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 Silver and Wood Salad Set Question
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| Author | Topic: Silver and Wood Salad Set Question |
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chase33 Posts: 362 |
posted 04-18-2009 09:01 PM
  
[01-2733] I am contemplating purchasing a silver handle/wood implement salad serving set (like the ones popular in the 50s-60s) but the wooden parts look a little "dried" out. Is it possible to restore them or would I be better off waiting until I find a better set? The dealer thinks that they could be restored using food grade mineral oil or olive oil (but he said that might turn rancid). Any thoughts? Thanks Robert IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 04-19-2009 01:52 AM
It depends on how desirable the handles are and what the cost is. Replacing the wooden parts is fairly simple and easy. There are some really nice new wooden parts made of olive wood. I have always had good luck using oil to restore the wood. Any cooking oil will do. Never heard of the rancid problem before. IP: Logged |
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FWG Posts: 845 |
posted 04-19-2009 10:20 AM
I've heard people talk about oil going rancid in this kind of use, but have never experienced it and I've used olive oil for such quite often, for a long time. As to whether they can be resuscitated, it's a matter of how dried out they are and that's a judgement call that can't be made without handling the pieces. In general, if they're really shrunken and especially if they're cracked, it's not likely to succeed. But if they just look a little dull and are only slightly loose in the fitting it may work quite well. Dull surfaces will show immediate improvement. Swelling the wood back out may take a little time, depending on how much maybe even weeks. The important criteria of oils for this use are purity and viscosity. It needs to be food-grade for health reasons, but also you want an oil that is clear, without inclusions. Thus if an olive oil, always a "light" oil, never extra-virgin. Inclusions in the oil will just block up the pores in the wood and keep the oil from penetrating through capillary action. And a thinner oil will have that much easier a time penetrating. IP: Logged |
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Hose_dk Posts: 400 |
posted 04-19-2009 10:23 AM
I use butter for wood handles. Just plain butter and wash off. Imidiate effect and no harm done what so ever. IP: Logged |
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chase33 Posts: 362 |
posted 04-19-2009 12:36 PM
Thanks for everyone's input. The wood is just dried out, no cracks and they still fit in the handles snuggly with no movement. So it looks like I will probably purchase them and give it a whirl and see what happens. Thanks again Robert IP: Logged |
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dragonflywink Posts: 993 |
posted 04-19-2009 02:58 PM
Perhaps it's the heat or humidity here in Florida, but my old bread bowls that were treated with vegetable oil developed a distinctive scent (though wouldn't really call it "rancid") and seemed to become moist and sticky - have used inexpensive mineral oil from the pharmacy for several years and will say that I prefer it. ~Cheryl IP: Logged |
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taloncrest Posts: 169 |
posted 04-19-2009 03:50 PM
One of my antiquing buddies recommends mineral oil to season cast iron for the same reason. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 04-19-2009 05:30 PM
Mineral oil is used on butcher's chopping blocks. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 04-19-2009 07:59 PM
Despite the wisdom of the past, there is caution being issued concerning ingesting mineral oil these days. I don't recommend it. A small amount of olive oil and regular use and cleaning seem to be the best way to go. IP: Logged |
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Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 |
posted 04-19-2009 10:25 PM
It seems like these silver/wood salad sets are not all that uncommon and you could find another one that is still in good condition, unless the one in question is a particular pattern or design you are seeking. IP: Logged |
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chase33 Posts: 362 |
posted 04-19-2009 11:49 PM
It is in my pattern (Chantilly) and for some reason I don't seem to find them as much as I would have thought. Very seldom do they show up on the auction site and the online replacements service doesn't have (and haven't had in a long time) them in stock. In other patterns or generic patterns they do seem to show up quite regularly. The price is good and the silver handles are in great shape, its just the wood parts that are the big concern for me. However after reading everyone's input it seems like I'll go ahead and get them and see what happens. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll post before and after pics. Thanks again for everyone's help. Robert IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 04-20-2009 02:19 AM
The wood and silver salad set seems to have been a postwar favorite. Don't think I have seen them in prewar patterns. The major silverplate makers offered these and also a plastic option. What confuses the situation is that after 1980, most sterling dealers were stuck with hollow handles they had not scrapped in time. To bail themselves out, they began to produce the wooden salad sets with silver handles. And the melon ballers, pizza cutters, spaghetti servers, makeup brushes, address stamps and so on. This did two things. One, it made scrap silver into useful, saleable items. Two, it filled in the gap that the silver companies were totally ignorant of. The standard set still being offered is pretty much the same one offered 90 years ago. Yet our diet, and our foods, are radically different. Cusine today has a lot more pasts and sauces and cheeses than the Northern European heavy food diet of 1919. One of my grandmother was a good cook: her Sunday dinner consisted of a roast/baked chicken/ ham with mashed potatoes and gravy, two vegetables, a salad either carrot with raisens or apple and walnuts, and a baked dessert like apple cobbler. The silver from 1919 was really designed for this sort of meal. Today, I am more likely to make a Mediterranean style meal. Say, a pasta with olive oil, sausage and shrimp, roasted peppers and fresh bread with fruit for dessert. There is nothing in the 1919 set for serving pasta and eating it. IMHO, this explains a lot of the decline of venerable firms like Gorham and Reed&Barton. Antique dealers stepped in and did the silver companies work for them. The table crumber became the enchillada, lasagna, egg roll server. The stilton cheese scoop became the melon ball server. Whenever I would buy a Euro sized set, the marketing was obvious. The large fork and oval spoon became a pasta set. The knives with icky blades went off to become something else. The small forks became a pastry set. The small spoons became an ice cream set. These sold readily and brought good money. IP: Logged |
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chase33 Posts: 362 |
posted 04-26-2009 08:34 PM
OK everyone. I bit the bullet and bought the set. Here are the before pics: This morning, I polished the silver ends, coated the wood parts with olive oil and let them dry. I am thrilled with the results and I really appreciated everyone's input. Here are the after pics: Thanks again Robert IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 04-26-2009 09:09 PM
What an improvement! I bet if you use them regularly you won't have a problem with the oil going off. IP: Logged |
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Hose_dk Posts: 400 |
posted 04-27-2009 01:24 AM
Yes they became very nice, few things to remember. Dishwash by hand, no soap just hot water, regular use and whenever they need maintaince just use what is at hand. I still recomend butter, but oil works same way. IP: Logged |
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