# Walnut oil finish



## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

Bryansong asked for finish pics when I posted http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/98545-meat-platter-cutting-board.html I made 4 boards on my first batch then made another batch of 4 for Xmas gifts
Initial test run (using 2 platters): after sanding to 220 I wiped on several coats of walnut oil. It took a day to dry between coats. (I have a drying closet in my shop with a small bathroom heater in it) After several uses and washings I was disappointed to feel grain pop on the board. Mike @MTStringer shared that he wets his boards before finishing and then sands. So I re-sanded. The re-sanding was informative. The finish had soaked in sufficiently to be a PITA, quickly filling the sandpaper. After sanding to 120 and wetting the boards (all 4 for comparison purposes) I sanded to 220. This time I pooled walnut oil on the platter. Occasionally over two days I would re-wipe to cover dry areas. The cloth that was used to apply the walnut oil was hung up after use to avoid spontaneous combustion. It never dried out over a period of 2 months. This showed me that the oil was absorbed. I used a hand held puffer to achieve a satin sheen. Subsequent use proved to be very durable. I now have a set of platters and some gifts.


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## big K (Jun 6, 2011)

Just one concern about using walnut oil for a food finish, and that I always worry about someone with severe nut allergies perhaps going into anaphylactic shock. I make end grain butcher blocks for gifts, and on those I use mineral oil, then finish with Butcher Block Conditioner (mineral oil/beeswax), and give the rest of the bottle to the recipient with instructions for how to care for their new butcher block.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

big K, good idea as there are a lot of people with nut allergies. 
My wife was director of our church daycare program. They banned all types of nuts as there were some kids who had severe allergies; some could be life threatening. At least one kid had an Epi-Pen in the office every semester.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Great job Bill , they look pro


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