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 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." Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Wooden Bowls To: sca-cooks 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" 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" To: 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" 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 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 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 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" 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 > 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" Date: Thu May 22, 2003 12:47:25 PM US/Central To: 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" 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 Subject: Re: [Scacooks] wooden utensils To: Cooks within the SCA Stefan li Rous 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 Edited by Mark S. Harris wood-utn-care-msg 7 of 7