Brand new here & I’m looking for advice on a product to reapply to an apple press my father in law built. He used some type of resin to seal some gaps at the end where Apple cider flows into buckets. I’m not overly concerned about “food safe” but I don’t want anything toxic either. I was wondering if I could just use some wood glue & sawdust? I will attach pictures so you can see the breaking up of whatever was used. Thank you very much for any advice. Also, what can I treat wood with, just some butcherblock oil?
Replies
Glue and sawdust is likely too rigid for the cross grain construction at the end. I would try to find a food grade caulk that remains somewhat flexible. You will need to clean out old filler down to bare wood for good adhesion.
Everyone makes one, a food safe silicone sealant. Silicone stays inert and should not leach into food. Considered safe even at normal oven temperatures, or so they say....Lexel would be better for your application ,it has more adhesion, more waterproof, will not peel like silicone tends to do and dries much clearer. It's used often in kitchen applications such as counter tops and setting fixtures etc. but is not food safe certified. You wouldnt make an aquarium out of it!
How about just making a new one?
Well my father in law made it, & my motherinlaw lives with me & the wife so it's special. All oak & more then sturdy. Normally it's kept out of the sun, but I had it in a shelter logic shed & the roof gave way & the sun got it for a summer. I just want to treat the wood, mineral oil or something, seal end so cider goes through hole & not leak out entire front. Thank you very much for the ideas guys...
You can try oxalic acid to restore the oaks natural color. It is toxic so be sure to scrub and rinse clean after. Here's a link to a Bob Flexner article in Finewood Workings now sister publication Pop Wood.
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/oxalic-acid-a-very-useful-bleach/
How about skipping liquid sealants all together. Unscrew and remove the end piece. Clean the old sealants off the wood. Route a shallow rabbet the width of the end piece. When you screw the end piece back on sandwich a piece of silicon door seal in between.
As for the seal between the boards have you tried getting them wet? If the are soaked with moisture and swollen before pressing cider they might seal up better naturally. Kinda like the way an oak barrel is leaky until it's wet.
There is no use for the area that entends beyond the hole, you could screw a batten across the with with a rubber gasket.
Thinking general principles here rather than specifics.
If it shrank, opening up gaps, the best solution may be to allow it to be a little damp for a couple of days - you might find that they close up. If not, you could perhaps remove the boards and re fix them in closer proximity.
Although silicone is very tempting, and will of course work, it's also fugly so I'd be tempted to use beeswax or if you want something harder, candle wax or carnauba wax. For wider gaps, use ordinary string soaked in wax to plug the gap then wax on top.
For a treatment for the wood, if you sand it, you will get back to colour, and then you can treat it with something like rice bran oil, which is easy to reapply as needed, or linseed oil (not boiled type) if you want a more resilient surface.
If the item is just for decoration then osmo is favourite, but that is best not used for food products.
It's an old-timey device. Keep it to old-timey fixes...