Looking After Your Wood Turning
Salad Bowls
All salad bowls are coated with a food safe, maintenance free, finish. These bowls will give many years of service if they are washed quickly in warm, soapy water, rinsed quickly in warm water and dried immediately with a clean dry towel. Put or make the salad in the bowl just prior to serving and remove the salad from the bowl at the end of the meal. There is a risk of permanent damage if salad is left in the bowl for extended periods of time. This can cause the bowl to de-laminate. If this happens it cannot be repaired.
As of 2019, any bowls in which the finish has been breached should not be used for food until the surface can be repaired. This does not apply to bowls before this date except as noted below.
However, many of these bowls can be repaired if chipped or in need of refinishing. Please contact Jim to discuss refurbishing your bowl.
As of 2019, any bowls in which the finish has been breached should not be used for food until the surface can be repaired. This does not apply to bowls before this date except as noted below.
However, many of these bowls can be repaired if chipped or in need of refinishing. Please contact Jim to discuss refurbishing your bowl.
How to find out the date of your turningOn the back of each piece you will find the name, Jim's mark with some numbers and the type of wood in the turning.
The numbers around his initials give the date. The number on the left is the month and the one on the right is the year. If you are contacting Jim about a piece that you have, providing the name and these numbers will help him to find the data on your turning in his inventory files. |
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Spalted Maple and Oak Salad Bowls
Jim started making salad bowls in spalted maple like the one on the left. The stunning patterns and colours of spalting are the result of the wood deteriorating and rotting, but this also results in the wood getting soft and 'punky'. After turning but before sanding, Jim uses a wash coat of epoxy to give integrity to the wood and to give it a uniform density. The epoxy is not FDA approved. The bowl is then sanded with 8 different grits to remove most, but not all, of the epoxy treated wood. Five coats of food-safe finish are then applied before the bowl is complete. While the food-safe finish dries to a very hard surface and is able to take a lot of abuse, purchasers of spalted maple bowls should inspect the piece regularly to ensure that the finish has not been breached. If the food-safe finish has been compromised, the bowl should be retired from food use, or repaired before continuing to use it for this purpose. Jim uses the epoxy to seal porus woods such as white and red oak. While most of the epoxy is removed in the sanding and finishing process, Jim recommends the same cautions as stated above for spalted maple Please contact Jim to discuss refurbishing your bowl. |
Chargers
All chargers are coated with a food safe, maintenance free finish. Jim`s chargers are meant to go under a 10" dinner plate. However hardwood pieces such as those made from maple, cherry or walnut can be used to serve some foods. These should be restricted to finger foods where cutting is not required.
Chargers that have no holes in them can be quickly washed in warm soapy water, quickly rinsed in warm water and dried immediately with a clean dry towel. Chargers such as wormy butternut and those made of recycled dockwood should be wiped with a clean damp cloth and dried with a clean dry towel.
Fruit & Bread Bowls
These pieces should not be immersed in water. They can be wiped with a damp clean cloth and dried with a clean dry towel. Leave them to air dry for several hours before putting them away or using them again. These bowls can also be dusted carefully or vacuumed using a soft brush attachment.
When storing these pieces, avoid stacking. If one or more need to be stacked to conserve space please put plenty of soft, cushion like material between the pieces,
Vases & Decorative Pieces
Some of these types of work are fragile and delicate and need to be handled with care. They can be dusted with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth or vacuumed using a soft brush attachment. Be gentle.
They should be stored or displayed in such a way that they will need minimal cleaning.
If you feel you need more information to care for your turning, please contact Jim.