As the Shavings Fly
I was cleaning out a cabinet the other day, and came across a wood bowl. In our house that's nothing unusual, but this bowl was actually one that Al did not turn himself. Nope, Willow Vale Woodturning had no hand in this old beauty. I recall buying this piece at a yard sale in Burlington Vt. about thirty two years ago, when I was shopping for items to use in my first apartment. It's clearly been used and abused, sporting cracks and stains. Though I can't do anything to repair the cracks, I decided to clean the bowl up a bit. Check out the before and after photos posted at the end of this blog, I think it came out rather well! Here's what I did:
21 Comments
Evanie Sabin
10/1/2018 10:23:24 am
I bought a wood bowl at auction. Bowl is in excellent shape, but with some staining . I have scrubbed with kosher salt, but some stains remain on lip. I want to use this as a bread mixing bowl. Will peroxide or vinegar be better to be sure is clean enough to use.
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Al Lanseigne
1/14/2021 03:17:59 am
Hello David, Yes, use the same process to refinish your bread bowl. Just make sure the final finish is food safe. I usually use Bowl Finish from General Finishes.
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Maribeth Wright
1/25/2021 11:39:06 am
Hi, We have a couple old wood dough bowls from my husband's family dairy farm in PA. Along the way, it appears someone stained and put finish on them, and used them in the living room for something. Basically used non-food-grade stain and finish, we suspect. Can we refurbish them to the point where they are food safe, by following your process? Thanks,
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Al Lanseigne
1/25/2021 02:04:47 pm
Hi Maribeth, Yes follow the process I have outlined. The finish should sand off pretty easy. The stain might be a little more work. You might need to use a drill with a small sanding disk attached to get it sanded completely, Once done put a food safe finish on and you are good to go.
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2/7/2021 11:17:05 pm
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Teresa
8/17/2021 02:06:21 pm
I was recently given my great-grandmother's bowl. It could use some TLC and your suggestions are very helpful. My question: is there any reason I SHOULDN'T try to eliminate stains and signs of its venerable age?
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Al Lanseigne
8/17/2021 02:30:45 pm
Teresa,
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9/17/2021 02:28:25 pm
I would caution full on soap and water cleaning! -probably best to simply wipe very old and dry bowls. I found a beautiful old bowl here in California, quickly washed it with warm soap and water to remove some minor grime and immediately dried it with a cloth. When it fully dried however, it started to split at two points opposite each other on the rim. It must have been older and drier than I thought and absorbed too much water? Anyone have some great repair suggestions? I have found some cool examples of repaired wooden bowls online.
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Tina Royal
3/18/2022 05:52:28 pm
I loved your post about cleaning antique wooden dough bowls. I recently purchased this bowl from an antique dealer for $175. I just cleaned it with a dishwashing liquid and a scrub pad. After three cleaning the soap suds were still brown. After a quick rinse I dried with paper towels and this is what it looks like. Is it safe to use now as a dough bowl? I feel as if it’s still dirty. Thank you for any suggestions.
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Tina Toyal
3/18/2022 05:54:04 pm
I didn’t see anywhere to upload pictures but I will email them to you. Thank you.
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Sara
4/13/2022 03:52:24 am
I have a similar bowl that got left out overnight at a neighborhood potluck and has black stains in it. I hope your techniques will work and welcome any other suggestions.
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Al Lanseigne
4/13/2022 04:08:24 am
Hi Sara,
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Deb
6/25/2022 10:08:51 am
Hello! I bought a large wood bowl on a vacation in South Africa. I was told the bowl was made from ebony wood. I watched some of the men who were selling wood items apply shoe polish to other objects (not bowls) to make the finish darker. I really want to be sure that my bowl is food safe before I use it. Would sanding it and cleaning it like you have outlined above make the bowl safe to use?
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Al Lanseigne
6/25/2022 12:08:47 pm
Deb, I would suggest if any shoe polish is on the bowl then sand it out. Then use mineral oil to make it food safe.
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Sheila Brown
7/28/2022 07:46:27 am
I just got my grandmothers dough bowl and it looks almost exactly like your picture. My mother was a life-long smoker and it was in her house for 60 years until I got it last week. My question is about the outside of the bowl. It has the tool grooves on the outside of the bowl. Is the cleaning procedure the same? Thank you in advance for your help.
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Al Lanseigne
7/28/2022 09:48:28 am
Yes, the same process for the inside and outside.
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Brenda
1/2/2023 03:43:38 pm
Where can I buy food safe mineral oil? I’m having trouble locating!
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Al Lanseigne
1/6/2023 07:37:09 am
Brenda, Sorry for the delay in responding. Your message was put into my spam folder for some reason. You should be able to get mineral oil at any pharmacy. If not there, Woodcraft or Rockler.
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Kathryn Anderson Munn
10/28/2023 02:07:02 pm
I wish to add some color to my dough bowl. (just darken it a bit) Any suggestions?
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AuthorAs the Shavings Fly is a blog written by Jeanne Betournay Lanseigne, the wife and #1 supporter of wood turner Al Lanseigne Archives
September 2015
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