# strawberries stain on cutting board



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

HELP!
did a cutting board with maple and purple-heart… i finished it with beeswax and mineral oi…

strawberries were cut on it and there is now red stained. I saw on the net that i could use VINEGAR and SODA to remove it. It did remove it but now the board is now a lot darker (black), especially the maple. What can i do to restore the colors

thanks

-Gerry (the beginner)


----------



## NewEnglandsWoodWorks (Apr 12, 2011)

Sand the board and re finish it again.


----------



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

THANKS, that is what i thought would be the best thing to do..


----------



## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Oil and wax are not finishes; at least not from a "sealed protective coating" point of view.


----------



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

thanks for the comment crank49 but this does not really answer my question. ;-)


----------



## tamboti (Oct 19, 2009)

Hi To remove the stain get oxalic acid from your local pharmacy. Mix a past and apply to the marks, leave on for a few minutes 3-5 and wipe of with water. This should remove the stain down to a millimeter or two.May need a few applications suggest trying on a piece of scrape with the same stains. Hope this helps Tamboti

-Africa is not for sissies


----------



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

thanks tamboti…


----------



## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

Finish both sides, cut on one and display the other. It's a cutting board, it will eventually look ugly either way.


----------



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

I put the router to it (endgrain board).... removed all the bad stuff…. like new now.
Thanks too all for your help and suggestion.


----------



## guitarchitect (Oct 28, 2011)

how deep did you need to router it? My girlfriend just made a beet salad using my brand new board… looks like a horror show :'(


----------



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

LOL! depends, many factor. Was the board seasonned well, how long was the stain on the board,

i started with the router 1/32 then lowered the bit till it was all removed. A drum sander (if you have) would do the job.

good luck


----------



## guitarchitect (Oct 28, 2011)

noooope, no drum sander. i guess i may have to take it to the belt sander and work it 'til it's gone. oh well!


----------



## grenger (Mar 8, 2009)

I have no belt sander ;-( rooter then 220 and 320 orbital sanderes

show me pictures


----------



## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

This will happen many times over the life of the board if you put it through normal use. Just keep using and washing it and it will fade and eventually be gone. If you take a router to it ever time it incurs a stain it will be see through in no time.


----------



## guitarchitect (Oct 28, 2011)

Before:









After:









I'm fine with a bit of regular discoloration, but this is a bit over the top!


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

oh my my, been slammed and called everything in the world, concerning mineral oil and wax,as useless as a finish glad to see this. Good thing those beets and strawberriers were not a chicken or something worse .Old habits are hard to break.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

What's you fix for this Charles ? Besides using a real finish when it's clean.


----------



## gtbuzz (Sep 19, 2011)

Charles, what would you recommend as a finish instead?


----------



## guitarchitect (Oct 28, 2011)

I ended up sanding my board down and it looks more or less fine now. But went through a lot of wax/oil-clogged sandpaper, even though I kept using a scraper!

But it made me think, is it even possible to protect against stains? Would someone with the time/patience/means entertain doing a "scientific" test? However many pieces of endgrain is necessary… finish them with the conventional/typical finishes including the wood whisperer's, and then do a test with stain-causing materials like beets, strawberries, blueberries, etc - see which one works best! Unfortunately I don't have the time or the means (I don't own many finishes)... but a nice blog post could put the issue to rest for the web 

Myself, I've decided that I will only make two-sided boards and recommend a "sacrificial" side to the people I give it to 

Also, for what it's worth my girlfriend left the liquid on there for a while, did her cooking and came back to clean it like half an hour later. I would think any finish would have a hard time protecting against that. Something to factor into the tests!


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

This thread has a lot of good info ,don't forget the links.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/42936


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

I still use the thinned Arm R Seal, and on course grained like oak I use it straight, I am , as we speak looking at 4 endgrain red oak cutting boards I did for my book, and now using in the finishing class series, getting ready to film it, and the results are the same, the mineral oil absorbed the dye ,with little resistence, and the arm r seal, did not and I did 2 full wet coats of Arm R Seal, and do not have a film., also did both sides.I also have a Maple/Purple Heart one, did a full wet coat , let dry t,hen scuffed with 320 and did a thinner wiped coat, looks great and will hold up, has always worked for me,

Footnote:

Next time instead of all that sanding, use some full strength bleach, it will often kill the color , if you do be sure to neturalize the bleach with a mix of 1 tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of water, then sand and do a better finish.


----------

