Porous kuksa

[Zingmo]

I whittled a lump of what I think was cherry into a shape that looked like it could hold liquid. I thought I would take a dram of malt to christen it. I was disappointed to find that the kuksa drank my whisky before I could get to it!

There isn't a crack or knot hole, the wood just appears porous, with the whisky showing up on the outside in line with the grain.

What could you suggest as a remedy that allows me to use this; preferably for both hot and cold drinks.


Z

 

[Man of Tanith]

did you seal it with food safe oil before you had the first beverage in it?

 

[Zingmo]

did you seal it with food safe oil before you had the first beverage in it?

No. I tried one with walnut oil once and then had to get used to walnut flavoured coffee. I had read that it would dry and seal but in practice i ended up with a small slick on my java.

I was hoping to avoid that scenario, but having been robbed of my Cardhu, I am willing to consider all alternatives.

Z

 

[ozzy1977]

Wood being porous will need to be sealed

 

[Mesquite]

Have a look at this thread

 

[Macaroon]

Have a try of the hot milk method of sealing; John Fenna posted a very good and interesting thread here a short time ago
about it, as I understand it, you fill the kuksa with very hot milk and leave it to go cold and it's very effectively sealed......
I believe it's the cassein that's left behind that does the sealing - have a search for that one.

As for the Walnut oil, it's all I've ever used and It's never failed for me. From what you describe the oil hasn't had enough time to dry and harden; the trick is to only smear a light coat of it on and then leave it to harden, then do that as often as it takes to seal the item, the important thing is to give it time to harden before you put any more on.

I often read here about people who advocate "soaking" things in oil but it's counter productive, if there's too much oil it won't harden...............a little heat will help Walnut oil harden well but may not be the best for a newly-made kuksa!

Hope this helps

 

[Zingmo]

Excellent info. I had missed the whole sealing kuksas with milk thread. I will give this a go, although I am a bit worried about there being a faint whiff of cheese to accompany every beverage.


Z

Still refusing to upgrade Tapatalk.

 

[ashby001]

Have a look at this thread

Used to make goo/silly putty sort of thing as a kid using that method!!
Didn't realise you could seal wood with it!!!!