Butchers block re-seal

[joe6r]

Hi
I have managed to chip a few bits of my block out and looking on YouTube Beeswax seems to be the filler of choice for restoration and polishing.
I have had a look around but found myself going crossed eyed with the amount of variety on the market.
Has anyone used Beeswax before and can recommend a brand?

 

[Freeforester]

All proper beeswax is made by the bees! As such it shouldn't matter what brand you use, of that's what you intend using.
Hadn't heard of using that before for the purpose you intend, but the cleaner and unadulterated the better, for obvious reasons would be the best choice, if you don't need too much then try to obtain some pure honeycomb and melt this down, then you can be sure you have the most pure form.

Is your block a genuine end-grain maple one?

 

[Norfolk Horn]

Get in touch with your local bee keeping club, they will put you on to someone I'm sure. Nice piece of cappings wax

 

[Red Dragon 2]

A genuine block top has no finish and is just scrubbed with a wire brush hence the shape of really old blocks. A weekly scrub with teepol or similar gets the grease off them

 

[joe6r]

Thanks for all the advice

The block had a hard life before I acquired it. I’m just trying to keep it functional and hygienic as best I can, cost of a new one I couldn’t justify.
It has solid wooden ends and block work inside.

 

[NoIDeer]

I wouldn't use beeswax as a wood filler it softens or melts with hot water and a wire brush will dig it out. Maybe as a surface treatment/polish?
Even bees use don't wax as a filler it, they fill the gaps with a tree resin based glue that we call propolis.

I know nothing about butchers blocks but I do keep bees.

 

[VSS]

I don't think a traditional end-grain butcher's block should be sealed in any way. Just scrape well after use, and an occasional scrub with hot soapy water.
The main thing with a block is NOT to keep it somewhere warm and dry, otherwise it will open up and become unhygienic. Mine is in a stone outbuilding, where it stays in good condition. Cool, not too humid (not enough to make it mouldy), but not dry either.
I have an old, very sharp cleaver that the handle broke off, and I use this to scrape down the block after use. As well as removing any meat, fat etc, it takes off any splinters of wood that get raised. Hence the beautiful sculpted shape of a really old chopping block.

 

[Apthorpe]

I wouldn't wax a block. I think (going by what I imagine the problem looks like) that I'd chisel the holes smooth and let in replacement chunks made to the same size of air-seasoned end-grain maple or beech as appropriate, gluing in with epoxy.

 

[Gameking]

Here you go, I use the same oil (off ebay) for all my 7 kitchen chopping boards which are oak

 

[jb1]

30 years in the trade I've never seen anything use on a block apart from HOT soapy water and a stiff scrubbing brush. I personally would not use anything else.
You can buy either a scraper or a steel scrubbing brush from somewhere like scobies. (Around £10)

Just watched the clip, and i wouldn't bother. More importantly turn regularly, round and turn over.

 

[golfer65]

all my years in the trade two ways of cleaning a block is wet and scrub with hot soapy water then sawdust and a block brush (very stiff wide wire brush )back and forth bothways
then from one way from the other way makes block look nice and white (tough boss)