417798 Wed Jul 04 10:13:46 -0700 2007 8 41 Cookware 0 2719124 Hi! I just bought some custom made wooden spoons from a couple that makes and sells wooden spoons...made to order. They are made of cherry wood and are approx 13in long and 3in wide at the spoon with nice thick handles. Here is the problem: They arrived in a box nicely oiled and smooth and gleaming. They sat in my mailbox for approx 3 days awaiting pickup in the hot 114 degree heat here in sunny AZ so I re-oiled them thinking they might need a bit more loving care after the heat. I used one of the spoons the other night to stir mashed potatoes. I rinsed the spoon (no soaking) and dried. It was now ROUGH and textured. I thought, let's re-oil..again. This time the napkin used to oil left little tears and micro fibers on the wood due to its roughness. So, I re-oiled again...this time using a dish cloth to dry...same thing..micro fibers stuck in the wood...still rough...still textured AND slight splintering (not cracking or splitting) and wood pealing off. Is this normal? I realize wood expands and contracts when exposed to water, but does that mean my beautiful wooden spoons that were shiny, smooth and gleaming new are now relegated to a life of rough and tough and texturedness? Did I do something wrong? Can I fix it? Do I send them back to the maker? HELP! Wed Jul 04 10:13:46 -0700 2007 95300 ktcolt 1 2719164 I would contact the maker. The spoons should not be rough that soon. I have some 40 year old spoons that are not rough. Others are rough, they were cheap, after years of use. I do not take good care of them. Wed Jul 04 10:36:22 -0700 2007 2719124 10921 Janet 1 2722751 Sounds like you did you did everything right. What kind of oil? Did you use food grade mineral oil? Cherry wood shouldn't peal off or splinter? Thu Jul 05 18:08:31 -0700 2007 2719124 110001 Holley Knives 2 2722926 Ok, I went and bought mineral oil from the medicine dept of Target....they said it was food grade since it was in the laxative dept. hehehe....the splintering I wrote of earlier was more along the lines of raised wood grain that appeared to splinter but at the time I wrote the post that was the only word I could think of to describe the spoons. Today I bought a 320 grit sanding sponge and a 600 grit sand paper. I have sanded...washed...sanded...washed...oiled...washed...sanded...oiled...etc...and it seems to be doing the trick. The artisan who made the spoons contacted me and said sometimes they get a bad piece of wood and to send back and they will replace. But since I have gone to the trouble of buying all this stuff...I may as well just finsh it myself...she felt really bad. It would cost me just as much to package em back up and send them back to her anyway. Thu Jul 05 19:20:04 -0700 2007 2722751 95300 ktcolt 1 2725582 Ok, here is how it ended...I went to the hardware store and bought a 320 grit sanding sponge and some 600 grit sand paper. I wet the wood to raise the grain and sanded with the 320...let it dry...wet it again...sanded with the 320....dried...sanded with the 600 to finish...rinsed...dried and oiled with mineral oil until I can get some walnut oil next time at the grocery. Smooth as when the spoons first arrived!! Fri Jul 06 15:29:09 -0700 2007 2719124 95300 ktcolt 1 2727304 Wooden spoons should not require babying, in my opinion. If I spent good money on spoons that needed to be treated with TLC, oiled, sanded, carefully handled, etc., etc., I would be really p***ed. These are kitchen tools, not artifacts. They should be useful and a pleasure, not another thing to look after. I understand that you now think you have the situation under control - and I hope you do. But if they continue to give you grief, I would return them to the craftsperson with an explanation and a polite request for a refund. I can't think of any craftsperson who wouldn't be willing to accommodate a customer as long as you didn't approach them like a maniac - which I'm sure you wouldn't. Sat Jul 07 10:48:07 -0700 2007 2719124 12383 Nyleve 2 2727450 They offered a refund. They were quite kind about it...but I got some sand paper and decided to smooth them out myself before trying to spend money to get them returned and re-done....they came out nicely. In the future I wont spend so much time...and I do USE them! I just dont like the grainy raised feeling of wood...I like the smoothed out handles...and I love to cook with good wooden or seasoned spoons! Sat Jul 07 12:24:58 -0700 2007 2727304 95300 ktcolt 3 2728212 Sounds like a good outcome. Enjoy. Sat Jul 07 18:30:23 -0700 2007 2727450 12383 Nyleve 3 3197037 I'm glad you found the right solution to fixing your spoons! I don't often check this site, or I might have been able to save you a lot of trouble and worry on how to fix the roughness of your spoon. You did just right. Hopefully when you buy handmade spoons like that the spoon maker has watered and sanded the spoon at least 4 times before sending it, but even if they do, the spoons can still be rough. The basic care for any wood spoon is three things: 1. Do not wash in dishwasher or allow to soak for long periods. The water will seep into the wood and cause cracking etc. 2. When, not if, it gets rough, do as you did, sand with fine grit sand paper or a scotch brite pad. 3. When, not if, it feels dry, rub with oil. Mineral oil is the cheapest. Flax seed and walnut oils are good too. I agree that spoons should be little trouble, but if you want to be able to pass them on to your children or grandchildren, a little care goes a long way! Mon Dec 10 19:30:21 -0800 2007 2727450 107516 Jar_of_Wood