I have turned my first large bowl which is Maple and approximately 15 x 6.5 inches. It has been sanded and finished with Yorkshire grit. No final finish yet. I would like to use it as a salad bowl and was looking for finishing suggestions. I prefer a finish that is not a high gloss. I would also like a food safe but durable finish that will stand up to use and cleaning. Appreciate any advice
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Finish for a Salad Bowl
- Thread starter Chuck Augenbraun
- Start date
I think you’ve already made your choice with Yorkshire grit as it contains wax that will make adding another finish difficult.
For future reference I’d recommend Bob Flexner’s book of finishes. A wealth of knowledge, well organized and very readable.
By the way, pretty bowl
For future reference I’d recommend Bob Flexner’s book of finishes. A wealth of knowledge, well organized and very readable.
By the way, pretty bowl
I have been using Sutherland Welles polymerized tung oil. I use the Food Grade D-Limone orange thinner. Have had good luck with it, you can vary the shine by how you mix it with the thinner you use. I put four to five coats on and let it cure for a few days between coats and burnish with a 1500 grit scotch brute pad between coats. I have made some bowls with this finish for some neighbors and they actually use them for salad bowls, they put salad in them with dressing on it and wash them with soap and water when done. That was two years ago and they said they are holding up fine.
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I vote for Osmo Top Oil Clear Matte finish. So many options from which to choose that'll work well. Very nice work, especially for a first large bowl.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Read the latest article in American Woodturner on food safe finishes
Some great suggestions here! Question for Vincent- Which colour of the Scotch Brite pads is 1500 grit? Thanks
Seri Robinson has an article on finishes in this month’s AAW magazine, American Woodturner.
I think you’ve already made your choice with Yorkshire grit as it contains wax that will make adding another finish difficult.
For future reference I’d recommend Bob Flexner’s book of finishes. A wealth of knowledge, well organized and very readable.
By the way, pretty bowl
That's interesting. I was under the impression that additional finishes could be added on top of the friction polishI think you’ve already made your choice with Yorkshire grit as it contains wax that will make adding another finish difficult.
For future reference I’d recommend Bob Flexner’s book of finishes. A wealth of knowledge, well organized and very readable.
By the way, pretty bowl
Thanks for the feedback
Chuck
Thanks, Vincent
I am interested in this approach and I can find the Sutherland Welles product online but found several variants of the Orange Thinner. Could you share the product you use and where it can be purchased. This is very helpful
Chuck
I have been a walnut oil user for years, mostly from the Doctor's Woodshop.
robo hippy
robo hippy
Actually I’ve never tried. Let us know, but I suspect wax would get in the way of good adherence.
Usually just use walrus oil cutting board oil, not super durable but it wont poison anyone and it tastes a bit like walrus……..
I use walnut oil. It will need several days in the light, preferably sunlight, to cure. My experiments indicate that the grocery store walnut oil cures about the same as the Doctor's oil.
While I don't use walnut oil much anymore, it has the great advantage of being readily available, such that the ultimate owner of the bowl can refresh the finish as needed.
But I now mostly use Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil (recommended above by Vincent) and Sutherland Welles Wiping Varnish (which adds a touch of resin to the tung oil). These finishes are so easy to apply (wipe-on / wipe-off) and are very versatile: satin to gloss, depending on your blends and application methods.
I note that these finishes accord with Seri Robinson's recommendations in her AAW article (a drying oil or Danish oil [drying oil + varnish]) for salad bowls that will have the dressing mixed in the bowl. (I think it is best to cover the possibility that the ultimate owner might mix the salad dressing in the bowl.) Sensibly, I think, Dr. Robinson is in the "once it is cured it is food safe" school, given that she specifically recommends that these finishes include driers so that they cure properly, and specifically warns against "raw" oil finishes because they take ages to fully cure. The above-mentioned Sutherland Welles tung oil finishes have some safe-when-cured solvent, but SW also has their "botanical" line with a citrus-based solvent for those who want safe-even-before-cured.
Chuck, re: the wax and oil you have put on by using the abrasive paste, give the bowl several good rub-downs with DNA or isopropyl alcohol; this is not a complete fix, but it will remove some of the oil and wax and should improve the penetration of the oil finishes.
But I now mostly use Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil (recommended above by Vincent) and Sutherland Welles Wiping Varnish (which adds a touch of resin to the tung oil). These finishes are so easy to apply (wipe-on / wipe-off) and are very versatile: satin to gloss, depending on your blends and application methods.
I note that these finishes accord with Seri Robinson's recommendations in her AAW article (a drying oil or Danish oil [drying oil + varnish]) for salad bowls that will have the dressing mixed in the bowl. (I think it is best to cover the possibility that the ultimate owner might mix the salad dressing in the bowl.) Sensibly, I think, Dr. Robinson is in the "once it is cured it is food safe" school, given that she specifically recommends that these finishes include driers so that they cure properly, and specifically warns against "raw" oil finishes because they take ages to fully cure. The above-mentioned Sutherland Welles tung oil finishes have some safe-when-cured solvent, but SW also has their "botanical" line with a citrus-based solvent for those who want safe-even-before-cured.
Chuck, re: the wax and oil you have put on by using the abrasive paste, give the bowl several good rub-downs with DNA or isopropyl alcohol; this is not a complete fix, but it will remove some of the oil and wax and should improve the penetration of the oil finishes.
I've bought two different brands on Amazon. Main thing is to be sure it's listed as food safe or food contact. Sutherland Welles sells a version of it but it's more expensive than Amazon. I will have to look at my jug for the brand tomorrow. I bought a gallon jug this time. Another note I've tried other brands of tung oil that were advertised as polymerized but they didn't cure as fast as Sutherland.
Will, I buy my scotch brite pads at the local auto body supply store. 3M brand medium gray color. They make a white pad that's finer yet, don't know the grit equivalent of it but it doesn't do much but dull a shiny finish it seems to be good for knocking dust nibs off. @John K Jordan posted the grit equivalent of the scotchbrite pads in another thread. Maybe he will repost it here when he sees this.
In my hands, the gray scotchbrite pads are equivalent to about 600 grit sandpaper.
At one time 3M assigned a grit number to their pads, and the light gray pad (officially #7448) was given 600-800. And it is perfect between coats of SW tung oil or, for that matter, just about any oil finish, in part because its abrasive is silicon carbide. The Mirlon pads (by Mirka) are also good, and they have 1500 and 2500 grit pads that are great for a final polishing or knocking-back the finish.
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If you can't get the Sutherland Welles citrus solvent (they brand theirs "Di-Citrisol"), make sure that you get a true citrus solvent, not just a citrus cleaner / degreaser. The citrus solvent will seem expensive and is usually sold in smallish quantities (e.g. quarts) by a specialty supplier, whereas the cleaner / degreasers are less expensive and sold in larger quantities (gallons etc.) by big box stores. The cleaner is fine as a cleaner / degreaser, but is not what you want for thinning finishes.
You can also just thin the SW tung oil with a good paint thinner, that is what SW does for the normal tung oil line. It is the "botanical" line that uses the citrus solvent as its thinner.
Re: the comments about the grits of non-woven polyester abrasive pads, though I mostly use Mirka / Mirlon pads, a few years ago I nosed around the various 3M sites to compile what they said about the abrasives in their pads. Some of the info is still there, some is gone, and some new variations on the pads have come (and gone). Other sites (Jewitt, Lee Valley, various vendors) have assigned slightly different grits to these pads, especially equating to less abrasive steel wool equivalents, but the numbers below came from 3M, so I assume they are at least close.
A useful thing to note in the finishing context is that the #7448 (light grey) pad uses silicon carbide abrasive, which cuts very finely / evenly, and is thus good for working on finishes, which are not as hard as the metals for which most of these pads were developed.
A useful thing to note in the finishing context is that the #7448 (light grey) pad uses silicon carbide abrasive, which cuts very finely / evenly, and is thus good for working on finishes, which are not as hard as the metals for which most of these pads were developed.
3M Scotch-Brite rubbing pads | ||||
3M # | Colour | 3M descriptor | 3M grit | 3M steel wool EQ |
| 7445 | White | “Light duty cleansing” “very mild abrasive” Nepheline Syenite | 1000-1500 | 0000 |
| 7448 | Light Grey | “Ultra Fine” Silicon carbide | 600-800 | 00 |
| 7447 | Maroon | “Very fine” Aluminum oxide | 320-400 | 1 |
| 6444 | Brown | “Extra duty” Silicon carbide | 280-320 | 2 |
| 7446 | Dark Grey | “Blending” | 180-220 | 3 |
| 7440 | Tan | “Heavy duty” “medium grit” | 120-150 | 4 |
I am guessing you mean "do you clean the abrasive pad for the next use?" I tend not to: if I am using the pad soon for more wet sanding, the oil is no problem, if I am not, I would probably throw it away. But if I wanted to use the pad again, e.g. if I had not used it much, then yes, I suppose I would clean it in solvent before the oil dried.
It might be worth noting that you can wet sand with mineral spirits, in which case you would not need to clean the pad. Of course, this won't get you the pore-filling slurry you might be trying to get by wet sanding with oil, but it is an option.
I did some checking today when in my shop. The light gray 3M pads are listed as 800 grit per my notes from John K Jordan's chart. The 1500 grit I use was a MIrka after I unfolded it and read the name on it. So I do use the 1500 grit between coats as I said. I also use the 1500 Mirka pad to apply the tung oil and scrub it in, after use I wash it out with mineral spirits. The last D-Limonene I bought was from Amazon its Stellar Chemical brand, food/pharma rated, it does have an expiration date on the jug. Any food grade D-Limonene I have bought is clear like water. Any of the orange degreasers I have bought are orange in color. Hope this clears up questions on this. I have also used Tried and True original on bowls and still use it for spatulas, spoons, and other things like that. It takes longer to cure than the tung oil and I can't say how long it holds up to washing.
Walnut oil, Mahoney’s or Drs Woodshop, and not with wax in it. The wax will wash off. Put moderate amount on (not dripping), set aside for 20-30 min, wipe iit around evenly and add more if needed. Keep checking it during the day. Next day add some more. 2-3 days to get as much into the wood as you can.
If its summer, set it outside, if its below ~80F, put it in a hotbox at ~100F. Either way, check on it every 3-4 hrs for bleed out, just spread the bleed out around. As it starts to get sticky, buff the oil off with a cloth. Let it sit in the heat 2-3 days (2x if putting outside), it will cure out, and wont just wash off. The prepolymerized linseed or tung oils work the same, all 3 are equal options (apply and cure the same way).
While no finish may be “best”, I don’t like the staining that comes with it. A cured oil will reduce absorption significantly.
If its summer, set it outside, if its below ~80F, put it in a hotbox at ~100F. Either way, check on it every 3-4 hrs for bleed out, just spread the bleed out around. As it starts to get sticky, buff the oil off with a cloth. Let it sit in the heat 2-3 days (2x if putting outside), it will cure out, and wont just wash off. The prepolymerized linseed or tung oils work the same, all 3 are equal options (apply and cure the same way).
While no finish may be “best”, I don’t like the staining that comes with it. A cured oil will reduce absorption significantly.
Hmm, I actually prefer the oil from the Doctor, and I prefer the oil with the wax in it. It just feels nicer when done. With his oil, he explained it once, but you don't need heat or a solvent to get the carnauba wax to flow and spread. For my personal bowl, I don't really do anything after the initial oiling, other than wash it out.
robo hippy
robo hippy
Did you try the search option? That subject comes up about every other month here.
It looks like Kent has done some good research on the subject?
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