Jody Ilgenfritz Posted November 15, 2018 Report Share Posted November 15, 2018 I made a Purple Heart cutting board (not end grain) when oiling the board there’s a large area down the center that will not hold oil! Have applied multiple times but the area keeps looking starved/dry. Should I seal the underside with shellac? Idk what to do. Please help! Any suggestions very welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 15, 2018 Report Share Posted November 15, 2018 Could be sapwood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted November 15, 2018 Report Share Posted November 15, 2018 Purpleheart has a lot of natural oils in it already.. could be sapwood, natural wood color, or the oils. Suggest accepting it for what it is or replacing it if it bothers you. Looks good from the pics. Welcome to the forums! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Ilgenfritz Posted November 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2018 Isn’t sapwood typically lighter in color? When the board was unfinished the color was completely uniform. Now there’s an area where the oil simply won’t seem to stay. Almost as if it’s being sucked into the adjacent grain on either side. Thx guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 What kind of oil? Perhaps next board you make, try a drying oil. -Ace- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Ilgenfritz Posted November 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Just standard mineral oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
difalkner Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Nice looking board, Jody! When you put the mineral oil on does the surface and wood look uniform but changes later after it begins to soak in? And I suppose you sanded evenly, there's no glue in that area, etc... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Ilgenfritz Posted November 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Yes that’s exactly what happens. Actually was finished with a card scraper and no glue in the area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Try putting the board in a pan & just let it soak in the oil overnight. I've noticed that wood can have areas the just absorb way more than others, even when the grain looks the same. It would be better to have it saturated with mineral oil than let food juices soak in those areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Ilgenfritz Posted November 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Thx. Will try soaking it tonight! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 I would keep a pan under the board for a few days after soaking it just in case the excess decides to bleed back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Ya, but,but,but, won’t the thing just be an oily mess that will never dry and keep weeping oil all the time? I think a better approach is oil let dry, then do it again let dry. Go easy don’t soak it in oil, right! -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 16, 2018 Report Share Posted November 16, 2018 Just remember mineral oil never really dries. It does thicken and quit bleeding out eventually. I use Watco salad bowl & butcher block finish which has oil and a varnish component. It soaks in and seals up the board from soaking up moisture. Then I use mineral oil for maintenance. But I've never tried to use it on top of a mineral oil soaked board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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