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hughie
7th July 2006, 01:56 AM
Ok all you finishing experts,

I have been asked to make a bulk rice container that will hold about 10kg of rice. Everything is fine except the inside finish. Rice will absorb virtually every smell and flavour around it very rapidly. Thats is one of the reasons it comes in plastic lined or full plastic bags.

Apparently Poly finishes continually release there fumes over a very long time ie years so poly is out. The only one that springs to mind if walnut oil and let is dry and go off. What ever smell or taint it my cause my not be too bad. Failing that I could just leave it au naturale. Dunno?
What are your thoughts on the matter? :confused:

hughie

ian
7th July 2006, 02:13 AM
So, if you leave it unfinished, the rice will absorb the scent of the wood,
if you use a finish, the rice will absorb the smell of the finish

strikes me that either you saturate the wood with sake, or get a plastic sleeve


ian

Gil Jones
7th July 2006, 03:15 AM
Hughie, how about a stainless steel container with a lid, and turn the wood to fit. Wood and finish flavored rice, yuk.

Hickory
7th July 2006, 04:36 AM
Suppose you should make the box of something that would enhance the rice, then leave unfinished on the inside. I have been looking for the right piece of Sassafras to make a tea box so that the tea will take on the Sassafras Aroma. Might do the same with the rice.

Just a simple minded thought.

Also Cigar Boxes are usually made from Spanish Cedar as it has no distingquishable aroma and will not taint the fine Cigars. So, look to something like that and unfinish the inside.

Another thought is WB Poly or Lacquer. Does the Water Based Finishes leave an "Aftertaste"? I don't know, might research that direction.

La truciolara
7th July 2006, 06:56 AM
I suggest a polyurethane finished cured for two weeks. Normaly all solvents should have evaporated....

cedar n silky
7th July 2006, 08:50 AM
Ok all you finishing experts,


Apparently Poly finishes continually release there fumes over a very long time ie years so poly is out. The only one that springs to mind if walnut oil and let is dry and go off. What ever smell or taint it my cause my not be too bad. Failing that I could just leave it au naturale. Dunno?
What are your thoughts on the matter? :confused:

hughie
I guess it depends on who your customer is! he/ she is an "organic hippy" like we have up these parts (hang on, I'm one of them!!), i wouldn't like chemicals any where near my food, and wouldnt mind the aroma of a nice but not overwhelming timber smell. (probably wouldnt use camphor or the like!) By the way what are you doing posting at that ungodly hour!! Your not an early riser are you- or an insomniac!!
Cheers:)

TTIT
7th July 2006, 08:42 PM
Hughie - I'd go with a well seasoned timber and leave it raw:). Most of the Tassie oak varieties seem pretty neutral as far as aromas go. If you're game, ironbark won't taint food, but it would be hell to turn a 10 litre container in!!!:eek:


EDIT - just realised you asked for 'experts'. Consider this reply withdrawn!

Skew ChiDAMN!!
7th July 2006, 11:17 PM
The first thing to pop into my head is Rustin's Plastic Finish... but any non-penetrating finish you apply is gonna wear off over time; like sugar & salt, rice can be pretty abrasive.

IMHO the best options put forward so far are either a metal liner or choose a neutrally scented wood in the first place and leave it natural.

Captain Chaos
8th July 2006, 12:54 AM
G'day Hughie,
What about finishing the interior of the rice container with Sunflower oil? it would soak into the wood & seal it & you could buff it to give a matt finish. It would also gain a patina from the rice as it moves against the surface. I don't think that Sunflower oil has an aroma as such.
Sunflower oil does not go rancid, unlike Olive oil etc. & walnut oil may be out as nut oil allergy is is becoming more prevalent I believe.
Regards,
Barry.

"EDIT - just realised you asked for 'experts'. Consider this reply withdrawn!"
P.S. You're not getting out of it that easy TTIT! ;):D You are right here with the rest of us.:o

hughie
8th July 2006, 02:01 AM
By the way what are you doing posting at that ungodly hour!! Your not an early riser are you- or an insomniac!!
Cheers:)
[/QUOTE]

nah just going to bed at the end of the day......:D by the way what if any are the secrets when dealing with green silky oak? Got some coming.
Organic Hippy...yeah thats close...;)

Captain, sunflower oil Hmmm had'nt thought of that might be the go.

TTIT, yeah tassy oak would be nice but I dont have enough at present...sigh...thought of it, buts a heck of a chunk...:eek:

Hickory, I would love to get my hands on some Spainish Cedar It sounds ideal .Dont even know if its available here in Oz :)

Ian, Sake now theres a thought. Dont think it would pass muster..:p tho.

liners well it may well get down to that in the end. The jury is still out...she is thinking about it all...:D

I appreciate all the replies it given me much to think about, thanks guys

hughie

Wild Dingo
8th July 2006, 02:11 AM
So your turnin this?... mmm why not?... make or laminate some Huon Pine inside an outter casing of something stunning?... gawd could you imagine the flavor the buttery aroma of Huon Pine would give rice!!! :cool: seriously big chunk... but then I know a bloke who can get his hands on some ;)

Otherwise... just use Camphor Laurel... anyone that eats rice needs a taste jolt anyways :rolleyes:

ahem sorry to all the rice eatin mob but... rice? yech! :p

rsser
8th July 2006, 02:10 PM
I turned a large salad bowl out of plane tree and used repeated coats of sunflower oil until no more soaked in. Then let it sit for a month or so.

It gets washed along with other dishes in LDD and clearly soaks up some of the salad dressing when used.

A mate worked for Richard Raffan's brother who is (edit: or was) a turner in Tassie and everything they turned - honey dippers, pencil jars etc - got dropped into a drum of some kind of light nut oil as the only finish.

cedar n silky
8th July 2006, 10:16 PM
by the way what if any are the secrets when dealing with green silky oak? Got some coming.
Organic Hippy...yeah thats close...;)

hughie[/quote]

Hughie. I have turned silky green and it is pretty stable. When i got my new Vicmarc a couple of months ago, a Grevillia blew over near my w/shop. just an ornamental variety, with big creamy white flowers, so I layed into it with the chainsaw and turnrd a bowl and turned it pretty thin, and I have had it up the houde with the fire going most days and nights and it has not moved or cracked. So I think the grevillias in general might be pretty stable, especially with that unique grain they have.
I'l post some pickys in the next day or so.Cheers:D

powderpost
8th July 2006, 11:38 PM
Hughie, when I was a kid in a small country town, the local grocery shop had pine bins that they stored all sorts of food stuff in. My father, a builder, repaired and replaced them as needed. They were made from kauri pine and left unfinished. I think bunya pine would be also suitable. Five years ago, my wife had a health scare and I replaced the all the plastic cooking utensils and canisters that were storing tea rice bread crumbs etc with white beech canisters. The cooking utensils were finished with walnut oil and we are still using them. Since then I have made heaps of cooking utensil and canisters from white beech and finished with walnut oil. Walnut is one of the few natural drying oils and so far have had no problems. Don't know what the food and health mob have to say on the issue, but based on my experience, I would say use one of the timbers I mentioned and finish with walnut oil. There is also a report somewhere on this board, from the Wisconsin Food Dept about the virtues of wooden chopping boards over the plastic type, explaining the advantages of wood used in food preperation.
Jim

reeves
9th July 2006, 11:00 AM
nice clear sanding sealer like ubeaut sells or food safe oil like ecowwod...

cheeeeeers