Food storage finish work questions

I would say the box has not have enough time to cure. The finish depends on how thick the coats are, the humidity, the temperature, etc. If your project was sitting outside while finished, and they brought inside, it might not have had enough time to dry thoroughly. I have read that you should hold off waxing a product for at least a week after it is finished, to allow adequate drying time. If the temperature and humidity levels outside were much different than inside (like lower temp and higher humidity), then it is still drying out. This would explain why it is smelling up the pantry, and is stronger inside the box than out.

Try letting it dry more before putting anything in it. Also, open the box up to help the inside dry. What I have read says the varnish is safe once it drys, and you are not actually trying to eat it. The various ingredients in the varnish need more time to dry out first.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Shellac the inside of the box. It will provide a vapor barrier from the petroleum finish.

-- ..... art for lifes sake

My thought as well, Dan. Shellac is so safe they use it to coat pills. It also is odorless.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

More drying time and shellac: many thanks.

I was horrified after the fact that I hadn’t even thought of asking the question before making something for use with foods…

-- --==[ Pappy ]==--

and now you have new information to draw upon. Next thing you know – you’ll be our resident expert on food storage :0

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I haven’t made any storage containers, but I do turn bowls. I use a 50:50 mixture of true Tung oil and orange solvent. Once the orange smell is gone, the Tung oil has pretty much cured. And pure Tung oil is food safe.

-- Charlie in TN, looking for his tools...