Walnut Oil question

[Trevor Mills]

How many coats of walnut oil is optimum for maple salad bowls? Should try to saturate the wood or is one good application sufficient? I buy the Lee Valley brand up here in Canada.
thanks,
Trevor

[Gerald Wervey]

There is more than one variable, you mention the wood is maple so that might not soak it in as fast as other woods. so it may require more than one coat. I use a mustard bottle and apply a liberal amount and let it soak in all while rubbing it in as well, to avoid it going in just the bottom. same goes for the outside. If bowl starts to look dry it really means that the oil has soaked in, if the bowl starts to sweat oil you can rub it off. the oil will harden somewhat if exposed to sun light, but it needs to be direct light.

Jerry

[Lee Koepke]

I have also been using walnut oil as a sanding lubricant. It seems to make the sanding perform better and the oil gets good penetration.

[John Keeton]

I have also been using walnut oil as a sanding lubricant. It seems to make the sanding perform better and the oil gets good penetration.

And, the slurry does a nice job of filling some of the pores in the wood, resulting in a very nice "feel."

[Reed Gray]

I sand out my bowls in batches. Mostly, when done sanding a bowl, I slop a lot of it on with the grey synthetic steel wool pads, and I mean it is dripping (lathe speed about 50 rpm or less). I let it sit a bit, and pick up the bowl I had finished just before, and wipe some back on it. Most of the end grain will have soaked up all of the surface oil, and that is the part that most needs it. I continue till I am done sanding for the day. I will let them sit for a day or three before I wipe off as much of the surface oil as I can. I prefer the walnut oils from the Doctor's Woodshop because of the carnuba wax he has in it. I really can't explain the 'micro aggregated' part of it, but it has the oil finish, and a nice wax finish as well without having to use heat.

robo hippy

[Thom Sturgill]

I also do the final sand with the oil and then re-oil as it soaks in. Mike Mahoney says he soaks the bowls in a 55 gal drum, but then again, then he sells the oil .