Elbow grease

When I was op shopping a few weeks ago I picked up this wooden bowl. It was quite unloved and in a sad state as you can see below, but I loved the shape and thought that it would make a fantastic fruit or salad bowl.

It looked as though it had been through a dishwasher - all scuffed and rough. (Wooden items should never go through the dishwasher as it will make them swell and crack, as well as destroy the finish!)

There weren't any cracks or chips though and I knew that with a bit of sandpaper and oil I'd have it as good as new.

So I gave it a good sand with some fine sandpaper to smooth the surface and take away the remnants of the previous finish.

I found some good wood wax recipes online which used beeswax. I do want to make that one day soon but on this day I didn't have any beeswax, so I just used the oil I had in the cupboard which was rice bran oil. And didn't the wood just drink it in. It was so lovely to see the colour change and become rich and silky right before my eyes.

I rubbed the oil in and then buffed the bowl with a dry cloth, and ta-da! A beautiful salad bowl, bought for a few cents and some elbow grease.

Linking up to Op-Shop Showoff at Blackbird Has Spoken.