Beer Mug

[Tyranin]

Im making a beer mug out of white oak, and would like to know if anybody had any ideas on a good finish. Need a finish that is hard and durable but safe to hold liquid and to drink out of.

 

[MarkY]

I just read an old post by Robin Wood (a British turner who eats and drinks only from wood) and he uses linseed oil (not 'boiled' since the 'boiling' involves the addition of chemicals). He said that it takes a long time to 'dry' (a week or two) but the organic oil that he buys (from Sweden I think) is a good non-toxic finish.

....

here's the article:
Robin Wood: what is the best oil for treating wood?

 

[TellicoTurning]

You'll get others chiming in here, but I usually finish my wood goblets with polyurethane... on the inside, I've used a Plexiglas solution as a safety measure... you can make a simple solution by dissolving a few pieces of plexi in acetone... just vary the amount of plexi to acetone to reach the viscosity you want in the solution... I like just about the consistency of sugar syrup. I paint 3 or 4 coats on the inside up to the rim, then finish the outside with my poly... about 6-8 coats.... you can do more and you may need to sand a little on the first 2 or 3 coats inside.

 

[StephenM]

Almost any finish, once cured is food safe. I'd probably go with a water based poly.

Food Safe Finishes, Are They Really that Different? - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

 

[crokett]

In his books Richard Raffan uses walnut oil for his turnings that will contain food. It is a drying oil so won't turn rancid. If this is a gift, give the giftee a small amount of oil to refinish the cup as necessary.

 

[The Penguin]

Barbara Dill uses CA for her goblets

 

[Tyranin]

Thanks for the reply's. I also read that almost any finish is food safe as long as it's cured. I will probably use a poly being that it's a good durable finish. I will post a pic when I'm done, thanks.