Waterproof finish

[John Torchick]

Its me again, Margaret!
I have a project that needs to be done as I have been putting it off for a looooong time. The handle on a sauce pan that belonged to my mother (pan is well over 60 years old) needs to be replaced. I have cherry, bradford pear, oak, and some other woods that I can't recall the species right now. What would be a good finish as it would be subject to soap and water on an ongoing basis. The old wood was finished in a black paint that has worn off plus the tenon that goes into the pan is shot. Your help is appreciated.
BTW, I have a new can of oil based Olympic Spar Varnish, FYI.

 

[john lucas]

I would use wipe on poly but that's just me. I finished a table my dad made probably 18 years ago with multiple layers of wipe on poly that was then hand polished. It still looks great and there's no telling how many meals have been eaten on it and how often it's been wiped down.

 

[Hy Tran]

One of my mentors, Phil Weaver, uses System Three (silver tip) epoxy for the insides of his goblets/steins/mugs. They stand up to good (and bad) liquor.

After coating his goblets (steins, mugs), he rotates on a lathe slowly so the finish doesn't sag too much. The silver tip takes 4-5 hours to gel, and 24 hrs to cure hard enough to polish.

 

[Raul McCai]

soap and water

and heat.
I should think heat rules out all the clear epoxies. Conceivably you could "finish" it with JB weld. That'd resist the washing and the heat. and - - - it's mostly black, but with a little of carbon black powder it could be as jet black as you want.
I put ceramics glued with JB Weld through a miele dishwasher; no problem

 

[Bill Boehme]

No finish is waterproof. Over time because wood moves a film finish will develop cracks that easily let moisture in. The thing that works best for me is Starbond super thin CA because it penetrates into the wood and helps to stabilize it. That seems to last longer than other finishes that I have used. Some tropical woods like cocobolo don't really need a finish. Wooden handles do best if not left soaking in soapy water, but nobody is going to pay much attention to that suggestion.

 

[Don O. Jr.]

You could try stabilizing with Cactus Juice under pressure and baking per the instructions. That forces the plasticizer into the wood-kind of like older wooden steak knife handles. Google will help with more info.

 

[tdrice]

I melted the plastic handle of my favorite spatula by leaving it in the skillet with the fire under it so I made a new one from black walnut then finished it with system 3 epoxy plastic. It has been through the dishwasher many times in the last 3 or 4 years and shows no sign of wear or deterioration.

 

[Vern Crandell]

Why put any kind of finish on it? Just leave it natural. All kind of wooden spoons etc. are left unfinished and go through the sink on a regular basis without major damage. I made a replacement handle for a spatula out of various laminated woods and it has held up well.

 

[John Torchick]

I try to tell SWMBO that you don't put wood or sharp cutlery in the dishwasher. She has ruined three wood cutting boards over the years.
FWIW, a lady she worked with griped that her cast iron skillet always rusted. It seems she didn't want to take time to clean it in the sink, so she put it in the dishwasher. She said everything went into the DW. Hello?