1st Spoon, Oil?

[Bushcraftsman]

ok, so here is my first attempt at making a spoon, I made it at this weekends middlewood meet, majority of the work was done with a hatchet then when I got home I used some sandpaper just to smooth it off.

Whilst there I remember having discussions for which oil to use but I can't remember what they said. So which oil shall I use on this? I really like the two tone grain in the bowl and on the back so want something that will bring this out.

And finally, what is the best way to apply the oil, just dip some kitchen roll in the oil and rub on? how many coats? etc etc

 

[Teepee]

Tung Oil is very good and should be food safe.

Lots of coats, one every 4-6 hours until it stops soaking in. Applying the oil with wire wool or bronze wool is even better as it sands as well as applies the finish.

As a decorator, I use Liberon finishing oil-its a blend of Tung and other oils and will dry to a varnish finish if you don't wipe it off. Also highly heat resistant.

 

[Karl82]

soak the spoon for a few hours in water first let it dry out and re-sand it it brings up the fluff before you oil it i use walnut oil in a heavy duty zip lock bag. put the spoon in the bag carefully squish out the air and leave it for 24 to 48 hours in the oil. with use more cots may need to be re-applied.

 

[alex.c]

I just wet the wood after sanding and then lightly sand it, I repeat this a few
times then heat some walnut oil by standing the bottle in hot water(this helps it sink
into the wood if i remember rightly) then just apply with some kitchen roll. Here's a good thread on it
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80663&highlight=spoon+finishing
be sure to read robin woods comment i found it really useful.
Cheers
Alex

 

[Bushcraftsman]

can you use almond oil?

 

[swright81076]

I use walnut oil too. Quite cheap from asda.

touched by nature

 

[Stringmaker]

Tung oil is indeed very good and definitely food safe.

Thanks for the tip about Liberon finishing oil Teepee, I have a piece of work in progress now which I'll try that with.

 

[Stringmaker]

I just thought of something.

Does anyone "wet sand" their way through all the grits?

By that I don't mean dry sanding, then soaking/wetting the piece and sanding it again; I mean having a bucket of water as the lubricant and keeping the abrasive and workpiece wet all the time.

In the good old days before dry sanding and dust extraction kit that is how we used to process car primers before applying the colour. It is still the best process for absolute final finishing and it struck me as probably the best way to hand finish wood?

 

[Teepee]

I just thought of something.

Does anyone "wet sand" their way through all the grits?

By that I don't mean dry sanding, then soaking/wetting the piece and sanding it again; I mean having a bucket of water as the lubricant and keeping the abrasive and workpiece wet all the time.

In the good old days before dry sanding and dust extraction kit that is how we used to process car primers before applying the colour. It is still the best process for absolute final finishing and it struck me as probably the best way to hand finish wood?

It tends to gum up a bit with wet wood and clog the abrasive. I get this when I'm wet sanding skirting boards and door frames if theres lumps in the wood. It will also swell the grain, needing another sand.

Its possible to wet sand with white spirit, but thats just a messy, smelly and toxic job.

For an ultra fine finish, dry sand the wood with 400-600 grade paper, remove the dust and apply the oil with 000 or 0000 grade wire wool. The wire wool will abrade at the same time as oiling.

 

[Elen Sentier]

soak the spoon for a few hours in water first let it dry out and re-sand it it brings up the fluff before you oil it i use walnut oil in a heavy duty zip lock bag. put the spoon in the bag carefully squish out the air and leave it for 24 to 48 hours in the oil. with use more cots may need to be re-applied.

Karl that was really helpful, must get to finishing my spoon ...

behind every creative woman there's usually a very talented cat ...

 

[Stringmaker]

It tends to gum up a bit with wet wood and clog the abrasive. I get this when I'm wet sanding skirting boards and door frames if theres lumps in the wood. It will also swell the grain, needing another sand.

Its possible to wet sand with white spirit, but thats just a messy, smelly and toxic job.

For an ultra fine finish, dry sand the wood with 400-600 grade paper, remove the dust and apply the oil with 000 or 0000 grade wire wool. The wire wool will abrade at the same time as oiling.

Good point; dried car primer is inert and doesn't swell.

Thanks for the wire wool tip, time for a trip to the hardware store.