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epineh
24th December 2008, 02:28 PM
This may be obvious to most here but what sort of finish is best for a food platter ?

I like the look of sanding sealer followed with danish oil but is this OK for something that may have food on ?

Sorry for the noob question.

Cheers.

Russell.

rsser
24th December 2008, 02:51 PM
Rustin's DO is food safe but not all that durable. I think Shellawax Cream is ok too.

If you're going to be regularly washing it you could try nothing at all, or mineral oil from the pharmacist; or raw linseed or soybean or tung oil though those will take some time to harden. Don't use a shellac sanding sealer if washing is on the agenda; dunno about n/c and water.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
24th December 2008, 03:26 PM
Ern's pretty much spot on. A mineral oil is probably your best bet, it'll lose it's gloss with use but it'll keep the wood sealed.

I'll also second Rustin's DO. If you go this route, I suggest you don't use a sanding sealer; just wet a small area with DO and use it for wet-sanding, letting the slurry fill the pores. Don't wipe off the excess oil for this coat, just keep spreading it out and applying more as needed until the whole platter is covered, then set it aside for a few days to allow it to cure. Finally, you can give it a light sand to remove any hardened "excess oil" before starting to apply coats in the more usual manner.

The advantage of this is it allows the DO to soak into the wood through the pores and end-grain fibres (as well as filling them) helping to improve penetration. It's an extra bonus that the "filler" is colour matched to the wood. :wink: Using a sanding sealer prevents this.

As Ern said, it's not durable. It'll lose it's gloss over time and will mark with a knife. However, as with mineral oil, the knife cut would have to be fairly harsh to reach through to "unoiled" timber. Then again, no finish is knife-proof. :rolleyes:

Rustin's Plastic Finish is harder and less prone to marking, but is basically still a PolyU. ie. it sits on the surface, rather then penetrating the wood and tends to leave a plasticky look. It can be burnished back to a satin/matte finish which looks better, IMHO. I use it for sealing the insides of goblets & vases where water-proof is important and gloss is... well... irrelevant.

Hmmm... I should point out that I've no affiliation with Rustin's whatsoever, nor am I on commission. Wish I was, as I go through enough of it that a discount would be very welcome! :wink::D

rsser
24th December 2008, 03:52 PM
Yep, what you use it for affects your choice as Skew notes.

Dry, wet or oily foods?

I should've been more specific: the DO went onto a fruit platter. Some of what sat on it left dark stains. I'm blaming citrus but really that's just cos I'd like to blame something other than myself :rolleyes: The platter has been refinished with FW Scandinavian Oil which seems to me to have more resins in it and might work better. Time will tell.

A plane tree salad bowl has held up pretty well over lots of washings up; that was treated with multiple coats of Sunflower or Safflower oil; can't remember which. A chip bowl out of Silver Birch with Organoil Hard Burnishing oil has also held up well - this one got wet-sanded in the way Skew describes.

epineh
24th December 2008, 05:48 PM
Cheers guys, the bowl/platter is for the charity comp, I just wanted to make sure it was non toxic and had a nice finish.

I think I will try a few of the methods you have posted and see which suits the timber I end up using.

Thanks.

Russell.

Miranda
25th December 2008, 07:14 AM
Personally, I prefer Rustin's DO. And be careful not to use a sand sealer with it. Then its great.

epineh
29th December 2008, 09:38 PM
Cheers Miranda, I have yet to check out what is available locally, otherwise I will order a few things in to try out :)

Russell.

robutacion
30th December 2008, 01:38 AM
Hi epineh,

I understand that lots of woodturners would be very sceptical, in using one of the products that I'm very familiar with, from the days that I fabricated kitchens with solid timber bench tops, and doing parquetry and cork floors, many years ago, there is, the single compound floor varnish, not the 2 pack stuff. I still use today that same finish on any kitchens items that I make (turn) and use at home. Applied directly into raw timber, one coat is enough on most timbers, a second coat can be applied with 24 hours of drying time, with a rub of sandpaper in between. Most of timbers treated like this, wouldn't need re-coating for at least 5 years, depending of how much use they get, obviously. This is one of those products that you can't just sand down and use something else, as when applied directly into raw timber, it does soak in quite deeply, and when it comes to durability and toughness, is not a lot out there that comes near it. As I said previously, this is what I have use on my own timber stuff, for kitchen applications, and you are more than welcome to ignore my recommendation, if you so wish...!

I have no connections or interests with any national or international paint manufacturers or distributors but, the product that I've been using for this porpose is Floorseal from Feast Watson, available at most hardware stores.

Good luck

PS: just a couple of pics of many possible examples

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

Ed Reiss
30th December 2008, 02:05 AM
Food-Safe Finishes

A summary of non-toxic finishing products ideal for cutting boards, salad bowls, and other food-centric woodwork
by Jonathan Binzen

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/uploadedimages/fine_woodworking_network/image_resources/pdf/img011090001-img011130000/011129066_md.jpg
<fulltext>After scores of conversations with chemists, regulatory agencies, finish manufacturers, finishing experts, and woodworkers, I found that there are a few finishes that everyone agrees are food safe. However, these finishes tend to be the least protective, and the great majority are in a kind of limbo, with many experts saying most are fine for use with food but with others saying they should be avoided because there are some lingering questions about their safety. In the welter of contrary opinions about which finishes are food safe and which are not, a few naturally derived, unblended, no-hidden-ingredients, certainly nontoxic finishes stand out.
Pure tung oil. Extracted from the nut of the china wood tree. Used as a base in many blended finishes. Available from catalogs and hardware stores. Difficult to apply, requires many coats, good water-resistance.
Raw linseed oil. Pressed from flax seeds. Not to be confused with boiled linseed, which contains metallic driers. Listed as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Very long curing time, good looks, low water-resistance, frequent reapplication.
Mineral oil. Although derived from petroleum, it is colorless, odorless, tasteless and entirely inert. Sold as a laxative in drug stores and as a wood finish in hardware and kitchen-supply stores. Simple to apply, low waterresistance, frequent reapplication.
Walnut oil. Pressed from the nuts of the walnut tree. Sold as a salad oil in health food stores and in large grocery stores. Walnut oil dries and won't go rancid. Easy to apply, frequent reapplication.
Beeswax. The work of the honey bee. Can be mixed with an oil to create a better-smelling, slightly more waterrepellent finish. Sold in woodworking and turning catalogs.
Carnauba wax. Derived from the Brazilian palm tree. Harder than beeswax and more water-resistant. Can be used straight on woodenware as a light protective coating or a topcoat polish. Sold in woodworking and turning catalogs.
Shellac. A secretion from the lac bug. Harvested in India. Super blond shellac in flake form is the most waterresistant variety. A film-forming finish. Sold in woodworking catalogs and hardware and art supply stores.
Nothing. Available everywhere. Makes a reasonable finish for woodenware. No application time. Free.
A recipe for one sweet finish
The food-safe finish that appeals most to me is one recommended by Jim and Jean Lakiotes, West Virginia makers of spoons and other kitchen items, as well as furniture. Their finish is a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax.
To make it, warm the mineral oil in a saucepan over low heat, and melt a chunk of beeswax in it equal to about one-fifth or one-sixth the volume of the oil. (At high heat, there's a potential for fire. Be sure to keep the heat low, and consider using a double boiler.) As the wax begins to flake apart and dissolve, stir frequently. When the mixture is blended, pour it into a jar to cool and solidify.
To apply, wipe on an excess of the soft paste, let it dry a bit, then wipe it off. If you want to apply it as a liquid, you can reheat it. Like any mineral oil or
wax finish that will take a lot of abuse, this one will need to be reapplied often to afford decent moisture protection. But applying this fragrant finish is such a pleasure that you may find yourself looking forward to the task.
This article is excerpted from Jonathan Binzen's article "Which Finishes Are Food Safe (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2523)," featured in Fine Woodworking #129.
</fulltext>