Replies

1. 
   RichColumbus | Mar 04, 2005 11:50pm | #1

   What has been used to condition it?  Or do you know?

   First thought would be to get some old towels (ones that you will throw away after this use) and an old iron and apply heat.  This would draw any waxes and some of the oils.

   On further reflection... the heat may (I repeat... may) cause the glue to release if it is not able to handle the heat.  Given that... I would use rubbing alcohol to lower the amount of time needed for the application of the heat.  The alcohol will dissolve many types of waxes.

   Getting to the oil itself?  Some may be drawn by the heat.. others.. probably will not.  Now the rub... if it is not drawn to the heat source... the heat may open the capillaries of the wood and have the opposite effect... driving the oil further into the wood.

   Given all of that stream of thought... here is what I do without seeing the actual board...

   I use a cloth damped with rubbing alcohol to take off as much of any waxes as I can.  I then sand the top to remove the upper layer with a belt sander.  I then rub the surface again with rubbing alcohol to see what I get on the cloth.  If there is still a substantial amount of wax coming up... I might use some heat, but sparingly.  sand again...  repeat... sand again... repeat... until I get the desired result.

    

2. 
   CapnMac | Mar 05, 2005 01:22am | #2

   Rich has some good suggestions, which spark a question in me.  Is this a "real" end-grain BB, or a laminated "long-ways" cutting board?

   Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
1. 
   zendo | Mar 05, 2005 06:53pm | #6

   Its the side grain.

   -zen

1. 
   Sphere | Mar 05, 2005 08:14pm | #7

   What Mongo said.A strong bleach or oxalic after and neutralize with a paste of baking soda, let it sit and dry, resand, ( wear a mask) wet it, and then use a cabinet scraper for final finish ( to get rid of the sanding gullies, that trap stuff)..then plain ol mineral oil.I'd scrape b4 I sand to get the majority off to save belts. A good belt cleaner helps, and I use old recaps from the 18 wheelers found for free. 

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..

2. 
   Luka | Mar 05, 2005 09:41pm | #8

   My advice is along the same lines as Mongo and Sphere.Scrape it first.Then use a very rough grit rpaper in a belt sander to rough sand it quite a bit. Leave rough.Cover completely with clay-type cat litter. (New litter, of course. And keep the cat out of the kitchen for the duration. LOL)Let that sit a few days. Clean up with alcohol. Then soak well with alcohol.Let that sit a couple hours, then cover with cat litter again for a day or so.Then sand again with a better grit, To smooth. And scrape to a finish.Then apply 1/2 mineral oil, and 1/2 beeswax as a finish. (Use just enough heat to melt them together into a runny paste. Then apply that.)

   The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.

1. 
   Sphere | Mar 05, 2005 10:55pm | #12

   Jeff...alcohol wont cut the fat..alcohol is too evaporative, without the needed hydroxies to dilute or soften the semi paste of what a cutting surface has been subjected to..IE : hydroxins.?.globs of aniaml and wedgeatabwl oxy chondriotieds that metabolise in an oxgen rich atmosphere..Ok that was fun..and totally fun..what happens when fatty acids react with 02 is that they somewhat become inert..inert as far as sterility, but the morph into a waxlike substance. THAT substance can become a food or harbinger of other microbes..not a bad thing really, just a minor observed "crud"..I know that no one wants the chain of food life bactierium spelled out here..but ironically, it's a good thing for our lower GI..unless there is a prevalent condition that would repel these little critters...
   I better stop righthere..this gets ugly.
    

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..

1. 
   Luka | Mar 05, 2005 11:03pm | #13

   True.That had occurred to me, but I wasn't going to suggest toluene or similar to break down the oils and draw them to the surface.Of course, thinking about it... If you bury it in cat litter for a few days afterward, that should pretty much draw everything out.Bottom line here, all of this sounds like an awful lot of trouble for a side grain "butcher block". Seems it would be easier to just replace it...

   The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.

2. 
   RichColumbus | Mar 06, 2005 02:04am | #15

   "Seems it would be easier to just replace it..."

   Yup

3. 
   CloudHidden | Mar 06, 2005 03:46am | #17

   Reason I asked the size...if it's small enough (and being side grain it's likely not the freestanding type I first envisioned) he might just be able to run it through a planer. I did that with old cutting boards and was done in a fraction of the time they woulda needed for a sanding. Took off a rch and they looked like new.

4. 
   zendo | Mar 06, 2005 05:16am | #18

   Cloud,

   good thought, I guess I could bring it somewhere, but it is probably 2, 2.5 x 4 ft.

   Biggest planer I have is 6 inches. lol

   -zen

   Wow lots of great ideas, if anyone is interested in interdisciplinary responses, I posted it in Knots and Cooks talk.

    

5. 
   DANL | Mar 06, 2005 01:50am | #14

   Along the lines of what you said, could he saponify the fats by soaking the block in lye, or spraying it with oven cleaner or even puting drain cleaner on it? Then wash off the resulting soft soap and you're ready to cut.

6. 
   Sphere | Mar 06, 2005 02:26am | #16

   he could..I just call the old cutting boards good kindling. But, my forte is working with wood, so I have replacements all the time.I ferget that we all don't have scraps of stuff to put in the kitchen..currently..it's a 17 x19 brown ash, a 12x 16 brazillian cherry, and a slab of something like sycamore. 

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..

7. 
   zendo | Mar 06, 2005 05:25am | #19

   Dan,

   Cool thought with the saponification, I have about 10 pds of lye for soap, I just might think about that.

   Its a chemical reaction do you think it would look like the surface got 'burned'?

   -zen

8. 
   DANL | Mar 06, 2005 06:10am | #20

   It is a chemical reaction, but I'm thinking the grease will protect the wood until it changes to soap and then the soap will protect it. I guess I'd go easy and just pour a little on or dip one end in first--and I assume I don't need to caution you that all the chemicals mentioned will eat away skin and eye tissue, etc.? They will also tend to saponify the oil in your skin if you get it on you. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection, be careful of fumes, etc. Flood the board with lots of water when done. Oh, vinegar will neutralize any residue that may have excess base (hydroxyl). Whatever you do, don't mix acid and base! These chemicals will also react with metal and eat it away, (creating explosive hydrogen gas in the process) so be careful where you put the thing to soak or whatever. Sorry to sound so preachy, but I'd hate to see anyone get hurt because I didn't warn them enough.

9. 
   Mongo | Mar 06, 2005 06:53am | #21

   C'mon boys...put yer chemistry sets away...

   One 80 grit belt will do it.<g>

10. 
    Sphere | Mar 06, 2005 07:08am | #22

    Ohhh..you and all..I worked in shop with a 30'' or so planer..a big honking mo fo..a buddy asked me to "dress it up" a cutting board..mebbe 16 x24...Schwing!!! across the shop..2 mistakes...first..too much cut on one pass, second...greasy board..ya hadda be there..maple at warp IV..and i was Scotty...three pounds of endgrain maple at subsonic frissbee like attitude..4 riccoccttes and a die..whew. 

    Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

    Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..

11. 
    zendo | Mar 06, 2005 05:43pm | #23

    Did the board survive the crash?

    -zen

12. 
    Sphere | Mar 06, 2005 06:07pm | #24

    actually..yes. 

    Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

    Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..

13. 
    DANL | Mar 06, 2005 07:34pm | #25

    Where's your sense of adventure, of danger, or challenge of the unknown? But, you are probably right.

14. 
    Mongo | Mar 06, 2005 10:21pm | #26

    Where's your sense of adventure, of danger, or challenge of the unknown?

    They're all fully intact. Which is why if this was for my house I'd just install the countertop and use it as is.<g>

     

3. 
   BillBrennen | Mar 05, 2005 09:44pm | #9

   Zendo,Another vote for starting with a scraper. It saves a ton of sandpaper, and is remarkably fast. Oh, and quiet, too.Old veg. oils become a low-grade oil finish, which is to say, no longer an oil, but not hard as a varnish, either. Clog city in sandpaper, but cuts like butter with a sharp scraper.Bill

3. 
   Mongo | Mar 05, 2005 01:35am | #3

   A belt sander.

   Seriously.

   Take it down, then renew.

4. 
   cynwyd | Mar 05, 2005 01:44am | #4

   If it's end grain I'd set up a frame above the surface so a router could be used in a wide cradle to route down surfacing fashion to fresh block.

   Long grain, sand it down.

1. 
   zendo | Mar 05, 2005 06:51pm | #5

   Rich,

   Sorry I wasnt available last night.

   Its vegetable oil... I think, and it had some areas that may have been rancid, or mildewed.

   There were many, many coats, then it was covered with plastic sheet for years.

   -zen

5. 
   CloudHidden | Mar 05, 2005 09:47pm | #10

   How big is the block...all three dimensions?

6. 
   DANL | Mar 05, 2005 09:53pm | #11

   I suppose there isn't enough denaturing agent in rubbing alcohol to remain on the board to hurt you, but I'd be inclined to use ethel alcohol (the kind you can drink) to remove any wax or oild from the cutting board.