Something waterproof. So none of those ones, maybe epoxy. Marine spar varnish.

 

It's going to be wet all the time, in a high humidity environment, and have to withstand abrasive cleaners; so you'll need something tough and waterproof. Epoxy is used on bar tops and they take a lot of abuse.

 

A soap dish is going to get saturated with water and any film finish will peel, crack, get water spots, etc.. I'd just oil them or use Danish oil, something that can be easily renewed without have to strip the old finish.

 

I'm with you Bondo. Was definitely planning for some type of oil finish. Spar varnish is overkill I say for a 3 dollar piece I'd wood. Ease of application is also important since I got a lot to do in short time.

 

I think I would just go with mineral oil - quick and easy. Lot of time & $ to do a proper film finish. Have her tell buyers to put baby oil on them if the dry out.

 

Is she selling the soap dishes too, or just used to display the soap she is trying to sell?

If it's only display, then whatever looks the best or is easiest to use on a bunch of dish shaped wood.

Mineral oil is pretty good. It's pretty much the "go to" finish on cutting boards that will be used in the kitchen. You could just put a lot of mineral oil in a small pan and throw the soap dishes in as you finish each one to soak up as much oil as possible.

 

Chris - I have an Aunt that is a Thrift Store-aholic …...
one of the items in her bathroom is a wooden soap dish like you are talking about.
she found a turned teak wooden goblet and her husband cut the top off with the B/S
and she glued a small ceramic dish that fits perfectly on top - it looks as though it was
intentionally made that way. that way, the soap is not actually touching the wood.

you could turn the bases yourself to fit any cup saucer you have on hand.
you can find small dishes for 25 cents ea. at Thrift Stores and flea markets.
here is a crude example of my Aunt's soap dish.

you just have to make the base wide so it is not easily tipped over.
a plastic dish will lessen the chance of breakage "when" it is tipped over.
your "Custom Handcrafted" soap dishes could be sold separately, if so inclined
or - just used to display the products in her booth.
using different styles of turnings and assorted dishes will give the customer
a more diversified choice. also, offer just the turned base if a customer has their own dish.
all kinds of marketing ploys can be used, limited only to your imagination.

.

 

John:
Thanks for your post. I was wondering what project I could do this weekend. Turn a base and glue in a dish. Why didn't I think of that?

 

YVW Shaver - now, the next question will be: "What can I use to Glue a Dish to Wood".
I would use a silicone or construction adhesive product that is water resistant. (not epoxy).
I have an Asian supermarket near me that carries all sorts of Asian tableware at very reasonable prices.
like Japanese or Chinese themes of plants, fish, flowers, dragons, etc.
plastic that looks like Ming Dynasty porcelain at very cheap prices. (restaurant grade).
all kinds of good ideas - just use your imagination.

.

 

^^^ Spamming scripts sure have become sophisticated lately.

 

Well, I would NEVER use wood for a soap dish. Not only is water the ultimate solvent, soap can be very aggressive.

 

the original question was: (June-2018)

"My daughter has a booth selling her soaps at a local craft fair"
the bars of soap will not be wet, they will be resting on a dry surface for display only.
not in a bathroom or kitchen setting where the soap will be sitting in a puddle of water for any length of time.

and, yes, Klutz: the spammers are getting more sophisticated. look at their "other posts" and you will see the same system. one makes the post, then another comes in behind it to add another spam link.