Hand Carved Baby Spoons

[Chahlie]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I posted a question here. I was looking with great interest at the article in the Summer 2010 issue of WCI about hand carved baby spoons. This is a very timely article for me as I have twin granddaughters coming this fall...sometime in early September if the ob/gyn has it figured correctly.

My question is one concerning choice of wood... the article suggested maple, cherry or birch as they have a low chance reacting with food. I was at the local Rockler store near where I work and found a beautiful piece of soft maple. Would soft maple be acceptable for this project???

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to send my way on this question..

Chahlie

[Claude]

Hi, Chahlie.
Here are some references for you. Personally, I would buy a sterling silver baby spoon for a baby. Babies, according to my DIL (RN), can develop allergies from coming into contact with many foods and sumstances.
Claude

Toxic Woods List
http://www.woodturner.org/resources/toxicity.cfm
Danger in the Woods
TOXIC WOODS CHART

[mrgrouch]

don't know much about that, but even if the wood is not toxic there's one more thing to consider. soft wood is more porous and will absorve whatever you dip it into, creating bacteria impossible to wash away.

cheers

[Chahlie]

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Chahlie

[BobD]

Actually, wood is naturally antibacterial; that's why a somewhat used (and grooved) wooden cutting board actually show less bacteria on its surface than a comparably used plastic cutting board. The grooves can trap bacteria, but the wood is naturally resistant to it. Soft maple should be fine; it can be a bit softer than some of the other woods suggested, but it's one of the most non-reactive woods out there.

Best Regards,
Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[mdallensr]

Bob, thanks for those important words about wood toxicity (or lack thereof). We seem to worry a lot about using wood utensils, but fail to consider how long they've been used without wiping out entire populations of humans. Next, maybe we can dispel some of the myths about the toxicity (or lack thereof) of most wood finishes, since many wood carvers seem to be concerned about food-safe finishes. No doubt, there are some dangerous woods, and even some old finishes that we should avoid, but most common wood is safe to use if we avoid the dust, and most of the finishes that we talk about on this message board are food-safe when cured. Mike

[BobD]

Good point Mike!
Our standard theory on food-safe finishes (based on the writings of several finishing experts, including Bob Flexner) is that if you allow a finish to dry completely, most finishes are food safe. But many finishes can take months to dry completely. If you still "smell" a finish, chances are it's not totally dry. What you smell are the volatile organic solvents that were used to dissolve the finish; those solvents are usually the toxic elements of a finish.

If you need something done quickly and don't want to wait for a standard finish to dry, we suggest beeswax (like the article suggests), shellac (which is used on many pills we take) or no finish at all. If you apply no finish at all, the piece may get dirty, but a bit of time spent sanding will restore it to it's original condition.

Bob

[Chahlie]

Hi All,

I was planning to use the beeswax finisih suggested in the article. I also would give my daughter instructions from the article on how to clean and maintain the spoons as I hope they would become heirlooms or atleast keepsakes for the twin grandbaby girls due in september 2010. Wish me luck on being a new Grandpa!