How to Care for Wood Bowls
The hand crafted wood bowls you will find here I call "functional art". By this I mean, that bowls are primarily an art object. I typically use the following two types of finish:
- High Gloss Lacquer. This is a very traditional finish that has been used on everything from fine furniture to automobiles. This is a built up finish, generally composed of at least 10 coats, and wet sanded in between applications. Typically, many artists refer to this as a "hand rubbed finish" as each coat is sanded with progressively finer grits. I typically start with 400 grit and work up to 4000 or 6000. This finish is quite durable, but may be sensitive to liquid moisture.
- Buffed Paste Wax. I formulate my own wax finish. It is made from Beeswax and Mineral Oil, both of which are food safe and environmentally friendly. I use this finish on my Classic and Woodlands Collection, where the owner may want to use the bowl in a more functional area.
For either finish, dry goods such as nuts, fruit, potpourri and such should be fine. The paste wax finish should be selected if you would like to use it for salad. If you do, I suggest shaking the loose water off the lettuce before placing in the bowl and DO NOT add dressing in the bowl and this may stain the wood through the wax. Treat it as you would a wood cutting board, wipe down, but NO DISHWASHER.
Please keep in mind, wood is a natural product, and is sensitive to extreme heat and moisture. The segmented bowls are assembled with a high tech adhesive and the wood will fail long before the adhesive will. However, exposure to steam or very dry heat, such as may be the case on the mantle of an active fireplace, may cause a cracking issue with both Solid and Segmented Bowls.
As long as the bowl is not exposed to these extreme conditions, it should last a lifetime and become a heirloom family object.
If you have questions, please contact me and I would be glad to assist you.
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