New Wood for my Collection: Black Locust

I've avoided black locust wood so far. It is nice but it contains slightly poisonous toxalbumins. Luckily, wikipedia told me that toxalbumins are in fact proteins, so they break down with heat treatment. So I carved a spoon, boiled it half an hour, sanded it and finally dried it in the oven.

I made a decorative pebble from black locust several years ago and I remember it was very difficult to sand. There are still some scratches and uneven places on it. This time it was still difficult but I can sand much better, so the spoon is nice and smooth. (You can click on the images to enlarge them and see the difference.)

Maple and Peach

Lately I've finished two new spoons. One is from my stock of beautiful peach wood (there aren't many pieces left).

The second spoon is from a maple crook that gives it an interesting grain pattern.