salt box and finish ???

[John Nowack]

my aunt wants a salt box with a swing open lid that uses a magnet to pivot on--I see what she wants and it looks simple enough---what kind of finish (if any) would you put on the inside---do I need to worry about an exotic wood changing the color or flavor if I do not finish it (salt seems like it could be corrosive)

think she wants brazillian walnut

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hi John, the biggest problem IMO is that salt attracts moisture, any film kind of finish will probably lift up/off and break down, so I would think either no finish or maybe a penetrating sealer.

[John Nowack]

do you have an example of what would work--thanks for your advise

[Rasmus Petersen]

i sand mine and then friction on beeswax.. just at little bit od it, so it looks nive the first time you pick it up, but the salt eats it quite fast.

i dont think you will find a finish that wil last inside the vessel.. but the salt wont eat the wood, my father made salt boxes in the 60´ and they still exsist and are in use..

[Leo Van Der Loo]

John a thinned shellack should stand up for a while IMO, but I would agree with Rasmus that a no-finish would be the norm for it, and it being a darker color wood would maybe make stains less evident.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have made a couple of them for my mom and sister. I didn't finish the inside just left the wood bare. My granddad told me salt would ruin just about any finish.

[Daniel Baker]

Hi John,

I wouldn't finish the inside but instead I would line the inside of the box with another wood. Mill some 1/8" thick maple and use it to line the box and you could use any exotic or domestic wood that might influence the flavor of the salt.

[Mark Hubbs]

Many of the 18th and 19th century salt, sugar and tea boxes I've seen were lined with sheet tin, or in some cases tin foil (not aluminum). That helped protect the contents from moisture and kept it from affecting the wood if it did attract moisture.

[John Nowack]

thanks for the feed back