Food-Safe Cold Finish

[Isculpt]

Yes, I know that cold finishes are frowned upon by many potters, and I fully get it. The first time I heard the term I was in a fancy gallery in Santa Fe admiring a clay sculpture when the saleswoman, describing its attributes, breathed the term as reverently as if it meant "finished in real gold". As I left the gallery, wondering what impressive technique it must refer to, it suddenly hit me -- She means it's PAINTED, for heaven's sake! So, although I prefer to use underglazes on my sculptures, I sometimes need to pump up the colors a bit with acrylics. Which brings me to my question: if one were to sculpt a bowl shape and wish for it to be used on the odd occasion to hold liquids, is there a clear (or even opaque) cold finish one could put on it? I know that woodworkers often use certain food-safe oils, but I'm looking for something more impervious.

[Chris Campbell]

"frowned on" kind of implies that it is simply an opinion rather than an intelligent, well researched answer.

Food safe means just that ... Safe to use with any kind of food without leaching out dangerous chemicals.

 

I can't think of any cold finish that could pass the test.

You can try them yourself but do not recommend them to clients.

[Madison Mitchell]

I'm with Chris here, I can't think of any that might work; there is always the issue of durability as far as cleaning the ware goes. I don't know if any cold finish would stand up to dishwashing, utensils, etc. Plus, there is always the fact that after a couple of months, someone is going to just assume that the ware is glazed and durable, and then they might stick it in the oven, microwave, who knows what else?

Probably best to use cold finish only on obviously decorative work.

[Isculpt]

Well, OKAY, darnit! (thanks...)