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My new handmade soap bowl

B&B member shaverjoe surprised me with this beautiful soap bowl that he made himself, and it was even pre-loaded with a grated puck of Williams soap when it arrived. So I thought I would show it off here. Thanks Joe!

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Lucky you!

I presume the bowl is wood.

What are your thoughts on microwaving soap in a wooden bowl? Will the wood be damaged? Or do you microwave the soap in another container and transfer it to the wooden bowl, to so it will fit the wooden bowl tightly?
 
Lucky you!

I presume the bowl is wood.

What are your thoughts on microwaving soap in a wooden bowl? Will the wood be damaged? Or do you microwave the soap in another container and transfer it to the wooden bowl, to so it will fit the wooden bowl tightly?
Yes it's wood. Sorry, I can't answer your question about microwaving a wooden bowl, never done it.

Very nice anyone would be proud to own it !
Enjoy Your Shave !

I am very proud of it, shaverjoe's a great guy.
 
NIce, I wish I had some wood working talent. I have tons of ideal that stay ideals because I have trashed some expensive wood in the past.
 
Nice. Do you keep it on the sink counter or just not worry about the water?

(I know a lot of soaps come in wooden bowls but this one seems like one to take better care of.)
 
Nice. Do you keep it on the sink counter or just not worry about the water?

(I know a lot of soaps come in wooden bowls but this one seems like one to take better care of.)

I've used it twice and it really didn't get very wet, but yeah I'll do what I can to keep it from getting really wet.
 
Looks good, what kinda wood was used?

Hmmm thats got me thinking, could you "turn" a suitable wood, into a tube with cap for a soap stick? I wonder? Hmmmmm.
 
Gentlemen-
Thank you for you kind words. Tom has been very kind to me and very patient with me. Plus, he was the person who introduced me to using vintage razors by giving me a 1960 Gillette Super Speed- a razor which I have used exclusively since its arrival. I'm not sure how you thank someone for that, but the bowl was a token of my appreciation. I'll try and answer some of the question from above-

Tom's bowl is made of Hard Rock Maple. It is very dense and enjoyable to turn, plus, because of its density, it is easier to obtain a smooth finish while sanding. I like maple because the grain is so clean. It is finished with walnut oil overlaid by a mineral oil/beeswax paste- all of which are non-toxic and food safe. I try to use non-toxic, food safe finishes because they can be easily reapplied and, as indicated, are non-toxic. I use the same finish on baby rattles I make for infants/toddlers. Yes, because of this finish, one would need to apply some beeswax whenever the bowl looks like it would need it, but this is easily obtained and the paste I use goes on by hand, sits 5 minutes, then buffs to a very low sheen with a clean cloth- very easy and completely safe.

Microwaving a bowl-
I have microwaved UNFINISHED turnings (i.e. bowls) in my shop to give them a funky distortion but this really only works well with wet or green wood. I would not advocate microwaving a finished product. When I made Tom's bowl, I made the mistake of not buying the soap first. A single puck of Williams is far too small for this bowl (it was designed to fit a puck of MWF or D.R. Harris soap). Tom is a William's fan so I re-milled the Williams and mashed it into the bowl- no heating or microwaving required- just a cheese grater. Don't worry, Tom, I only use this grater for shaving soap, I promise.

Thanks again gentlemen for your kind words.

Microwaving a bowl-
 
Thanks for posting the pics Tom, and you did a very nice job making the Bowl Joe. The generosity between the members of this site is what makes it such a special place that I am proud to be a part of. Well done guy's.

Clayton
 
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