I’m making bowls out of wood found in the parks around me. I’m looking for a food-safe finish that will also seal any wood-boring bugs into the wood pieces or keep them from boring into finished pieces.
John Swanson: After you have rough turned your bowl, put it in the microwave oven for 10 seconds. This will kill the bugs. Most finishes are food-safe after the solvents have dried, but my favorite is to seal the wood with shellac with a walnut oil finish. Walnut oil is available in grocery stores.
Greg Williams: Behlen and some other manufacturers make a salad bowl finish which is food-safe.
Carol Reed: Seal in the bugs? Yuck! Kill the bugs! Microwave works. Fuming works. Oh, and don’t invite me to dinner!
