Sealing the grain

[ScanDgrind]

I've made a few spoons over the years, lovingly carving and shaping them and then smoothing them to a beautiful finish with a piece of sandpaper, unless of course there's a dogfish skin available for all you purists out there. :-)

Unfortunately after using the spoon once the grain swells and the spoons texture is to say the least, as rough as a badgers @rse :yikes: and not appealing when it's in your mouth :shock: Any tips on what to use to seal the grain?


Cheers,

Tony

[larry the spark]

After fine sanding I soak mine in pure (raw not boiled) linseed oil over night, hang to let excess drip off and wipe lightly with a cloth. Seems to do the trick. Might be different for different woods though.

[Roving Rich]

I just wipe em over with olive oil after i wash them.
:-D
Rich

[Tumper]

If you want them to last you will have to keep them oiled. If they are for display, and occasional use, then season the wood first. My father seasons his hand carved bowls by leaving them in his airing cupboard for 6-12 months!

[Ed]

Any edible oil would be suitable i would think. I have used olive, peanut and sunflower oil on my wooden spoons.

:-)
Ed

[Tony]

walnut is another nice oil, although I'm not sure about using it for knife handles.

[Keith_Beef]

walnut is another nice oil, although I'm not sure about using it for knife handles.

I put walnut oil on the walnut scales of my Courty Nº2.
Look under "eye candy" on BritishBlades.

I was a bit dubious at first, since walnut oil can go rancid. I buy about 1.1/2 litres per year for food use, and keep it in the fridge. Left in the bottle in a warm kitchen, it will go off in a few months, but on the knife handles, it seems to dry and cure OK.

Keith.

[the naughty boy]

if using softwoods for carving ...as its much easier...you can expect them to swell,split,splinter etc.the wood fibers adsorb the moisture and do all sorts of things to it.
always preferable to use hardwoods.oak cherry birch or maple as although they will still absorb moisture its on a much smaller level as the fibers are much tighter,which is why its harder to carve.
if your not going to use your finished articles for food use i would suggest danish oil which has tung oil as the main ingredient.this penetrates really well and gives a lovely finish which really shows the grain well.
remember that whatever you use [i dont use any oils] you may taste it off your spoon so pick something tasty :-P
ps try steel wool instead of sandpaper for the final finish.
pps if your using edible oil then remember bacteria will probably enjoy eating it too!

[larry the spark]

Danish oil is great, I use it on knife shafts. In craft supplies magazine it recommends danish oil for use on salad bowls and chopping boards, but I'm not sure I'd appreciate the smell and taste though!

[the naughty boy]

no work today larry? lol.
yes its designed for treatment of wood as weatherproofing primarily.looks good on my birch knife scales too.

[larry the spark]

Work Schmirk mate! Nah only joking, sit at a computer all day so does no one any harm if i check in here now and again. Keeps me happy, therefore, I work better! Thats me justifying it to myself! :wink: