# re-thinking salad bowl finish...will this work?



## scrappy2 (Mar 7, 2010)

I have finished one of the cutting boards I recently completed with the salad bowl finish thinned with mineral spirits technique many people have debated about. I have re-thought that decision and will not be using this on other boards. My question is this…can I just re-sand the board and go with the mineral oil/beeswax mixture? I'm not sure what will be the outcome since there will be finish below the surface that would prevent the mineral oil from soaking through, correct?


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

In my experience, I've noticed that mineral oil doesn't really go that deep into the wood. I've cut a couple of End grain boards up to change the design and was surprised when I saw a lot of dry fresh wood just under the surface. So what I'm getting at is I think you can just sand the board clean and go ahead and put the mineral oil/beeswax on it. Whatever finish is "inside" the wood shouldn't matter at all.


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## BarbaraGill (Feb 12, 2011)

There was a discussion on one of the other forums in which I participate. According to a study it was found that boards that have mineral oil grow bacteria more readily than those untreated. My cutting boards are from the old dining car of a railroad. They are solid and purely functional. I scrub them with soap and water and put nothing on them.


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

What study Barbara? I would love to read it. I'm thinking that the reasons behind this is because mineral oil helps prevent the wood from absorbing stuff like water, juices and bacteria. Dr. Cliver's study points out that bacteria gets absorbed into the wood which in turn gives a cleaner surface. Being in the wood the bacteria doesn't multiply but rather slowly dies off. All of this, of course, is based upon cutting raw meats on boards. If your board has no oil on it it will absorb a lot more of anything then one with oil.

You have any pics of your board? I would love to see how it has been holding up all these years. Thanks


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## BarbaraGill (Feb 12, 2011)

I am glad you asked me about the study. It has been a number of years since I read it. When I just Googled the reference words, nothing came up. In fact most suggested using food grade mineral oil. I just posted a project picture of something else and the software will not let me post another until the first has been reviewed. Does this sound correct?


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

I think it goes without question that when cutting boards are involved, food grade is the only mineral oil to be used… Although there are some people that…. Never mind. 

Not sure about the review process, must be new. If you know how to post to either flickr or photobucket ( or some online photo sharing site) you can then post the pic here by copy and paste using the HTML Code like this…



That way you don't have to post as a project…


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## lewis62 (Mar 6, 2011)

To me putting on a finish on cutting board is not a good idea, unless your are using it for show only. I am a lot (ocd) on some things, health. Food grade finishes are easy enough to get, food grade mineral oil, walnut oil for example, Please keep that in mind if you are going to use your cutting board with , mineral sprits and ? finish , which might scrape off when knife hits surface and stay with food. Use it in shop, make a new one for food, call it practice. Also I have been reading about cutting boards seems like forever, the only wood approved for cutting boards from the FDA (food and drug ) is maple , because it has no pores for residule food to get traped in. I will never (ocd ) use any wood other than hard maple, all the other cutting boards I see ,and beautiful they are, Walnut ,oak, ash, etc should only be used as display boards only.All those pores for raw meet to get trapped in and start growing bacteria. I hope this was helpful sorry about my rant n rave. Hope to keep you safe.


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## Jack_T (Feb 6, 2010)

Scott - It certainly is worth a try. If the wood doesn't absorb the mineral oil at first just keep sanding. Eventually you will sand through the old finish.

Lewis62 - The FDA did not limit its approval to maple. I have pasted the appropriate section of the FDA food code:

4-101.17 Wood, Use Limitation.
(A) Except as specified in ¶¶ (B), (C), and (D) of this section, wood and wood wicker may not be used as a food-contact surface.
(B) Hard maple *or an equivalently hard, close-grained wood may be used* for:
(1) Cutting boards; cutting blocks; bakers' tables; and utensils such as rolling pins, doughnut dowels, salad bowls, and chopsticks; and
(2) Wooden paddles used in confectionery operations for pressure scraping kettles when manually preparing confections at a temperature of 110°C (230°F) or above.
(C) Whole, uncut, raw fruits and vegetables, and nuts in the shell may be kept in the wood shipping containers in which they were received, until the fruits, vegetables, or nuts are used.
(D) If the nature of the food requires removal of rinds, peels, husks, or shells before consumption, the whole, uncut, raw food may be kept in:
(1) Untreated wood containers; or
(2) Treated wood containers if the containers are treated with a preservative that meets the requirements specified in 21 CFR 178.3800 Preservatives for wood.

FDA Food Code 4-101.17


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