NEWBIE QUESTION

[Mike Girouard]

Greetings to the group.

I actually sent this before but it never appeared so I'll try again.

I had a heart attack in March and during the recuperation I started woodworking on a semi-serious basis. I learn as I go and I'm not too unhappy with some of the things I've managed.

(I've found out one interesting thing about myself - I can't actually plan out anything I make! I can only visualize it in my head and then go one step at a time and design on the fly! I've become a firm adherant to the amateur woodworkers' motto: "Cut to shape - Pound to fit!")

But I have a continuing problem I can't solve.

Can anyone recommend a sealer/stain/paint/varnish/shellac/whatever that can be used on the INTERIOR of wooden containers made to hold food? (Like cannisters, bread bins, larders, etc.) It should be a hard gloss finish (for easy cleaning) and has to be completely odor-free and non-toxic so no taste or odor transfers to the food inside.

Is lining the item with plastic or something similar the only answer?

Many thanx for any advice.

FoggyTown

[David]

Shellac

David

Mike Girouard wrote:

[Charlie Self]

foggytown asks:

For the most part, it pays to line wooden food containers with a flavor free wood, yellow poplar, basswood, sycamore, popple (cottonwood), etc.

Even that will get smelly if food is left sitting inside too long, but usually a wipedown and a day or two food free with some baking soda inside will clear things up.

Otherwise, plastic or glass liners do work.

Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine

[Swingman]

Shellac, properly applied, is traditional and one of the best solutions. It is definitely food safe, easily repaired if necessary, safe to apply, and readily available. Zinser's Bullseye is in a can on the shelf at most supply stores/BORGs and is not a bad choice for the application.

[Larry Blanchard]

I finally found and tried some of their new Sealcoat product - 2 pound cut, dewaxed. It's great.

[mac davis]

In Tom Plamann's shop??

[Old Nick]

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 16:47:37 -0500, "Swingman" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

And here we go painting the insides of our food containers with bugshit!

***************************************************** Have you noticed that people always run from what they _need_ toward what they want?????

[Andy Dingley]

Relax.

Fancy an M&M ?

[Swingman]

Hell, you eat the sexual organs of plants every time you have a plate of vegetables. Think about that next time you have boiled okra. ;>)

[Charlie Self]

Andy Dingley responds:

And he can have a Tylenol for his headache, while popping some kind of stomach pill for the turmoil that's undergoing.

But I think it's bug spit, not bug shit. Bug shit is what politicians have for brains.

Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine

[Mike Girouard]

As if the stuff we eat doesn't already contain the USFDA recommended maximum of bugshit.

Now is it best that the shellac be applied to the bare wood or can I stain the wood with the color I want first then apply a clear varnish.

Thanx

[Swingman]

Shellac can be applied over stain.

[Frank J. Vitale]

Check catalogs for salad bowel finish. I think it is made by Behlan.

There have been articles saying that polyurethane finishes are safe if you let them cure for awhile.

You might try a Goggle search.

[jo4hn]

I guess that should be punctuated with a colon. Made me laugh. mahalo, jo4hn

[Stephen M]

That's bug *SNOT*

[patriarch]

"Vince Rouse" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

rec.woodworking is a text only group. Binaries get posted to alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking

Sometimes, folks post here, indicating that pictures are 'over there'.

Alternately, a link to a website can be added.

Patriarch