Spoon Care
Spoon Care / Painted Handles
Hand carved wooden spoons do require some spoon care but it’s pretty straightforward. Always hand wash your spoon with soapy water and pat dry after washing. Don’t immerse the spoon or let the spoon sit in water for long periods of time and never put wooden spoons in the dish washer.
Cornish spoons are generally finished with a protective water resistant coat of TopOil. Based on natural plant oils and waxes (sunflower oil, soya oil, thistle oil) the oil is food safe for humans, animals and plants and certified as suitable for use on children‘s toys. A further coat of beeswax & carnauba with antimicrobial lavender and rosemary is also sometimes added. Alternatively, depending on the timber, Tung oil is sometimes applied to spoons. Tung oil is obtained by pressing the seed from the nut of the tung tree (Vernicia fordii). The oil is natural, non-toxic, and eco-friendly.
Some spoons are untreated and let time, tide & food acids give the spoon a natural patina.
Milk Paint is used on Cornish Spoons painted handles. Milk paint is an ancient formula made from ingredients that pre-date the use of petrochemicals. It is environmentally safe, non-toxic and entirely solvent free. A light coat of Tung oil and Japanese wax is applied to make the paint water resistant though NOT waterproof and you may notice the paint wearing on high spots as the spoon is used and some colour bleed may occur after washing, particularly if the spoon has been immersed in water.
Some sanded spoons will go “fluffy” after their first wetting, this is perfectly normal, just carry on using the spoon and the fluffiness will wear away in no time at all, leaving you with a beautifully smooth spoon.
Please click here to download a spoon care leaflet: