Using a Wooden Spoon.

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Mick w.

Nomad
Aug 20, 2011
261
0
west yorkshire, uk
Hi all, getting into the spoon thing now, and I made one for actual eating with (my cereal at work!)
I have come up with a couple of questions since starting to use it...
What do folk use to get a nice smooth finish on them? I thought I'd sanded it pretty smooth, and then used walnut oil on it to finish it off. But, it still feels kind of rough on the lip. So, how would I go about getting a lovely smooo-oooth feel to it?
Also, what are nice smooth but safe oils or finishes to seal it?
 

Hugo

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 29, 2009
2,588
1
Lost in the woods
Some purists will say to have a tooled finish using just the knife, this is Ok if you have made quite a few spoons but not very good if you are just starting out.
So what you could do is when you think you have sanded it smooth, dip it in water for a few seconds and let it dry, then sand it again, do this a couple of times and it will be much better.
Another thing is to sand then use the knife to take just a tad of wood away all over leaving a tooled finish.

Good luck.
 

Mick w.

Nomad
Aug 20, 2011
261
0
west yorkshire, uk
Ta for the replies, think I'll stick with this one as it is, and try the water method on the next one. Do you use any kind of oil on them - walnut, danish, tang oil or whatever?
 

Dean

Mod
Mod
Jan 24, 2004
888
125
44
South Wales
www.facebook.com
What I like to do with my spoons is use finer and finer grit sandpapper untill you get it really smooth, or place spoon in mouth grain rises sand flat rinse and repeate. I am still trying to learn tool finishing

I use Walnut Oil (Taking into account if the spoon is going to a person, due to nut allergies) alot of people use Tung Oil I have'nt so I can not say how well it preforms.

http://s256.beta.photobucket.com/user/malaggar_pharn/library/Wooden Spoons That I have Made
 
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Mick w.

Nomad
Aug 20, 2011
261
0
west yorkshire, uk
Ta Dean, I didn't know that about the grain rising if it gets wet - that would probably account for the surprising roughness, after I thought I'd sanded it as smooth as a baby's backside!
 

Keith_Beef

Native
Sep 9, 2003
1,366
268
55
Yvelines, north-west of Paris, France.
Try using 000 or 0000 steel wool instead of sandpaper, after a short soak in water.

I've been told that walnut oil will not cure, and will eventually give a rancid taste. I've avoided using it on food items for that reason, and haven't tested it.
 

pastymuncher

Nomad
Apr 21, 2010
331
0
The U.K Desert
Personally I wouldn't use steel / wire wool on wood that comes into contact with moisture.
Fine scotchbrite works well for moderate finishes and wet and dry paper for super smooth.
Cabinet scrapers are another option for finishing, or a cheap alternative is small pieces of broken glass, just find a bit with the appropriate profile to the piece you're working on.
 

robin wood

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Oct 29, 2007
3,054
1
derbyshire
www.robin-wood.co.uk
When you sand you abrade the fibres and fill the pores with fine dust, this feels smooth so long as it is dry. When it gets wet the abraded fibres swell and the dust washes out the pores leaving a hairy furry finish. How hairy and furry depends on how fine the grit of paper was you used. The best sanded finish is achieved by following the method Dean suggests going down through the grits say 120, 240, 400, 600 then wet it let it dry and just very lightly sand again, repeat a couple of times. When you oil it it will raise the grain again but you can use the finest sandpaper again with the oil as a lubricant to carry away the dust, a gentle wet sanding with oil with 600 grit should give a decent finish. All this is a bit of a faff which is why if you are good enough to get a clean cut with a sharp tool that is a great alternative. Details on oils here http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/what-is-best-oil-for-treating-wood.html
 

The mad welshman

Tenderfoot
Apr 29, 2012
55
0
64
Louth. Lincs
What I like to do is give my spoons a coat of danish oil and let it dry and then give it two more coats and then take it down with fine wirewool and then finish it off with 2ooo grade wet & dry paper if you look down the spoon you will see a realy nice shine..the more you give the more you get....hope this helps
 

woodgrain

Need to contact Admin...
Dec 24, 2010
89
0
Gone
Danish Oil is choc full of nasty chemicals and usually rates as Very High on the VOC pollutant content. Robin's link, as ever, has fantastic, tried and tested information. I use good quality Tung Oil because I find it is tougher and dries a bit quicker but is still totally food-safe as long as you are not allergic to nuts. Walnut Oil is good but takes an age to dry.
 

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