Is it Possible????

[BerniePA]

OK, so being new to this stuff, what I have been doing recently to try and learn bowl turning without spending a lot on good wood is, I went out a bought a plain old 2 x 6 x 12 ft pine board at HD and had it cut to 6 ft to fit in the truck bed easier. Brought it home and cut it into square pieces, glued two of the pieces together to make a nice tuning blank about 3" thick x 5 1/2 " square. Being of nice soft pine, I realize this is not first class turning material, but it sure is cheap to practice on, and I have made some items that pass for identifiable bowls.

My question is this, if one wanted to use a proper hardwood, could one use a finish that would permit one to use a wood bowl for say a cereal bowl and what would that finish be. I realize if this was possible, it would be a hand wash only item and wash and dry immediately after use, but would it be possible??

The reason I ask is that my 12 year old niece, who we have custody of, saw one of the first efforts that was recognizable, and wants a cereal bowl made for her!!! Knowing her, and the fact that purple is her favorite color and I have already made her a comfort pen and pencil set in purpleheart, the bowl will probably be in purpleheart also, unless someone tells me it is some kind of poison or something.

[RayintheUK]

There can be all sorts of problems in using a wooden bowl for liquid foodstuffs, both from the hygiene and allergy perspectives. Many oil-based finishes are not food-safe, but there are some finishes, like walnut oil, that may be food-safe but risk allergies. Other natural finishes, like vegetable oil, will turn rancid with ease.

You can get a two-part crystal clear finish by Rustins, but I'm not certain it's food-safe, sorry. I think I'd be tempted to look for a clear glass bowl (Pyrex or similar) and make a receptacle for it. That way, you get the beauty of the wood showing through and the convenience of being able to wash the bowl easily. You could then finish the wood anyhow you choose.

Ray

[Whaler]

Here you go Bernie. www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=752

[gerti]

What's wrong with good old mineral oil? Doesn't turn (like almost all nut-based oils), easy to apply. Just reapply every so often, depending on use.

[cabinetman]

Finishes can be divided into two categories...penetrating, and film. Generally speaking any finish once cured/dried will be food safe.
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[RayintheUK]

A salad bowl and a cereal bowl should not and cannot be compared in this way, as the contents are entirely different and will have different effects on the finish. I wouldn't do it, as I've already said, as there's nothing quite so nauseating as the smell of milk gone off. That, IMO, is the smell the bowl would take on very swiftly.

However, if you do go ahead with it and manage to find a suitable, impervious, long-lasting finish, please post your results, as I've searched for years to find one.

Ray

[cabinetman]

However, if you do go ahead with it and manage to find a suitable, impervious, long-lasting finish, please post your results, as I've searched for years to find one.

Ray

Here is an interesting article.
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[leehljp]

Here is an interesting article.
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That was an interesting article and in good common sense. But his points concern two issues:

If there were any evidence that common wood finishes were unsafe for food or mouth contact,

and

I'm not saying that all finishes are food safe -- we can't be absolutely sure about the safety of any curing finish. I'm saying that there is no evidence of any common wood finish being unsafe for food or mouth contact once it has fully cured, so a distinction between food-safe and non-food-safe is speculative.

The first quote deals with "contact" - food or mouth, and that is not the issue for Bernie. A bowl holding milk is more than mere contact. From experience I know that wood can be encapsulated in a finish but it will still expand and contract with dramatic humidity changes. With the same finish between wood and the milk, some will seep in. The bowl will ether begin to smell like bad milk even after cleaning (after a while) or the bowl will eventually split.

The second quote deals with the possibility that some finishes may not be safe. Again he is discussing this from the perspective of "contact."

Salads and some foods will be fine. Liquids such as milk, tea, coffee - are another story. I have bought several wood cups and natural bamboo cups over the years and learned that they don't last with cold tea or hot coffee and soon the coffee or tea take on a "wood" taste and the hot coffee takes on the taste of the finish. DAMHIKT! I have had natural finished and bufffed, waxed and poly and lacquer finished wood cups. LOML warned me and said they were for looks. Being the pragmatist, I was about to buy one and just look at it. Of course this was some years ago and it took me about 5 or 6 cups over 10 years or so to learn. I am a slow learner.

[BerniePA]

These replies show the reasons I asked the question in the first place. I realized the importance of being able to effectively "seal" the wood from the milk and prevent the smell of spoil milk, etc.

Since it would appear that we seem to be in some agreement that once cured, a finish should be "safe", what would be the consensus on one of the "bar top" type finishes that seem to be impervious to almost anything short of a 10 megaton blast??

Anyone ever try anything of that nature?

[cabinetman]

These replies show the reasons I asked the question in the first place. I realized the importance of being able to effectively "seal" the wood from the milk and prevent the smell of spoil milk, etc.

Since it would appear that we seem to be in some agreement that once cured, a finish should be "safe", what would be the consensus on one of the "bar top" type finishes that seem to be impervious to almost anything short of a 10 megaton blast??

Anyone ever try anything of that nature?

Any of the film finishes can be applied with sufficient build to effectively "seal" the wood, once the applied finish has cured (no odor). Penetrating finishes take numerous applications and extensive curing time, and may not reach a completely "sealed" state.
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[RayintheUK]

Here's the Rustins finish I mentioned earlier. This link shows it's been used on goblets. HTH

Ray.

[BerniePA]

Thanks all, and Ray, Rustins sounds worth thinking about. First thing I guess is to get a piece of purpleheart and see if I can get something that looks like a bowl out of it.