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So I have started turning some goblets and shot glasses, and I'm trying to find a good finish for them that can be nice and glossy, but doesn't need constant reapplication. I'm pretty sure that shellac is out, since it dissolves in alcohol, but I don't know if polyurethane or CA glue would be a more permanent and safe finish. Since I'll be selling these to local bars and restaurants, the main thing is that the finish can't be something needing frequent reapplication, so things like beeswax and mineral oil are probably out too. Any ideas?

nickzornart
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  • Hi Nick, welcome to StackExchange. As you can see from the above we have an existing Q&A on this topic so your Question will be closed in due course as a duplicate. Out of curiosity what woods are you using for your vessels? – Graphus May 24 '19 at 20:15
  • That other question doesn't really answer mine, could you please not close this one? – nickzornart May 24 '19 at 21:42
  • Can you explain why you think it doesn't? It mentions epoxy, varnish and wax which are pretty much the three top choices here (in terms of consumer-level finishes) in roughly the order you might want to prioritise them. – Graphus May 25 '19 at 11:28
  • It definitely says what doesn't work, and that's great, and definitely helpful. But, since the are restaurants that use wooden drinkware, and plenty of commercially available examples as well, there is clearly some sort of finish that is relatively permanent, and on the case of restaurants using them, possibly even dishwasher safe. That's what I'm trying to find. – nickzornart May 26 '19 at 15:19
  • I just said what finishes you can use (information that is contained within the Answer to the previous Q) and that you might want to look at them in roughly the order given. Although I'd personally weight wax as the no. 1 choice, these days an epoxy would be used much more commonly for a purpose like this. – Graphus May 26 '19 at 16:58
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    If that other Q&A doesn't answer the question then we should capture new information there, not here. –  May 27 '19 at 13:56
  • I'll also mention that I'm pretty sure that no restaurant puts their wooden utensils and dishes through a commercial dishwasher. Or, if they do, they plan on replacing those utensils regularly -- like monthly or weekly. There is no finish I know of that wouldn't just wash off, prematurely weathering the wood underneath. At home a wooden spoon would look good for a short while and then degrade slowly. But after a few months it will look like trash. In a commercial setting I bet only a handful of cycles would do the same. –  May 28 '19 at 15:23
  • @jdv I dunno about that wooden spoon analogy. We've had some for years, decades even, at our house. I try not to leave them soaking in the sink, but the wife and kids often forget and leave them in water. Then they get thrown in the dishwasher. Except for some steam bent handles (leaving it across a boiling pot), they look nearly like the brand new ones. I guess that compared to the life of the Earth, decades is a "short while", but for cookware, it seems pretty reasonable. – FreeMan May 31 '19 at 18:36
  • @FreeMan, maybe it depends on the dishwasher and home use. In our house we never put wooden utensils through the dishwasher and when I visit people who do, they are grey and cracked an generally in a condition that I would throw into the woodpile for kindling. In a commercial kitchen I can assure you that wooden utensils last maybe a month when put several times a day through a legally setup dishwasher. Same goes for many plastic utensils. The strong alkali and heat kills most materials fast. –  Jun 03 '19 at 14:37

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