Peppermill and saltmill finish

[CEPenworks]

I am planning on making some pepper and salt mills for sale. I have seen a lot of references to just using oil like Mahoney's walnut oil. That doesn't sound very protective and would probably need regular maintenance. If I am wrong please let me know because that would be very easy to apply. I was wondering about something like Rubio Monocoat or Osmo Oil. They seem like they would be very easy to apply but would be much more protective. Any other suggestions?

I also wasn't thinking straight when I ordered some blanks. I ordered some chechen, katalox and spanish cedar. All these show up on allergy lists, not high on the lists but they are listed. I am thinking I should seal the inside of the mill. Would the Rubio or Osmo work for the inside? I also was thinking about maybe some thin CA that would soak in and seal.

[jteneyck]

I am planning on making some pepper and salt mills for sale. I have seen a lot of references to just using oil like Mahoney's walnut oil. That doesn't sound very protective and would probably need regular maintenance. If I am wrong please let me know because that would be very easy to apply. I was wondering about something like Rubio Monocoat or Osmo Oil. They seem like they would be very easy to apply but would be much more protective. Any other suggestions?

I also wasn't thinking straight when I ordered some blanks. I ordered some chechen, katalox and spanish cedar. All these show up on allergy lists, not high on the lists but they are listed. I am thinking I should seal the inside of the mill. Would the Rubio or Osmo work for the inside? I also was thinking about maybe some thin CA that would soak in and seal.

If you still have some of that Waterlox, that would be an excellent choice, as would any wiping varnish.  RM and Osmo would work well, too.  

As for allergies from the raw wood on the inside, I wouldn't be concerned about it.  Dust is the greatest issue and only you will be exposed to that.  Contact will be hard, too, since it's on the inside of the mill.  But if you can't sleep at night thinking someone might have a reaction to it, then I'd coat the insides with shellac.  Pour it in, pour it out, let dry and cure.   

John

[Blaine]

If you still have some of that Waterlox, that would be an excellent choice, as would any wiping varnish.  RM and Osmo would work well, too.  

As for allergies from the raw wood on the inside, I wouldn't be concerned about it.  Dust is the greatest issue and only you will be exposed to that.  Contact will be hard, too, since it's on the inside of the mill.  But if you can't sleep at night thinking someone might have a reaction to it, then I'd coat the insides with shellac.  Pour it in, pour it out, let dry and cure.   

John

If you're worried about allergies to the wood, don't use the wood.

A shellac coating will last for a while, but will get worn or chipped off after a period of time, particularly in a salt mill where salt can have some very sharp edges.  The shellac won't hurt anyone, but the abrasion will expose the allergens in the wood over time.  Note that some allergies, specifically to penicillin, take only a few molecules to cause an anaphylactic reaction.  (I worked in Big Pharma QA and had responsibility for a short time for work with these drugs.)

Waterlox would be fine, but I've used Crystalac (clear) on a few mills that I've made as gifts as well as for myself.  It's hard as nails and is typically used for floors.  I have used my peppermill that's coated with Crystalac almost every day over at least 5 years and there is no show of wear.  Crystalac takes a bit of time to dry and requires up to 3 coats, so it might not be the best for production work.  I am VERY happy with the finish with this product.

[iclark]

I took a peppermill class from one of our club members. He uses clear plastic pipe to line the inside of the mills. That pretty much eliminates the salt or the peppercorns rubbing against the mill wood as long as you keep it upright and do not overfill it so much that the knob is rubbing on the filling.

I keep forgetting to ask him for his source of the plastic pipe/tubing. I seem to recall that he mentioned a brick and mortar source ~40 miles away.

[crokett™]

My experience with pens, bottle openers and some beer taps that get handled a lot is that film finishes wear off. I started using salad bowl finish on the bottle openers and beer taps because it wipes on and can be easily renewed, just wipe more on. A film finish such as CA requires technique to get correct.