Thread: Linseed Oil & Beeswax Finish on Jarrah Pepper Grinders

They look good.

One question: are they intended as two seperate grinders or as a matched set of salt/pepper mills? 'Cos if the latter, it would've been a good idea to distinguish between the two. Perhaps a different number of rings around the top or similar.

Originally Posted by BMKal

Question is - I don't know if this finish is robust enough for something that is handled a lot, like pepper grinders. Is the finish likely to last, or will it deteriorate quickly. Anybody had any experience with this type of finish ???

That's a finish I love, but it's really only good for regularly handled objects.

I like to use raw Tung Oil instead of BLO, but that's just me nit-picking.

The oil soaks into the surface, giving it pretty good protection from the elements and the wax fills in the majority of any "micro-pores" or little gaps that would otherwise fill with skin oils and crud from handling. A bonus is that any damage to the finish is easily patched.

A piece that's frequently used can quickly build up a beautiful patina as the surface wax wears away. Less regularly handled pieces can begin to look "cruddy" but that's usually easily fixed by a simple hand buffing with a bit more wax. (Sometimes just the cleaning in preparation for the buffing can work wonders... )

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

They look good.

One question: are they intended as two seperate grinders or as a matched set of salt/pepper mills? 'Cos if the latter, it would've been a good idea to distinguish between the two. Perhaps a different number of rings around the top or similar.



That's a finish I love, but it's really only good for regularly handled objects.

I like to use raw Tung Oil instead of BLO, but that's just me nit-picking.

The oil soaks into the surface, giving it pretty good protection from the elements and the wax fills in the majority of any "micro-pores" or little gaps that would otherwise fill with skin oils and crud from handling. A bonus is that any damage to the finish is easily patched.

A piece that's frequently used can quickly build up a beautiful patina as the surface wax wears away. Less regularly handled pieces can begin to look "cruddy" but that's usually easily fixed by a simple hand buffing with a bit more wax. (Sometimes just the cleaning in preparation for the buffing can work wonders... )

Thanks for that. I was hoping that this finish would wear well with handling. A couple of people have seen them today and they both prefer this finish to the usual "glossy" finish that I have used in the past (Shellawax Glow).
They are a matched set - the tops are currently in the pressure pot. I drill a hole in the top of the blank and fill them with different coloured epoxy resin (these are black & white) before I finish turning the tops to shape.
Haven't got any pics that clearly show the coloured discs in the top, but these below are all finished with Shellawax Glow and you can just see the white disc in the top of some of them.

IMG_3650.jpg

These look great, I like the satin look instead of everything always being glossy also. Plus jarrahs a fav of mine good execution

What pepper mill grinder setup do you use? The woodcut setup?

Cheers
Nathan

Originally Posted by delbs

These look great, I like the satin look instead of everything always being glossy also. Plus jarrahs a fav of mine good execution

What pepper mill grinder setup do you use? The woodcut setup?

Cheers
Nathan

Woodcut doesn't make a pepper grinder mechanism as far as I am aware. They do make a special tool to assist in drilling blanks to accept the "Crushgrind" pepper mill mechanism. I use the Crushgrind mechanism in my mills (I believe it to be the best mechanism for this type of mill), but I have never used the Woodcut tool nor any other special tool for making these - you simply don't need them. Good quality forstner bits of the required diameters and an extension bar for the 25mm bit to drill out the centre hole through the length of the blank - and a MT#2 Jacobs chuck for the tailstock to allow drilling on the lathe. Plenty of videos on youtube on how to make these without any special tooling.

Woodcut does make some very good tools though - most of my bowl gouges are Woodcut and these are my "go to" bowl gouges these days.

Originally Posted by BMKal

Woodcut doesn't make a pepper grinder mechanism as far as I am aware. They do make a special tool to assist in drilling blanks to accept the "Crushgrind" pepper mill mechanism.

Yeah apologies mix up in terminology i was referring to the mill drill from woodcut for pepper grinders and wasn't sure of the crushgrind mechanism name so thanks for that. Now done some maintenance on the lathe ive picked up pepper mills are something i've wanted to learn how to do. I also have woodcut b/g;s for my bowls also they're fantastic. i figured mill drill was an easy entry to peppergrinders

I have some dimension Jarrah ready for this once i've practiced on some other species first. Hope the new owners of yours enjoy them

Something to remember is who is the person buying the mills.
It is generally not your mates who think that satin finish is ok.
Mostly it is the lady of the house and most prefer a bit of sheen to what they are purchasing and if it gets the crudy look it is destined to the back of the cupboard and never seen again.
We do get the odd one that comes in and indicates they like the mat look but most prefer a sheen to a shine.

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Something to remember is who is the person buying the mills.
It is generally not your mates who think that satin finish is ok.
Mostly it is the lady of the house and most prefer a bit of sheen to what they are purchasing and if it gets the crudy look it is destined to the back of the cupboard and never seen again.
We do get the odd one that comes in and indicates they like the mat look but most prefer a sheen to a shine.

Thanks Jim. A very good point. I've just been given some good quality jarrah sleepers and am in the process of preparing a few blanks (need to order some more mechanisms when you have them back in stock too). I'll try a couple of sets in a matt finish but will stick with the tried & proven Shellawax Glow finish for the majority of them, and then see how both finishes compare in sales etc. Also thinking of trying a black alcohol wood dye on one set just to see how they look. I bought some wood dyes a while back and haven't tried them yet.

And the new Vicmarc chuck with the shark jaws is definitely the go for turning pepper grinders - far better option than what I had previously.

I think a lot of us have been watching Richard Raffan since he came late to Youtube. He uses beeswax a lot, often over BLO. But he is mainly turning objects that will either be purely ornamental, or used regularly. If you have a look at his website (see https://www.richardraffan.com.au/bowls/) it is clear that the finish is not intended to be a lasting finish. He says to wash the bowl in warm soapy water, then allow to dry before wiping over with a suitable oil. I have been trying this on a salad bowl I turned out of camphor laurel, and it is certainly developing a nice finish over time.
IMG_7740.jpgThis bowl has been washed up about ten times and has been wiped over with walnut oil perhaps five times. It has a low-sheen to it now and holds its colour even when washed up.
Beeswax on its own would possibly have a bit more shine than when applied over BLO, but this would fade to a matt finish over time I think. Beeswax has a high melting temperature for a natural wax, but unlike many waxes its hardness decreases as it warms. It is quite easy to work a small pellet of beeswax into a pliable strip just with body heat. That is not necessarily an issue with a pepper grinder, which is not something that is handled a lot, but that might depend on the climate. maybe not as good in the tropics?
I have turned a few grinders over the years and our larger ones only come out on special occasions - maybe once or twice a year. So durability is not an issue with those 'show pieces'!
I made a very small grinder for my wife that she uses it every day - almost without fail. It has been in use for at least eight years, maybe more and shows no signs of wear. My go-to finish back then was Shellawax over tripple-E. I just had a close look and the finish itself is OK and there are no signs of wear.
IMG_7739.jpg
The timber is Christmas bush from memory. This was so long ago I was not yet writing the timber on my pieces!
As a 40-year plus beekeeper, I am a BIG fan of beeswax - it is amazing stuff! But I think a harder finish would be better for projects like grinders. Our Benevolent Dictator might correct me, but I think the UBeaut waxes have a few harder wax ingredients, like carnauba, and the shellac component of shellawax would also add hardness. As someone suggested, a hard drying oil like tung oil would be anther good option. Those options would also give more shine.
Personally, I like your grinders as they are. Most people would use these as 'show pieces', only using them for dinner parties etc. rather than for every meal, so I think the finish would hold up fine, even if it might lose its shine. But then I don't particularly like really shiny stuff!
Bruce

if it doesn't seem to wear well or needs refreshing, you basically have unlimited times that you can do it.

Sort of the difference between the modern mindset (a finish that lasts forever) and the mindset of a couple of hundred years ago - a finish that is easy to refresh, which allows the finish to actually last forever.

tung will stand up to wet hands better, but the linseed oil will eventually crosslink with age. linseed oil is used on gun stocks here in a soak it and wipe it off way where the finish resides in a polymerized wood layer at the surface rather than oil on top of wood.

When talking about oils, one of the chemists I know (who used to work for a company that made varnishes, too, lucky coincidences) always says "I am confused by all of the talk of linseed oil not being waterproof - how are people applying it?"

Based on what he said, he soaked a gun stock (not immersed, just liberal application) in linseed oil several times. Maybe five? wiping off the excess each time. 50 years ago. And has hunted with the rifle in this case for that time period including getting caught in rain. He said it still looks fine.

Tung will be waterproof as soon as it cures, though - it will not have to continue to polymerize over time with exposure to air and sun.