So, the beau let me drag him around to yard sales this weekend (and one "estate sale") and we came home with a handful of gems, some needing a little more TLC than others. I found a few vintage books (posts on those later), an old coverless copy of a cocktail making guide, an old lady-style white vinyl purse from the 60s, an old ConAir phone AND some teak bowls from Thailand - kinda ugly and unfinished, but awesome.
I did a quick google search for food-grade wood varnishes for wooden dinnerware and found this article on how to make a wood finish out of beeswax, olive oil and an essential oil if you've got one handy. I happened to have all three of these things on hand by some miracle, so I made a batch of it and went to work. I mixed 4 ounces of beeswax (weight, not liquid volume), 8 ounces of EVO (extra virgin olive oil) and 1 teaspoon of lemon oil (purchased from Hi-Health years ago when I made some sugar face scrub).I used a sponge brush and coated all surfaces of the bowls - 3 of them - with the varnish, then let them dry partially. When they were still warmish but not completely hardened, I went to work scraping, scouring and picking away all the surface wax. It was messy and it took a LOT longer than I thought it was going to. About an hour later I had all three bowls mostly clean. A quick wipe with a dry paper towel, a 15-minute stay in the freezer, and they were done. A few hours out on the counter and they're completely dry and not waxy at all. I think the important part is wiping away the excess while the wax is still warm and pliable. Don't wait until the wax hardens to start scraping! You will not like it.
I don't have any mid-process pictures OR before pictures because my brain functions at half-mast sometimes. But, here's the finished product! Trust me, this is 200% better than when I started. The bowls are shiny, smooth and smell faintly of lemon and honey. Considering most of my Pinterest-inspired DIYs go awry or amusingly at best, I'm pleased.
Anyone else have any experience with working with wood? Would you try this on your cutting boards?
-J
I typically use mineral oil to season my wooden cutting boards. Coat it really well, let it sit for about five minutes and wipe off the excess oil. I'm not a big fan of wax though. It tends to get everywhere. Although it may also help seal the wood, so maybe I should give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI read about the mineral oil method, I wished I had gone that route when I had the bowls all covered in wax/oil mixture, it was A MESS. The wax did seem to help seal the bowls and they have a really nice sheen now, but it took forever and I was cleaning wax off of the counters for days. :P
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