What finish do you use for utensils.

vegetable oil

I generally make them from stainless steel or titanium and therefor don't need a finish!

All my forks and spoons are stainless, but the carbon steel knives in my kitchen usually get olive oil.

 

If low on that, I use a little bit of heated shortening, like I use on my cast iron dutch oven.  Wipe off the excess on either. If you're trying to sell 'em, some of the common kitchen oils give them a slightly yellow or green tinge.

For black iron, I sandblast to remove scale, wire brush to provide some polish, heat blue with a torch - while it is cooling, the last step is to spray on a coating of Pam cooking oil.

I generally make them from stainless steel or titanium and therefor don't need a finish!

 

That's GREAT, thank you Thomas! I have lots of unfinished projects, they MUST be stainless or titanium. Does you wife buy that? :rolleyes:

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Vegetable oil can become rancid with time. It is suggested to use mineral oil or beeswax (soft paste and applied on cold steel) for cooking wares. (I heard that on a tv show, they were telling what to put on wood ustensils and cutting boards) I bet its the same for metal...

I absolutely agree, vegetable or olive oil goes nasty after too long......but my stuff doesn't usually sit that long, my treasured carbon steel knives especially (and first real knife I made was one). While I like beeswax (out of the comb, better than chewing gum any day of the week), not sure I'd like to experience the flavor of mineral oil.

 

I try not to use anything I wouldn't want in my food. If it goes bitter, I just wash and reoil. Some chefs (my cousin for one) won't even use a carbon knife on the day it's been washed and re-oiled, says it affects the flavor. On the other hand, if I was selling it, I might use something else. Big difference between something I want to sit on display, get handled by customers, or take to a show, and something that's gonna get greasy, hot, wet, washed and reoiled in my kitchen three or four times a week.

I have burned olive oil on de-scaled metal for years.  Once burned ( carmelized if you please ) this finish is outstanding.  IT WILL RUST YES.  Any ferrous metal utensil will.  The olive oil finish is not spec food grade but I have hundreds of utensils with it.  The finish is heated in a charcoal or gas fire.

I use veg oil and a 400 degree oven for two hours.  The veg oil becomes a hard finish.  The utensil is then seasoned and as long as you don't put it in the dishwasher it won't rust.  From time to time reseason as needed.

I tell folks that they MUST hand wash my utensils.  Unfortunately many have never used anything but stainless tools for the kitchen.  I also keep some utensils in the trailer over the winter just to show how the steel reacts ( a smidge of rust sometimes).  I then just hit that rust with a bit of blue towel or scotchbrite soaked in a smidge of olive oil and then heat the piece and wipe it off.  This kills the rust and reworks the finish.  It's all about how to maintain and once the customer learns this they are happy.  either that or they NEVER use the piece again and hang it on the wall rack.  It's all good.

I was wondering if anyone had ideas for coating cups, mugs, and wine glasses made of metal that wont affect the taste of the drink.  I was thinking of a bees wax coating but I wasn't sure if you would be able to taste it.

 

Thanks

What metal?  Stainless steel, gold, platinum; don't leave any taste.

I was thinking of using the mild steel I have.  Is working with stainless similar?  If so I'll see about digging up some of that to use. 

I can taste stainless.  

There are epoxies made for coating wood drinking vessels which could work.

Wax would work but will need periodic replenishment, especially if the drink is alcoholic.  I find beeswax to be rather pleasant.

Treating it like cast iron cookware would work, but again will need periodic replenishment.

 

ron

You may want to look in to tin. Tin platter steel vegetable cans, tin lined copper cook ware,, tin cups...
Besides it would have a nice contrast.

Tin's a good choice but enamel might be better, though it can be a real trick to fire on iron/steel.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I second tin

Being an old Civil War reenactor, I'll tip my hat to tin as well.  I've drank out of more tin cups than glass.  I still use my mucket even though I'm out of the hobby.

rotometals is where I buy tin and flux on-line for re-tinning copper pots

If you do use tin, just be sure to use a lead-free solder.  Otherwise, folks'll start dying off pretty quick.

I'd suggest using TIN not solder of any type.  Rotometals will sell you 99.99% tin for a reasonable price

I second Thomas on that... PURE TIN... NOT solder!

A few years back, I was at a local chapter meeting and a young-ish journeyman smith was visiting from Germany.  He had a small plastic jar of tinning paste.  He wiped it on and heated it till it looked like it was going to run, and that was that.  a perfect coating of tin.  he said they used it all the time for just what you are talking about - cups, bowls, ladles, etc.  he said it was very durable, if not cheap.  My apologies for not remembering what it was called.

i've used a cold tinning solution for printed circuit boards for this purpose. It's quite a thin coating of tin, but on the cup I've been using seems to be holding up OK. You mix up a bottle of nasty smelling liquid and fill your cup, leave for some hours and then pour it back in the bottle :)  Obviously you need to wash the cup out to get id of the chemicals, but the tinned surface is pretty good.