Ques: re-staining, refinishing old family salad bowl

17 years ago

I have our family salad bowl, and with it, fond memories of Italian family dinners with my parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. They are all gone now, so it's just my sister and I, and our cousins.

The family salad bowl is worn on the outside, faded to bare wood. The inside of the bowl has some kind of finish that is coming off, so I hand-sanded it off.

After I finish re-sanding the inside with ever-increasing grit numbers, what kind of stain can I use so it can be used for dressed salads? Also

, after I stain the bowl, I'll be rubbing walnut oil into it--unless there is some reason why I should not, which is why I'm coming to you good folks here at this forum.

Thanks for any help!

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Comments (5)

lindac
17 years ago
No stain....if you plan to use it.
Some say you should rub with a mineral oil...I am in the school that says the olive oil in the salad will do the job..
But there are also "salad bowl" oils that you can buy.
But...please don't put stain on it.
Linda C....who has both grandmother's salad bowls.
brickeyee
17 years ago
Behlan's makes about the only finish listed as food safe..called 'Salad bowl finish' (no surpise there).
A coat of mineral oil inside and out will slow the absorption of large amounts of food oil. Warm in the oven for a few hours at about 150 F and then slather on the oil, let sit till cool, wipe off excess.
Food oils eventually go rancid, so a light surface coat is OK, but saturated wood can develope off flavors. Closed pore woods are not as much of a problem as open pore.
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mike_kaiser_gw
17 years ago
I wouldn't stain it. The worn finish will be a reminder of the many times this bowl was used to serve the family.

As others have mentioned plain (unscented) mineral oil is just fine should be available in almost any drugstore. Any kind of food oil (olive, nut, etc.) can go rancid with time.

If you really want a film finish, Behlen's salad bowl finish is the way to go. You can find it at places like Woodcraft and Rockler. Both are online if you don't have a store locally.

Mike
corgilvr
17 years ago
I agree with the mineral oil suggestion. Save the other oils for use in the dressings. I also make a blend of mineral oil and pure beeswax that I use on my wooden counters and bowls. The beeswax will add a longer lasting glow to the wooden surface. I have used it on old hand turned bowls, very old cutting boards and wooden kithen tools. Good luck with that bowl and I hope it continues to serve as a treasure for future generations!
lindac
17 years ago
I have an antique salad bowl, ( not my grandmother's, this one I bought) that has been in almost daily use as a salad bowl for easily 30 years. When I make a salad for more than 1 or fewer than 6, this is the bowl I use. I have never put anything on it. When I got it, I washed it well with soap water and some steel wool...had to get the antique shop cooties off...but that's all. It does not smell rancid, mostly when I get through using it, I wipe it out with a damp paper towel....sometimes I give it a good scrubbing and and turn it upside down to dry, especially if there has been a salad with shrimp or blue cheese in it. It's very dark, and very "un-round", well used, and I love it!
I am unconvinced that it's necessary to formally put mineral oil on a salad bowl....using it seems to do just fine.
Linda C

Ques: re-staining, refinishing old family salad bowl

Comments (5)

lindac

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