Finish Help--Hot Water Question

[Noah Barfield]

Hi all,

The wife of a friend of mine has asked me to make her a bowl for her business (she's a masseuse). She wants to fill it with hot water and herbs so that her patients can soak their feet.

What sort of finish should I use so that the bowl can stand up to repeated applications of hot water? I'm planning on using maple for the bowl.

Thanks!

Noah

[Mel Fulks]

I would use one coat of sheet metal,a copper pan carefully fitted with an edge an inch or so above the wood edge.

[Doug Herzberg]

There's an article in this month's AAW magazine about infusing porous woods with oils or epoxy. The guy made a simple jig for his shop vac to suck the stuff in from the outside. Sort of a vacuum chamber without the chamber. He claims he makes drinking glasses by infusing the wood with epoxy.

I haven't had time to read the article, but it caught my eye and might be useful for your project.

[mark ravensdale]

Rustins plastic coating should do the trick I think!!! (if it's available where you live) great stuff, and if you burnish it after sanding it gives a glass like appearance, it's a much under-rated finish in my eyes, but please try it on something else before you commit to the bowl in question !!!!

[Scott Lux]

Mark, It looks like Rustin's would do it nicely. But finding it in the US seems problematic. I knew it was durable, I didn't realize it was heat resistant too.

Brain May (of Queen) used it as the finish on his guitar, The Red Special, and it held up to three decades of touring and recording!

[robert baccus]

Try marine epoxy --thinned the first generous coat(acetone) and a thicker top coat(whick can be dyed as well.

[Reed Gray]

Use a softer wood for the bowl, not hard maple or some thing like Osage. The softer woods will adapt to the temperature changes better while harder woods will want to split. Found out the hard way......

robo hippy

[Noah Barfield]

Thank you all for the suggestions! Has anyone worked with Enviro Epoxy? I've heard it's food-safe, but was wondering how it held up to heat.

I'll probably make a small trial-bowl first and will have to let you know how it goes.

Noah