Food safe finish

[hawkeye]

I've been whittiling limbs off of differant types of trees to make what I call hillbilly forks and need suggestions on a finish that would easy to apply just in case someone really use it to eat with and would protect the wood. I have left the bark on the handle park of the fork.

[ajcoholic]

raw tung oil, walnut oil or even olive oil can be used.

There are also products like "Boos Mystery Oil" that I use for cutting boards, wooden utensils and butcher blocks that can be purchased.

Also, there are food safe finishes (again, available here in Canada anyhow) like Behlan's non toxic varnish, which gives a more shiny type finish VS an oil, but is still food safe.

AJC

[jmischel]

For food safe finish, I normally use Howard Butcher Block Conditioner, which is a mixture of food grade mineral oil and beeswax.

I've also used straight mineral oil with no wax. It's cheap (about $1.50 for a quart at the local pharmacy).

And then there's Salad Bowl Finish. Good stuff, but expensive and kind of a pain to apply.

[schwert]

I would use flaxseed oil. It will harden over time unlike mineral oil which has no staying power. It will also not go rancid like olive or other vegetable oils.

I buy mine in pint bottles at Trader Joe's. Walnut oil is also a good recommendation.

[Buffalo Bif]

Watco claims their danish oil is food safe after 30 days of dry time, I believe.

[mdallensr]

All common clear wood finishes are food-safe after curing. As noted, curing may be 30 days, but could be 1/2 hour for some finishes. Your choice depends on how you intend to use the utensils. If you plan to use and wash them often, most good oil finishes will degrade over time. If they will be used infrequently, and hand washed, a tung oil or similar finish will last for many years and be perfectly safe. Mike

[Bob K.]

I've been using Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner and really like it...easy to apply and soaks in well.