Q1: Do you really make your spoons by hand and are they actually one of a kind?
A: Yes, I do and yes everything is one of a kind. We don't use any duplicating machines like some outfits do so what you get is truly unique. All of the wooden cooking utensils that come from my shop are individually handmade from start to finish. I cut and bring in most of the wood from the forest to my shop. Then I split it into usable chunks. What isn't usable goes in the firewood pile.

Q2: How do I keep my wooden cooking utensils looking good and not cracking?
A: Hand wash with soap and warm to hot water only. Never wash in a dishwasher! If after washing the first few times they have a fuzzy feel to them, don't be alarmed, this is natural. The grain will raise (what I call fuzzing) the first few times any wood is put into water. Some people refer to it as the curing process. Lightly buff them with a Scotchbrite Pad or fine sandpaper and then oil them with any edible oil. After buffing or sanding a few times they will stay smooth and only an occasional touch up may be necessary.


Q3: What kind of wood do you use to make your spoons?
A: Mostly I like to use birch since it makes a beautiful and yet almost indestructible spoon. Birch is long fibered and retains moisture better than most other hardwoods so it can withstand a lot of abuse. If you get it extra hot in the skillet or forget and leave it in water over night it's very forgiving and usually won't crack or split. But as you can see from viewing these pages I also make spoons from a variety of other woods such as cherry, walnut, oak and hickory. Some folks prefer these because of the difference in colors and grain patterns and I got to admit, I like variety too."


Q4: What are some of the advantages to using wooden cooking utensils?
A:

Wood is gentle to non-stick surfaces, pottery and plastic mixing bowls like Tupperware so it extends the life of your pots, pans and bowls.

Wood is very durable and a little sanding can get rid of most marks caused by abuse.

Germs and bacteria don't like wood (see Q5 below).

Wood is very light weight.

Wood won't rust.

And according to what everybody tells me, it just feels good when you cook with wooden utensils.


Q5: Is it true that germs don't like wood?
A: Yes, it is. Many tests have been conducted over the years with the same results. Germs and bacteria grow much faster on metal and plastic than on wooden kitchenware. In fact when utensils are checked after a day or two, the wood will have less germs and bacteria on them than just after they are washed. Not so with metal or plastic!


Q6: Do you take special orders?
A: Yes, we do. We get many requests for special orders and if we have the right wood we are happy to do it.


Q7: What exactly is Bang Industries?
A: We are Bang Industries. When we first started selling our wooden utensils on the internet we had plans to also build a gift shop, which would have a different name, here at our home in Libby and feature the wooden spoons.
Bang Industries is the umbrella company name of
"Out of the Woods-Handcrafted Wooden Spoons"
and "Log Cabin Gifts". As a result, when you use
your credit card to buy something from this website
or our gift shop, if you ever come to visit us up here
in "God's Country", your statement will reflect a
charge to "BANG INDUSTRIES" instead of
"Out of the Woods-Handcrafted Wooden Spoons"
or "Log Cabin Gifts".


Q8: What if I want to order more than one of your "one of a kind" items?
A: You may order more than one of our "one of a kind" pieces but the extra pieces you will get won't look exactly like the one you see on the web site. They will however be pretty close. If I am unable to do this I will contact you so we can work things out to your satisfaction.


Q9: Why do I need to "refresh" the pages and
what exactly does that mean?
A: When you visit a page on the internet your computer will store parts or sometimes the whole page in your "temporary internet files". This is so when you want to look at that page again you don't have to download the whole page. It's designed to make things faster. This is fine for most sites since they seldom make any changes. BUT...we sell one of a kind utensils and have to make changes every day. If you don't click on the refresh button at the top of your browser on each page you've visited before (that's the one with the arrows going in a circle) you may be seeing products that are no longer available. I figure folks should be able to see what they are buying since there are already enough surprises in this world.