Food contact finishing

[Old Beekeeper]

First, thank you for the advice on mini chucks. There is a sale on Nova Mini chucks with tommy bars so I think that I will get one. Second, questions on finishing food contact pieces. As a beekeeper I am partial to beesxax finishes but they are not very hard and most of the time the honeybees spin right off of the turning piece. I use walnut oil followed by beeswax. I want to experiment with orange oil next. Does anyone have any other good recipes for food contact finishing using beeswax?

[Tex B]

Don't know anything about beeswax, but shellac is food safe.

Tex

[hughie]

. Second, questions on finishing food contact pieces. As a beekeeper I am partial to beesxax finishes but they are not very hard and most of the time the honeybees spin right off of the turning piece. I use walnut oil followed by beeswax. I want to experiment with orange oil next. Does anyone have any other good recipes for food contact finishing using beeswax


Hi,
Theres a fair bit of info out there on the subject. Heres a brief list, also do a search of the forum as the topics has come up before. Plus have a good look through the Finishing forum archive.


homemade info

http://www.teknatool.com/support/finishes.htm
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Beeswax_finish_recipe.html
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=86907
http://www.rachelssupply.com/bwax.htm
http://www.woodcentral.com/russ/russ3.shtml
http://www.beeswaxcreations.com.au/recipes.htm

Be interested to hear of your successes.

[Slow6]

for bowls intended for food I use walnut oil.. really only works well on hard woods.
if you can find small "squirty bottles" at your local crap shop you can hand out a little bottle of oil with each bowl.

I just dump the bowl in the oil for 30 secs and then wipe dry every day untill it stops weaping then a good buff.

[Caveman]

Old Beekeeper - I use linseed oil and beeswax which I believe is pretty foodsafe??? Gives quite a nice finish, not too shiny but allows for a nice 'glow'.

Impressive as usual Hughie - you must have quite a database of useful links stored somewhere. Something I must get round to.

[hughie]

Impressive as usual Hughie - you must have quite a database of useful links stored somewhere. Something I must get round to.
[/QUOTE]

Andy, not really, but spent a few years doing research on the net for a wide variety of projects.Its now paying off :D :D :D

[Hickory]

I have for Decades used Mineral Oil, I think you guys call it Paraffin Oil. Lately I have been desolving a Brick of Paraffin in the oil and making a more durable finish that can be buffed with a soft luster.

This is a proven non toxic finish that is safe for all to "consume" and can be reapplied often as it wears from cleaning.

There are concerns with Bee's wax as it often contains the pollen of which some may be allergic. Also the Walnut oil is subject to concerns with Nut allergies... Although these are rare cases and trace amounts, this may be a legal concern should you sell your wares.

The mineral oil is a rather common household item and its side effects if injested in the liquid state is relief from constipation and a softer stool.

The mineral oil finish will not go rancid as some organic and animal byproduct finishes have been known to do.

I opt for Mineral oil with a chunk of canning Paraffin melted in.

[powderpost]

Interesing comments. I have been selling bowls and salad servers at markets now for about seven years, all finished with walnut oil. Also make cooking tools, egg flips, spoons etc. Not only do I sell them but my wife has been using them daily in the kitchen for six years now, with no bad outcomes. All the products have detailed labels and I am sure that in this day and age, if there was a problem, I surely would have been contacted. I often wonder why bother with a finish at all????? Research in America and lately in Australia, shows that wood has a natural and efficient anti-bacterial quality any way. More information can be found by searching this bulletin board.
Jim

[durwood]

Saw a test done on chopping boards on channel nineout of marble, plastic and wood wood won

Check it out here

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au/v.htm?f=39&g=37b10836-d20c-417e-92ab-002d22a8689a&p=autvshows_auwhatsgoodforyou&t=m1097&mediaid=28690

[Bleedin Thumb]

Isn't it all a bit theoretical this talk about food safe finishes to cooking utensils because as soon as you have dipped that wooden spoon in your cooking it has absorbed the oil from the food. Same as when you are chopping up that nice fatty chicken on your cutting board.
My board gets a varied workout with all sorts of fats and oils and I can't recall it becoming rancid once, and I never submerge it in water just a quick rinse and wipe.