2questions about timber

[forrestdweller]

yesterday i scored 2pieces of timber from the firewood/scrap pile at work which are PERFECT for my next 2projects. one is a small piece of purple heart, the other- if i understand correctly (language difficulties...)- teak. the purple heart is just big enough to saw it in half and to turn into a pair of chopsticks, the teak has ""spoon"" written on it.

-are these timbers suitable for food purposes or toxic?! (the chopsticks are for myself -so that wo'nt matter- but the spoon will be a give-away...) a quick google search on both timbers tells me allergic reactions from working with it are possible but i noticed nothing on myself (i turned two slabs of pruple heart into tabletops)....
- recently there was a mentioning of ""heating the oiled/waxed spoon etc. in the oven to soak the oil/wax deep into the timber"" on this forum BUT i do not have access to a stove... . would heating it up over a campfire (holding it in your hand and slowly rotating it) work as well?!


thanks ahead!

 

[Tony]

Chopsticks from Purple heart will look cool dn i'd imagine be fine unless you're going to chop on them...

Teak, again, if it's oiled etc it should be fine, usually it's skin and eyes are the places that get irritated (If i remember correctly) again, I think that unless the spoon is chomped on it would be fine, but there is a chance it could cause someone susceptible to irritation (it's not everyone) some issues. So, personally i'd not give it to someone, i'd likely make it and use it but I don't know if it's worth giving it, unless they completely get the situation and know what the wood is, what any issue might be etc.

Hope that's helpful in some way

 

[forrestdweller]

thanks for the reply!

i'm NOT planning to chew on my chopsticks- just eating with them.... .(i actually prefer them over knife and fork-- which is why i travel with my own pair of korean chopsticks (takes some time to get used to them, but IMHO they're the best design; i prefer them over japanese ones and cannot get on with chinese ones @ all...) the timber is still purple and has not turned brown- as i will not leave them exposed to UV-light that often i hope they keep their colour for a while

the person who will receive the spoon is someone i know in person, so i'll tell her (it's a ""thank you""-gift!) what timber it is-considering that it will have decorations on it not an every-day-user anyway...

 

[humdrum_hostage]

I think we need to start a new "sticky" thread with all the woods and what you can and cant do with them and how they behave?

 

[lannyman8]

one already here...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52897

 

[forrestdweller]

thanks for that link- did not know there was another thread...

my only problem is that it contains (mainly) british/european timbers... while my locations bring me in contact with the trees of OZ, NZ and eastern asia and my work (sometimes)with some more exotic timbers which are not that commonly used (by most folks on this forum)--- so if anyone can add infos it would be great !

before starting this thread i did a ggole search and there's a website called "" wood database"" which provides me with some helpful infos as well, but some of the timber i used in OZ (mulga f.i.) are not commercially used (@ least not for big projects)....

 

[humdrum_hostage]

one already here...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52897

Cheers for that