Sealant For Leather Mugs/bottles With Hot Liquids

[Meleck]

Other sites I've seen have mentioned Salad Bowl Finishes as well. Such as this one from Rockler Woodworking. I have no idea how well it works but some Home Depot and Lowes locations also carry similar products from what I've been told. I have a Rockler nearby so I'm going to pick some up and try out on a mini-mug. I'll let you know how it works.

As hobbies, I am a woodturner as well as a leatherworker and the Salad Bowl finish would be available anywhere wood turning tools are sold. The ones that I know who carry it would be Lee Valley in Canada and Penn State Industries (well) in the States. The Lee Valley is just a wax so may not be what you are looking for. The Penn State does cure so I figure it would be more adequate as a hot liquid finish.

Another thing that I have learned is that an epoxy finish (such as Envirotex) can be victim to a very powerful solvent which is phenol. Phenol is present in wines that are less than a year to a year and a half old. If you drink wine in a epoxy finished glass, it will have a very strong taste of epoxy. That was reported to me by a professional wood turner with numerous wooden wine glasses sold all over the world. He has never had any problems with his glasses except when used with "new" wines.

I thought I would share that with you.

[Urshag]

I just spoke with a rep at the company that makes Envirotex Lite and they said that when exposed to extremes ( like a really cold or hot beverage) it can cause the resin to crack or become unsafe for food use. She mentioned she gets at least 1 call a week from people asking the same thing! lol

She stated that as far as she knows there is no food safe finish except for the Salad Bowl Finish, but she is unsure how that would work for lining a mug or a bottle. She stated that if any of us finds one that works to let her know so she can pass on the info to others that call her.

I may make a test mug using the Salad Bowl Finish and see how it holds up to testing. If I do that I'll report my findings.

[ormus1]

I just spoke with a rep at the company that makes Envirotex Lite and they said that when exposed to extremes ( like a really cold or hot beverage) it can cause the resin to crack or become unsafe for food use. She mentioned she gets at least 1 call a week from people asking the same thing! lol

She stated that as far as she knows there is no food safe finish except for the Salad Bowl Finish, but she is unsure how that would work for lining a mug or a bottle. She stated that if any of us finds one that works to let her know so she can pass on the info to others that call her.

I may make a test mug using the Salad Bowl Finish and see how it holds up to testing. If I do that I'll report my findings.

Ive used Envirotex with my mugs for years. A while back it was actually listed as food safe, but as laws change they had to remove it from the packages.

[ormus1]

does the chemical odor eventually go away with the salad bowl finish? I tried some on an older mug that needed to be sealed. Its much easier to work with than Envirotex but it has left a very strong chemical smell.

[EmmaCompton]

Hello everyone! I'm brand new here, and this is my first post. I'm getting started with leatherworking, and want to make some tankards for my upcoming wedding as a gift for my groomsmen. (It's going to be a pirate wedding on Catalina!) We're doing a lot of this stuff in a DIY fashion.

I've seen leather jacks and tankards at Renn Faires and Pirate Festivals, as well as on Etsy, that claim to be safe for hot liquids. As I'm a devoted coffee drinker, this would be highly desirable for me. Does anyone have any idea what resin these crafters are using? I've googled to heck and back and found nothing. Zip. Bupkus! I turn to you, noble leatherworkers, and your infinite wisdom. Will anyone help a humble pirate in need?

I have been several jacks and bottles .. have used envrotex which is a food safe resin .. works great! I usually put a coat on, wait a day and put another coat on. Sometimes up to 3 coats, depending on how well it took. You can tell how thick it is by running your finger on the inside of the jack (when dry of course), and you should not feel any bumps. It should be smoothe resin.

You can but it online or at most craft stores .. Michaels has it, at least that's where I've found it every time. It comes in a few different sizes, and you get quite a bit out of each bottle, so I would suggest a small bottle, unless you plan on making lots.

Enjoy!

[Mrs Barry Hicks]

hmmmm.... I have been through this topic on many boards more than once. There is not one company that will stand behind a "food safe resin" for hot liquids. You won't find them. Leather workers won't tell you their secret because of legal issues (read first part of my blurb here).

I personally have been looking into food safe silicone for lining mugs. But keep in mind, whatever you use on the inside... the heat from the liquid will affect what is on the outside too. So you can't harden your mugs with bee's wax cause it will start to melt the wax in the leather. And make sure that the sealant you use can handle heat changes. Along with the colorants you might use.... stains may hold up, but does acrylic paint.... just sayin. There's a lot be thought about when it comes to making a "heat friendly" leather mug. You could just make ceramic mugs that look like leather ones... but that sort of kills the fun of working with leather doesn't it? If I find out something that works I'll be posting it. Good luck to everyones endeavors!

[jerelk]

Envirotex is food-safe for indirect contact only, which makes it suitable for counter tops and tables, but the company will not recommend it's use in food containers. If you are making mugs to sell, I would not recommend using it. That being said, it will work, and is readily available at Hobby Lobby, Menards, and several websites.

My own decade-old leather jack is lined with Envirotex, and after about 5 or so years of use with everything from coffee to rum and coke, the lining started to abraid and become "foggy".

The only epoxy I have found that is safe for direct contact with food, is chemically resistant, and can withstand high temps is a product called Max CLR, and is easily available on ebay (probably other places as well). I contacted the supplier, and they said that by the specs, it should work, but of course they would not give me a completely unqualified answer due to reasons mentioned in an earlier post. I have some sitting in the shop, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'll be sure to post the results when I do.

Envirotex is brought up in every thread of this kind that I have ever read, and it's food-safe properties are almost becoming urban legend. While it can be used with minimal risk, it should not be called food-safe.

[MojoGeorge]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EPOXY-RESIN-HIGH-PERFORMANCE-VERSION-OF-MAX-CLR-24-OZ-/310187764669?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4838a1abbd

polymer composites sells to the public in an ebay store, safe for direct food contact