I need help with groud I made a groud bowl and don't know what to do about the inside to make it food worthy.:helpsmilie:
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I need help with groud I made a groud bowl and don't know what to do about the inside to make it food worthy.:helpsmilie:
gourd sorry miss spelled.
food grade mineral oil. It will water proof the inside and protect the gourd. Any type of corn oil, olive oil or such will go rancid.
You could also pour melted wax inside to seal it if you are just using it for water and not for food.
thanks Rick would lindseed work?
Not if you are going to eat or drink out of it. It has a really strong odor and flavor. I'm sure that would be imparted for a while at least. I have no idea whether or not it will go rancid. I've never messed with it for wood.
I have two spoons I'm going to finish up this week and picked up some mineral oil yesterday to put on them.
Here are a couple of blog entries from Beowulf regarding gourd canteens.
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/blog.php?b=84
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/blog.php?b=83
That's what I would use as well. You can find it at many hardware stores or places that sell real hardwood cutting boards and other food type products made from wood.
If you were just displaying them you could seal them with shellac as well, but I don't think you would want that for something touching your food.
I know Ace Hardware carries food grade mineral oil. At least my store does.
I read some were that there is a EPA approved food grade shellac but I have not looked for it . I to would like to make some gourd bowls
Rick: I work at an ACE and we carry it as well. Any ACE that does not have it in store can special order it for you and there shouldn't be an extra charge since it will be delivered with there normal weekly freight shipment.
Smok: I will see if I can find anything about an EPA food grade shellac.
Thanks Raymond Peter
Isn't all shellac going to be safe?
I mean, its a natural product, no additives right? Shellac is what they use to make time release pills, coat candy, etc, we eat it every day.
Though, I believe it wouldn't be the best to hold food. It can break down in both alcohol and water.
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug to form a cocoon, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. I'm not eating bug secretions, female or otherwise. Bleck.
So here is the deal. I looked at about 8 different types/brands/styles of shellac at work. NONE of them safe if they are food safe or not.
So I did a quick web search on Google for "food grade shellac" and here are a few of the links I found semi useful:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki....aspx?id=26893
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecf...no/v30je15.htm
http://antiquerestorers.com/Articles/jeff/shellac.htm
Couldnt you melt wax, pour inside, swish around and pour out, let cool.Waterproof!
Oh, sure thunder stealer.
I wouldn't put anything on the inside of a gourd that I wouldn't be willing to consume a couple tablespoons of. Dry gourds will tolerate boiling water long enough to disinfect them. Salt, vinegar, hot water all kill bacteria whenever you felt you needed it. Lard and coconut oil are pretty stable and resist rancidity. Most vegetable oils will become rancid and leave a bad taste. Maybe bees wax if you wanted.
thanks every one for your imput . I think it will be the mineral oil.