After Sample Staining I Have to Parafin Embed Again?
Cutting Board Finish Revisited
Seems similar cutting boards are on everyone's minds these days. Probably because nosotros are all making holiday gifts. Either way, this is the fourth dimension of year you can expect virtually one forum post a day asking a question about cutting board finishes or "food prophylactic" finishes. And the responses to these posts are nearly always the same:
Person one- The all-time stop for a butcher block is mineral oil.
Person two- NEVER use varnish or salad bowl finish on a cutting lath! What are you, stupid?!?!
Person 3- Mineral oil and wax are the all-time!
Person iv- This person unremarkably provides a bunch of actress information that you didn't ask for.
Ok so I am generalizing here for fun, merely yous get the moving picture. I take noticed too that many of the people posing these questions may be doing so because of my advice from Episode seven- A Cutting Above. To sum upward, I said that my favorite stop for end grain butcher blocks is salad bowl stop (aka varnish). But recollect my caveat. I said we are Not trying to build a film. And that's exactly what the folks in the forums are trying to say. If yous build a film, the picture will and then be cut by a knife. The cut will allow moisture to seep nether the finish and become a wonderful habitation for all kinds of bacteria. I can't disagree there. But with my method, you lot never really build an appreciable film.
I recommend diluting the finish sufficiently so that it immediately gets captivated into the woods'southward wide open up pores. Think of it like a vertical bunch of straws that you lot are filling upwardly with end. Inside a minute or two, you will notice that finish is actually seeping out of the bottom of the board. This is exactly what we want. At this point, I usually ready board on its side and let it to dry overnight. I practice this three-4 times with a light sanding in between each session. By the final coat, you lot should start noticing that the finish doesn't really absorb whatsoever more. You are at present starting to develop a film. One last wipe with a clean fabric and call information technology DONE.
So how does a board like this fare in the kitchen? There are 2 chief concerns here: safety and maintenance. A butcher block treated this way will resist water all day long. In fact, on my boards, water tends to evaporate faster than it absorbs. Mineral oil boards will actually take on moisture much more than readily. Calculation wax to your mineral oil can certainly assist in this area if thats the route you want to go. At present the fact that it is then water resistant is a major plus in terms of sanitation. Remember that the bacteria like the moisture. Then the less moisture in the lath, the better.
So how about knife marks? Well like with whatever lath, knife marks volition happen. If they don't, you lot must not exist using your board properly. So what happens to my boards? They become knicked up. They get dulled a little more than in the center where the virtually activity occurs. But after about 18 straight months of usage, my cutting lath looks pretty darn good. Check out the pics beneath. Now if there were a thick film on that board and that movie were to crack, the moisture would certainly seep in and create problems. In fact after 18 months of that blazon of corruption you would probably expect the finish to get-go flaking off or exhibit more concrete harm than what you run into. But when a knife produces a deep cut on my lath, it simply cuts into varnish-filled pores. At that place is nothing to flake off.
At present let'southward talk about maintenance. I haven't done anything to that board other than a low-cal soap and h2o scrub subsequently each use, and an occasional white vinegar rub downward. And I doubtable that in some other calendar month or so, I volition have the board back in the shop, give the peak a dainty thorough sanding, reapply a light coat or two of diluted varnish (monitoring how much it takes upwardly), and the board will look brand new. What kind of maintenance does a mineral oil board require? Monthly, and possibly more frequently if used heavily. Maybe I'grand just lazy but one of those maintenance schedules sounds a whole lot more than fun than the other.
I am by no means trying to discourage people from using mineral oil. After all, its the classic cutting board end. Use whatever floats your boat. Personally, I accept had bully success with my method and will continue to use it. The feedback from other folks who have tried it has been great every bit well. I think its safer, easier, and looks amend. Of grade my results are not backed by scientific tests. If I still worked in a lab I might be able to exam information technology properly. But I tin't, so all I can do is speculate and bring a little mutual sense to the table. Finishing is, and probably always volition be, 1 of the nearly over-complicated and misunderstood areas of woodworking. I simply wish there were more scientific resources out there so that issues similar this can be resolved effectively without speculation. Until then, do your research and never count on my advice or anyone else's as cold hard fact. Gather every bit much information as possible from your trusted resources and then add together the last ingredient: YOUR experience, opinions, and common sense.
Viva La Varnished Board!
- What vexes you?
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After Sample Staining I Have to Parafin Embed Again?
Source: https://thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/cutting-board-finish/
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