The Second Cup -- Finale

Now the cup is finally done sanding, so now it's on to staining the cup. Since the cup is going to be used for drinking from, we need a natural stain; Olive oil works perfectly for this!

First, just pour some olive oil on the cup, and spread it around using your fingers. I suppose you could use a paint brush, but olive oil is so good for your skin, so why pass up the opportunity? It's obvious where the oil has stained already, so just make sure to spread it evenly around the whole cup.

Next is to stain the inside of the cup. Pour some olive oil in, then work it in with your fingers. Don't be shy with the amount of olive oil you use, it's amazing how much the wood absorbs. Keep adding layers of olive oil until you have about 5 layers, letting it "dry" each time in between layers.

Here you can see I just added another layer of olive oil, but it's already being absorbed on the front side. Don't forget the handle holes, by the way!

So now, the cup is essentially finished, it just needs another layer or two of olive oil, then it's ready for use! Perfect for trips in the woods, coffee for deer hunting, water when hiking, or just standing for show.