watco finish?

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nwcatman

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south texas
want to try turning a few salad bowls and saw a dvd says use watco oil to finish em with. i have an old can of SALAD BOWL FINISH bought from csusa long time ago. any suggestions/comments? thanks
 
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While Watco Danish Oil Finish is my all-time favorite finish on just about any wooden project, I'd be a little shy using it on salad bowls, or any food item. Supposedly, after 24 hours it is completely cured, but I'm just a bit "skittish" when it comes to things that might remotely jeopardize my health and welfare. I'm afraid in this case, I'd have to go with the Behlen's Salad Bowl Finish, for safety's sake.
 
From a liability point of view, "Salad Bowl Finish" shows you were TRYING to be safe and would (I believe) transfer any lawsuit to the manufacturer.

Otherwise, if someone gets sick for ANY reason, somewhere near your salad bowl, YOU could be the target of his lawsuit!!!
 
so..........if they get a splinter in their mouth from the bowl am i liable too? just kidding. but yes i know that out of the slime in the bottom of the polluted cesspool a litigation attorney is just waiting to crawl out and chase an ambulance to my front door. sign of the times.
 
Of course not. IF THEY chew on your bowl, they are stupid.

NOW, if their DOG chews on your bowl, gets a splinter in his mouth -------------

YOU ARE IN DEEP DOGGY DOOO-DDDDOOOOO!!!!!

Lawsuits with kids and animals are "no way to win!!"
 
Hi Catman, I have done a lot of research on this topic and I the majority of what I read states that ANY finish is food safe after it cures, unless of course, it has lead in it. With that said, I tend to use mineral oil for three reasons. You can buy it on the cheap at Walmart, it does not go rancid and the people you give the bowl to, can easily re-apply the finish themselves. Personally, I think the Salad Bowl Finish is a waste of money.
 
Gary, I'm pretty sure that Salad Bowl Finish is 95%+ mineral oil.

Truth is, if you can smell the finish, it's not cured. Oil/varnish based finishes can take a few months to fully cure.

Mineral oil doesn't really add any protection and needs to be reapplied very often. But it does help to keep the wood looking nice if used regularly.
 
Russ' info on the food safe finish is just right.

For bowls that will be used for food, you can use thinned poly to absorb into the grain. Keep applying it until it won't absorb any more. Come back 30 minutes later and do it again. Wipe it clean and let it cure out for a day or two and then lightly sand with 400 grit, buff with tripoli, white diamond, and carnauba.

This is the exact process Bill Grumbine uses on his bowls in his DVD's (except he actually uses Watco danish oil, but I prefer poly, more durable).
 
Watco is now making a food safe butcher block finish. I use it for the inside of my peppermills. I've also used it on some cutting boards and it looks great. It levels out nicely. I can't say what it will look like long term, but after about 6 months, no problems. Regular ol' Watco isn't a very good choice for a salad bowl. While it would be food safe after it cures, there is a terrible tendancy for spotting when it contacts anything wet....like lettuce.

If you can't find the Watco Butcher Block Finish, try either walnut oil or mineral oil on functional salad bowls....They both work well for a lot of bowl makers.
 
nwcatman, go to Woodcraft or CSUSA and look for Mahoney's utility finish and Mahoney's Walnut oil wax, I have used these products on bowls without a problem. The only con to using the utility finish is that it is an oil, and like tung oil it takes some time to dry.
 
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