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My wonderful wife ordered me a hook knife fron Del Stubbs at Pinewood Forge for Christmas. It is a beautiful tool. This afternoon was free, so I tried it out. Here's my first spoon:  Great fun. Now I need to figure out what to finish it with. I'd appreciate any suggestions. I've ruled out mineral oil because I would prefer something that cures in the wood to provide more protection. I'm thinking about tung oil. I have some Formby's tung oil finish, but it is not straight tung oil . Any issues with using it?
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Don't have an answer on the finish, but GREAT JOB on the spoon! 
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Don't know anything about the finish, but that spoon is beautiful! Well done!
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Beautiful spoon, Hank, whether it's your first or hundredth. As far as finish goes, if it's a display piece it doesn't make much difference. You can use whatever finish you prefer. If its a user, it won't stay looking like it does now no matter what you put on it. I don't know of anything you could put on it that will weather the wear a spoon gets. I use wood butter, a mix of mineral oil and beeswax, on my wooden ware. When it starts looking dry it, I warm up the article to help with penetration (not that I believe I get much, but one can hope) and smear on a liberal amount. Rub it in the best I can and wipe off any excess with a rag or paper towel. Anything that gets much use needs to be freshened up every couple of months. Goes without saying, don't run it in the dishwasher and don't let it sit in water for longer than it takes to clean it. You might as well resign yourself to the fact that you will need to carve another one, but that isn't such a bad deal anyhow. But if you want to use tung oil, it has been blessed by the USFDA as approved for food contact. Remember, that's for pure tung oil, not necessarily for any driers or other additives that may have been put in it. I'm not sure how hard it is to find pure tung oil, but I see the Real Milk Paint outfit sells it and makes a big deal about it being pure.
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First, that's a really nice first effort, very impressive.  And you are correct on the finish as well. Get a pure tung oil without dryers, that is food safe (if it doesn't say "Food Safe" on the label, it probably isn't). It will absorb into the pores and set up, acting as a water repellent and prolonging the life of the spoon. Apply multiple coats, allowing each to sit for an hour or so before wiping off. Repeat daily until you get tired of it (3 or 4 usually works for me). The last coat or two can be sanded in with 200 or 400 grit if you like, before wiping off. Then I let it sit for at least a week or more to allow more complete curing - tung oil cures slowly. You can also apply gentle heat (think one of those passive drying enclosures with a light bulb) at this point. After this curing process, I apply a coat of beeswax melted in walnut oil and let it sit overnight. Wipe off in morning, and start using it. Apply wax/oil finish as needed, when the spoon seems dry.
True power makes no noise - Albert Schweitzer. It's obvious he was referring to hand tools
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Beautiful work.
Best,
Aram, always learning
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Really nice!
I got to watch Peter Folansbee make spoons for a couple of hours a couple of weeks ago. I am itching to give go.
I asked him about finishes and he recommend nut oils like walnut oil or peanut oil. Also pure linseed oil (not BLO).
I bought some walnut oil at the whole foods down the street.
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"Aus so krummem Holze, als woraus der Mensch gemacht ist, kann nichts ganz Gerades gezimmert werden."
Thanks for the compliments, guys. This is really fun - pretty close to instant gratification. Or as close to instant as you get in woodworking. An afternoon of whittlin' and you have something useful. I only cut myself three times and managed to avoid bleeding all over my soon.
Hook knives are the ticket. I watched a Tlingit totem carver in Sitka Alaska use one for a couple of hours in September and decided I had to have one. The Pinewood Forge knife is wonderful, perfectly finished and sharp as a razor. It cut through my soft maple like butter and hollowing the spoon bowl was a delight - except for cutting myself repeatedly. I think I've found a new passtime.
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Nicely shaped spoon, great for a first try  About finish. On a cutting board I go straight to the mineral oil/wax mix, and have never looked back. But for other treenware like your spoon I use walnut oil. This guy is all about natural, and he came to the same conclusion. FWW came up with the usual suspects Tung oil advocate But said they jumped off Walnut oil as it didn't dry. I've not had that issue, maybe brand names of oil? I got mine at WoodCraft, says 100% pure Walnut oil, this article just said walnut oil? I think overall the FWW "food safe finishes" list is going to work out. At least it shouldn't have a the kids growing a foot. 
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya 
GW
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Use will color and "finish" it if you're going to do more than show. I use Walnut oil on mine to slow the absorption and aging process. Warm oil, to refusal, wipe, then leave alone for a week.
You don't want the one that says "XXX added to retard spoilage," doesn't cure well. If you can find solvent extracted oil, like they use in Europe, it'll be absolutely free of any walnut proteins which might concern the nut nuts.
EDIT: Mahoney's is supposed to be solvent extracted. Expensive, so I don't use it.
Better to follow the leader than the pack. Less to step in.
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