that we use at home, and that bowl was originally finished with Walnut Oil. All of my other bowls that we use have been coated with Danish Oil, and they look as good today as they did years ago when new. I just recoated our wooden plates after 3+ years of daily use, they were finished with Danish Oil.

I like the durability of Danish Oil, I like that it dries to the touch overnight, and it does add a little sheen to make the bowl look nice.

[Wes Ramsey]

Pat, I've pondered using a Danish oil for functional bowls, but how do you get the smell to disappear? I made a cookie jar a month or more ago and treated it with DO, but it still smells strong and I would hate to put cookies in it that come out smelling like that.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

from what I've been told and read - if you can smell the solvents, then they have not flashed off completely and it is not food safe.

so you would need to wait until there is no smell. I would try to set up your cookie jar so a small (computer size) fan will circulate air into it to promote drying.

[Reed Gray]

Wes, it is old woodturner's lore that you generally don't use a solvent based finish inside a container. The smell never seems to go away. Generally with that type of finish, like on furniture or a hollow form, the finish is 'mostly' cured in a week or so, and the solvents totally off gassed in a month or so, and no longer has any scent. On the inside of a lidded box or cookie jar, the smell can linger much longer. Leave it opened for a month or more, and hopefully it will go away. One alternative is a spray lacquer like Bulls Eye, which Bonnie Klein recommended to me for the inside of threaded boxes. The alcohol base is gone very quickly, and no scent lingers. You can also leave it dry, or the walnut oil and carnuba wax mix from the Doctor's Woodshop will work also, but still needs to cure for a week or so.

robo hippy

[Ron Rutter]

Be curious to see what the big guys say but I use bees wax melted in mineral oil (done in a double boiler, be careful). I use that for a sanding wax and then "polish" with friction when I am done sanding. Finish can be replenished with the same stuff over the years. If you get white bees wax the finish is almost clear.
Terry. Are you sure you are not using petroleum wax? I don't think bees make white wax!!

[William C Rogers]

Terry. Are you sure you are not using petroleum wax? I don't think bees make white wax!!

You can get white beeswax at Wooscraft and a lot of places. I don't know if they do something to it to make it white or not (know enought about bees to get stung!).

[Pat Scott]

Pat, I've pondered using a Danish oil for functional bowls, but how do you get the smell to disappear? I made a cookie jar a month or more ago and treated it with DO, but it still smells strong and I would hate to put cookies in it that come out smelling like that.

Been there myself with a canister that I made a few years ago. What I learned is don't use DO on the inside of anything that is enclosed (canister, cookie jar, Peppermill, etc). DO works great for bowls because of their open form, but for the inside of canisters I now use Shellac with DO on the outside.

The good news for your cookie jar is the smell will eventually go away, but it can take a long time. There just isn't enough air movement inside something like that. Some of the things I've tried is to sit it outside where the breeze can get to it, stick it in front of a fan, or during the winter place it in front of a heat register in your house. The warm air combined with air movement seems to help. Leave it there for a few days and see if that helps. If you think the smell is gone, put the lid on the cookie jar for a day, then remove it and smell inside. You'll likely still smell something, so repeat the process again.

[terry mccammon]

Pretty sure, around here you never know. According to a friend who keeps bees you can process the wax and get the color (and smell and flavor) out of the wax. Now that I am at it I will mention that mineral oil from the drug store is USP and not only is it "baby oil" but it is used (not sure how much any more) as a laxative and was sold as such. While I too think it is interesting to use a petroleum product internally, there is also petroleum jelly which is meant to be smeared all over.

I may be mistaken but my sense of it is that the wax and oil combination solidifies in the wood, unlike pure mineral oil which apparently never drys. I use a fairly stiff mixture as a sanding wax and if the item is utilitarian in purpose, that is all it gets.

Having said all that, I mostly use it because it is very cheap and so am I.

Thanks for asking, it made me think about it.

[Scott Hackler]

Terry. Are you sure you are not using petroleum wax? I don't think bees make white wax!!

All bee's wax is white to start with. It is how us beekeepers know the age of the comb. The darker the bees wax the older it is and after some time it is cut out and melted down for use. The bees will build new comb each year, as to the colony's needs. Just an FYI.