No Oil

[Kepis]

Was sorting out my ever expanding box of spoons earlier and saw this Lime one looking a bit 'ill' and it shows the perfect example of why i don't oil any of my spoons if they are not going to be used immediately, even then many of my personal users have never been oiled either, as i prefer to let time and food acids do their thing.

Whilst this spoon has been in storage the Tung Oil has oxidised and gone a horrible yellow colour, it won't harm anyone, but it doesn't look very nice. Out with the carving tools and an hour later its all fixed, well more or less.

Left hand shows the spoon all yukky, the right hand side after a bit of fettling.

When i did the show circuit i used to carry a small bottle of Tung Oil with me and offer the option of oiling the spoon to customers before they took it and went on their way, but always after they had paid, because once it's on, it's on lol.

 

[Tony]

I tend not to oil my spoons and just use them, I figure that they'll survive ok and probably look good after a while or not, but can always make another one

 

[Nice65]

I have a beautiful dainty bowl made from Holly that was ghostly pale when i was given it and now is a horrible brown colour. Same with a marquetry Japanese puzzle box that used to shine with different coloured woods.

I’ll get a couple of pics up tomorrow, see if anyone has advice to gently take it off. I’m thinking fine steel wool and a little genuine turpentine, maybe just the fine wool. Fine paper is going to clog immediately.

 

[Kepis]

I have a beautiful dainty bowl made from Holly that was ghostly pale when i was given it and now is a horrible brown colour. Same with a marquetry Japanese puzzle box that used to shine with different coloured woods.

I’ll get a couple of pics up tomorrow, see if anyone has advice to gently take it off. I’m thinking fine steel wool and a little genuine turpentine, maybe just the fine wool. Fine paper is going to clog immediately.

Think i would use some very fine wire wool on an area that doesn't show to see if it will come off, sometimes though it's so deep set its not worth the effort as you could end up knackering the thing.

 

[Nice65]

Think i would use some very fine wire wool on an area that doesn't show to see if it will come off, sometimes though it's so deep set its not worth the effort as you could end up knackering the thing.

The box especially could end up looking tatty if I screwed it up, it’s a lovely thing, 21 moves. It’s already showing many years of wear from interested but frustrated nephews, nieces and grandkids.

I love that Holly bowl too, it took great skill to get it that thin without cracking or splitting.

 

[Kepis]

The box especially could end up looking tatty if I screwed it up, it’s a lovely thing, 21 moves. It’s already showing many years of wear from interested but frustrated nephews, nieces and grandkids.

I love that Holly bowl too, it took great skill to get it that thin without cracking or splitting.

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Those are lovely, think id leave them well alone, dinner looks nice too

 

[Nice65]

Those are lovely, think id leave them well alone, dinner looks nice too

Hmm, I definitely feel a project coming on. The lacquered and oiled box should be showing lots of reds, whites and deep browns.

Dinner was lovely ta, we had a baked potato and some boned out and fried chicken thighs to go with the salad. Can’t beat the Dunns fry mix coating.

 

[Tantalus]

Wood naturally yellows when exposed to sunlight. That beautiful white colour rarely lasts but oils certainly dont help. Tung oil is supposed to oxidise. No oils are totally resistant to this either but for food stuff I would recommend olive oil.

 

[GNJC]

Have been using a thin coat of walnut oil on spoons etc. for over a decade now. As long as it's applied to pretty dry wood, and then itself allowed to dry, the results have always been good and the spoons last well. Periodic re-oiling - maybe every year...? - keeps them good.

I mostly carve sycamore and beech and, if not oiled, the sycamore spoils far more quickly.

 

[Nice65]

Wood naturally yellows when exposed to sunlight. That beautiful white colour rarely lasts but oils certainly dont help. Tung oil is supposed to oxidise. No oils are totally resistant to this either but for food stuff I would recommend olive oil.

Walnut or Almond, I don’t use olive oil. Nothing really wrong with any of them but olive oil has a higher water content than other oils and can go rancid and attracts mould to grow. I know it’s used extensively in Italy, Spain, Greece etc for wiping bowls and boards, but they have lovely dry climates. It’s why we can’t make saucisson and chorizo in the UK.

 

[Nice65]

I realise, Mark, at no point in your thread have I mentioned your spoon.

It‘s looking good, much nicer with that shabby chic, grey and dry look. I must grab a couple of yours at some point, are you likely to get to Pete Wests for the Fair this year? Bumped into a few BCUKers last year. Wayne didn’t make it but I met some of his Forest Knights lot, Roger from Bison, Sonny (Angst on here, but not seen in a while). And was really hoping Bardster was going to join Roger, but he didn’t make it.

 

[Kepis]

I realise, Mark, at no point in your thread have I mentioned your spoon.

It‘s looking good, much nicer with that shabby chic, grey and dry look. I must grab a couple of yours at some point, are you likely to get to Pete Wests for the Fair this year? Bumped into a few BCUKers last year. Wayne didn’t make it but I met some of his Forest Knights lot, Roger from Bison, Sonny (Angst on here, but not seen in a while). And was really hoping Bardster was going to join Roger, but he didn’t make it.

Cheer mate, the spoon feels better too having lost its oxidised coating.

Not sure if im going to get to any shows again anytime soon as still waiting for my surgery(ies) then i have a period of recovery before the next lot of surgery, but looking on the bright side im a fighter as they found out in Hospital last year when they had to keep raining me back as i was trying to do too much, so all being well i will hopefully be around at some of the shows and events, but not counting my chickens.

 

[Toddy]

The box especially could end up looking tatty if I screwed it up, it’s a lovely thing, 21 moves. It’s already showing many years of wear from interested but frustrated nephews, nieces and grandkids.

I love that Holly bowl too, it took great skill to get it that thin without cracking or splitting.

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I have one of those puzzle boxes too. Yosegi himitsu bako, iirc. Mine came from Japan in the late 1950's.
When I was very little it used to be very bright, but it has mellowed with age and handling.
A friend who restores old houses and their timbers, says to try plain hydrogen peroxide on it.
He says to wear rubber gloves and use a good cotton rag and just scrub the wood clean. Don't leave it wet, but dry it off with another cotton rag and set it aside someplace cool and dry.

I keep meaning to give it a go. If I do, I'll let you know how I get on with it. He says it works to remove mould stains in light timber, to take off the marks of constant hands on the edges of doors, etc., without ruining or staining the wood. Cleans it up fit for re-varnishing.

 

[GNJC]

Walnut or Almond, I don’t use olive oil. Nothing really wrong with any of them but olive oil has a higher water content than other oils and can go rancid and attracts mould to grow. I know it’s used extensively in Italy, Spain, Greece etc for wiping bowls and boards, but they have lovely dry climates. It’s why we can’t make saucisson and chorizo in the UK.

Had to laugh at your last sentence... have tried many times over the years and only have an outside success rate of about 50%, air-dried hams are real gamble...

But what should I expect in West Wales? We've tried doing it in a drying room at the top of the house, but even with an extractor / dehumidifier it's a pain, and would now be expensive. My oldest boy wants hos own pigs in the Spring, so we'll try again...

But apologies, I digress; I've only just come back to the forum after a long time away so I'll have a look for a thread on this subject, or start one.

 

[Nice65]

Had to laugh at your last sentence... have tried many times over the years and only have an outside success rate of about 50%, air-dried hams are real gamble...

But what should I expect in West Wales? We've tried doing it in a drying room at the top of the house, but even with an extractor / dehumidifier it's a pain, and would now be expensive. My oldest boy wants hos own pigs in the Spring, so we'll try again...

But apologies, I digress; I've only just come back to the forum after a long time away so I'll have a look for a thread on this subject, or start one.

There’s a biltong thread somewhere. I had a cupboard set up and it worked well.

 

[GNJC]

There’s a biltong thread somewhere. I had a cupboard set up and it worked well.

Thanks for that; yep, I've made a lot of biltong over the years, outdoors where possible and indoors where not. But it's the scale and the time that make it difficult with a large volume of pork. I've started a thread on this in the 'Homestead' section.

 

[TLM]

air-dried hams are real gamble...

Well, the Italians seem to have no problems with Prosciutto.

 

[Toddy]

Yeah but Italy's warm and dry....we're on the Atlantic Islands and sodden wet and cool.

We managed to hot smoke venison hams and it lasted though, but it was shiny black by the time it came out of the smoker. It looked like one of the mummies that had been laid in natron.
Weirdest thing, but it was tasty (so I'm told, I'm a vegetarian) and it kept well too.
The smoker was burning oak chips.

M

 

[GNJC]

Well, the Italians seem to have no problems with Prosciutto.

As in the post above, the climates aren't comparable. Maybe, you could pull it off reliably in Southern England... Look at Serrano ham from Spain, then look at northern Europe and it's basically smoking and pickling.

 

[TLM]

then look at northern Europe and it's basically smoking and pickling.

Hmmm..... when you go up to Lapland it is air drying again (or used to be).