wood-utn-care-msg - 5/15/08

Care of utensils made of wood.

NOTE: See also the files: Horn-Spoons-art, utensils-msg, wood-msg, iron-pot-care-msg, ivory-msg, spoons-msg, horn-utn-care-msg, woodworking-msg.

************************************************************************
NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

Thank you,
    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************

Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 23:04:39 -0500
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
From: Nicolas Steenhout <vavroom at bmee.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls

>For lack of a better word, these bowls have acquired a "musky" odor from
>being in storage.  The recommendations I've received so far for trying to
>fix them have ranged from "use a bleach-water mix" to "don't put bleach on
>wood" to "just toss them, because you'll never get rid of the aroma."

Don't know how far gone the bowls are.  But I've let wooden cutting boards
"soak" in bleach/water mixtures hundreds of time to no ill
effect.  Scrapping with a flat blade afterward removed the rest of the gunk.

Try one before doing the forty :-)

Muiredach mac Loloig
Rokkehealden Shire

From: BaronessaIlaria at aol.com
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 23:50:30 EDT
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Washing them down with lemon juice and then letting them air might help
too...

Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 13:55:00 +1000
From: "Craig Jones." <craig.jones at airservices.gov.au>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls
To: sca-cooks <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Organization: Airservices Australia

>Don't know how far gone the bowls are.  But I've let wooden cutting boards
>"soak" in bleach/water mixtures hundreds of time to no ill
>effect.  Scrapping with a flat blade afterward removed the rest of
the gunk.

Yet, there is evidence to say that when chlorine bleaches react with
organic matter they form chloroamines which are not particularly good
for you (suspected carcinogens).  No idea if this extends to woods...

Drakey.

Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 21:10:53 -0700
From: "Laura C. Minnick" <lcm at efn.org>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls

I would scald them, then scrub them good with dish soap, rinse them with
bleach water, air dry, then rub in a coat of olive oil.

Are they real wood, or those funny 'woven-wood' things? If they're the
woven wood, toss them. They aren't worth the effort.

'Lainie

From: "Hrolf Douglasson" <Hrolf at btinternet.com>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 09:05:54 +0100

We always use wooden bowls on site and they quickly develop a musty odur
when left by others over winter in damp conditions.
1)put them in the DISHWASHER on a medium setting (I know you shouldn't but
this WORKS)
2)when they come out dry them with a cloth and then put them in the oven on
a very low heat to dry them right through.
3)get your biggest mixing bowl and thoroughly oil the wooden bowls (I use a
mixed oil like crisp and dry as the mix of hard and soft fats seems ideal)
4) leave to drain in the mixing bowl.....you'll be surprised at how much oil
they take up and I really oil thoroughly.

I have only lost 1 bowl in some years and the musty smell vanished
completely.

vara

From: "Dunbar, Debra" <debra.dunbar at aspenpubl.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 08:53:11 -0400

> I would scald them, then scrub them good with dish soap, rise them with
> bleach water, air dry, then rub in a coat of olive oil.
>
> Are they real wood, or those funny 'woven-wood' things? If they're the
> woven wood, toss them. They aren't worth the effort.
>
> 'Lainie

This is what I do!  Also - I've had a few "found" bowls that end up with
stains.  I've sanded these with some fine sand paper, then treated them with
oil.

Wrynne

Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 09:45:59 -0400
From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls

>For lack of a better word, these bowls have acquired a "musky" odor from
>being in storage.
---------------------------------------------
I have had people swear that you can use full-strength
vanilla to remove odors.
I would wash them first, light bleach or lysol in water,
dry them (outdoors in the sun if possible) and then
if you can do it put full strength vanilla on
paper towels and seal the bowls and vanilla towels
into big rubbermaid containers. Check them after 48
hours and see if the odor remains. If they seem to be
improving, reseal and leave them for a week. You can repeat if
necessary. (Someone I know said this is what she did
to a refrigerator that got unplugged with food left
in it. This vanilla idea took away the spoiled food odor.)

Johnna Holloway   Johnnae llyn Lewis

Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 17:13:36 -0400
From: Tara Sersen Boroson <tsersen at nni.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls

Depends on a) what kind of quality they are to begin with, and b) how
much abuse you're willing to give them.  For instance, if they're some
of that pressed/woven stuff, they probably won't survive much abuse.  If
they're solid wood, they will survive much more.  But, if they're really
*nice* solid wood, you might not want to abuse them just on principle,
unless everything else fails.

That said, I've never had a problem throwing most wooden bowls in the
dishwasher.  The scalding hot water and strong dishwasher detergent
should do the job.  Bowls with no finish seem to come through with no
ill effect.  Bowls with finishes sometimes behave differently.  On one
bowl, the really cheap finish flaked.  I just sanded it off and
considered it to be an unfinished bowl after that.  On others, over time
the finish would dull a bit.  If I used them daily and washed them this
way frequently, the unfinished ones begin to dry out and crack;  But,
for infrequent washing, it is never a problem.  What this all means is,
unless they're cheap the dishwasher should do a good job at scrubbing
them clean of any odor without hurting them.  If you have, or know
someone who has, a Bosch dishwasher or a dishwasher that has a
"superhot" cycle, that might work best for killing mildew.  My Bosch
heats the water to 161 degrees Farenheit, instead of the American
standard of 140.

-Magdalena

Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 01:43:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anne du Bosc <mordonna22 at yahoo.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks digest, Vol 1 #849 - 17 msgs

>For lack of a better word, these bowls have
>acquired a "musky" odor from being in storage.
snip
>So, does anyone here have any recommendations
>about what, if anything, can be done?

If you are truly interested in going to the
effort to save them:
1. Make a paste with baking soda and water.
2. Rub the paste into the wood.
3. Allow to sit overnight
4. Wash in hot, soapy water.
5. Rinse thoroughly
6. Allow to air dry for several hours
7. Rub on a thin coat of olive oil or good
quality vegetable oil.
=====
Anne du Bosc
known as Mordonna the Cook
Barony of Atenveldt
Kingdom of Atenveldt

From: "Leofric Ealdricson" <lealdricson at hotmail.com>
Date: Thu May 22, 2003  9:22:42 PM US/Central
To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Advice for keeping wooden feast gear.

> From: Tressa <tressarhiannon at yahoo.com>
> I recently have come across a problem with my first
> set of wooden feast gear.  Two of my bowls have dried
> out and cracked.  I was told this was because when I
> washed it I didn't condition it afterwards.
> My question is:  What do I use to condition wooden
> plates, tankards and things that will be used for
> eating?
>
> Any tips will be greatly appreciated,
> Ldy. Tressa de Crauford
> Tempio

If the dishes do not have a hard varnish coating, the best thing to use
after each washing is a food grade mineral oil.  You can find this at your
drug store.  Look in the laxative section and find mineral oil laxative.
This will condition the wood and keep it from cracking.  This can also be
used on goblets as well as knives and wooden cutting boards.  Just wipe it
on with a paper towel after the dishes have been washed, towel dried, and
allowed to air dry completely.

Master Leofric Ealdricson
Loch Soilleir

From: "C. L. Ward" <gunnora at vikinganswerlady.com>
Date: Thu May 22, 2003  12:47:25 PM US/Central
To: <ansteorra at ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Ansteorra] RE: Linseed oil

Lord Eadric Anstapa said:
> Linseed or flaxseed oil is a great way to treat your wooden feastware and if
> any of it gets into your diet it might actually benefit you.
> By the oil at a health food store and NOT at a hardware store or craft
> store.  Often what you find at hardware stores and craft stores for oil
> painting and wood finishing is not pure linseed oil.

Let me make that a MUCH stronger caution.  Modern linseed oils designed for
woodwork have various metal salts added to improve drying time, and THESE
CAN BE POISONOUS.  Don't use these for food-containing vessels.

Probably the worst problems with wooden feast gear is that we all too often
leave them in the car in the brutal Ansteorran heat, which dries out the
wood.  It also gets dropped and knocked around as we travel, and the
combination can lead to splits and breaks.

My recommendation would be to handwash the wooden stuff in warm soapy water,
then let it drain in a dishrack or on a counter.  After it dries, wipe a
small amount of any food-grade oil over the wood, let that soak in and dry.
Then put your dishes back in the feast gear box/basket/etc.

Another thing you can do is when you get the wooden stuff new, you can go to
a professional woodworker's supply such as Woodcrafters and ask for "salad
bowl varnish".  This is a food-safe finish that can be applied to the wood
to seal it.  That way you get less of the drying out problem later, bacteria
have a much more difficult time colonizing the pores of the wood while that
stuff sits in a bag on the garage floor for three days after the event until
you get a chance to wash it, etc.

::GUNNVOR::

From: "Leofric Ealdricson" <lealdricson at hotmail.com>
Date: Thu May 22, 2003  9:39:45 PM US/Central
To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] RE: Linseed oil

> Another thing you can do is when you get the wooden stuff new, you can go to
> a professional woodworker's supply such as Woodcrafters and ask for "salad
> bowl varnish".  This is a food-safe finish that can be applied to the wood
> to seal it.

> ::GUNNVOR::

I agree with Gunnora on the salad bowl finish.  You can mail order this from
Woodcraft Supply Company.  It is made by a company called Behen and marketed
as "Salad Bowl Finish".  This is the finish that I use on all of my feast
gear.  I have a set of feast gear that I made for myself 8 years ago.  I
have not had any problems with cracking or drying.

If you are going to put a hard finish on your wood here is what I do:

Sand the surface smooth using progressivly finer grits of sand paper.  Start
with 60 grit to get an even finish.  Move to 100 grit, 150 grit, and then
220 grit.  Go at least to 220 grit.  I also use 320 grit and then finish
with 400 grit.

Remove all of the dust with a dry cloth (don't wash it, you will mess up the
grain and have to resand with the finer grits again).  Apply the salad bowl
finish with a paper towel.  You want the first coat to go on thick.  The
directions say to flood the surface.  This first coat needs to be heavy
since all of it will soak into the wood.

Let this dry overnight.  Sand the surface with 320 or 400 grit sand paper
and wipe off all of the dust.  Apply a second coat.  Don't apply as much on
the second coat.  The wood will not soak up as much.

Let it dry overnight and sand again with 400 grit sand paper.  Remove the
dust.  Apply a light 3rd coat as the top coat.  This will give the surface a
nice shine and depth.

Let the feast gear cure for AT LEAST 72 hours before using.  Curing for a
week would be better.

Always wash with warm soapy water.  If you get scratches from cutlery, sand
with 320 or 400 grit and apply another top coat.

Leofric

Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 19:04:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Pat <mordonna22 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Scacooks] wooden utensils
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com> wrote:
There was also a merchant as this last Gulf Warswho had some nice
carved wooden spoons and other wooden kitchen utensils, on the end of
the merchant area nearest the camping areas.

Got his card right here:  Wooden Spoons and More - Quality Hardwood Utensils
Royce Beigh beigh at maplenet.net
On the back he gives instructions for the care and feeding of his stuff:
Hand Wash Only
Following each of the first 3 washings, lightly sand the utensil with a  
fine-grit sandpaper to remove the roughness of the grain arising.   
Apply mineral oil each time.  Occasional applications of mineral oil  
will keep the wood from drying out and help prevent staining.

Mordonna

Pat Griffin
Lady Anne du Bosc
known as Mordonna the Cook
Shire of Thorngill, Meridies
Mundanely, Millbrook, AL

<the end>