# i have a end grain wooden cutting board that has been "maintained" with olive oil not by me



## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

I have an end grain wooden cutting board that has been "maintained" with olive oil for a long time* not by me* to "protect it" and what happened is that the olive oil oxidated and is smelly and sticky and the cutting board is soaked with it

is there any way to revive it or it needs to go to the trash?


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## gentiscid (Oct 22, 2022)

Wash it down quick with warm water and dish soap, quick scrub. Rinse well. Tap dry with kitchen cloth, let completely air dry standing and rub with a mineral oil/beeswax blend wood conditioning blend.


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## captaincaed (Oct 22, 2022)

replace. That oil will never really come out. Cutting boards aren’t that expensive in the grand scheme.


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

gentiscid said:


> Wash it down quick with warm water and dish soap, quick scrub. Rinse well. Tap dry with kitchen cloth, let completely air dry standing and rub with a mineral oil/beeswax blend wood conditioning blend.


it is not on the top its soaked inside it i tried that and it does not work the board stays sticky from the oxidized olive oil


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## iljkaersuoasgr (Oct 22, 2022)

How thick is the board and do you have access to any woodworking equipment? Nuclear option would be to plane the board down until you hit fresh wood.


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## MarcelNL (Oct 22, 2022)

if the board was seriously soaked you'll plane right through it ;-) and you'll pull fibers out of the end grain in the process if it would work....

I'd try a wash and thorough scrape and see how it smells, or forego the process and buy a new one.


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

iljkaersuoasgr said:


> How thick is the board and do you have access to any woodworking equipment? Nuclear option would be to plane the board down until you hit fresh wood.


i do not have a wood plane unfortunately


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

MarcelNL said:


> 'd try a wash and thorough scrape and see how it smells


did that with a glass window scraper and sanded it still sticky and smells like oxidated oil


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

everytime i tried to wash it new sticky oil comes out to the surface


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## MarcelNL (Oct 22, 2022)

It'll probably burn quite well....


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## daddy yo yo (Oct 22, 2022)

MarcelNL said:


> It'll probably burn quite well....


I had the same thought…


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## ptolemy (Oct 22, 2022)

Whoever maintained it with the olive oil, needs a swift kick in the rear end! But yes, it'll make a nice candle


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## miggus (Oct 22, 2022)

I have to say that sometimes I'm lazy and use _[EDIT: walnut or linseed]_ oil on wooden tools. There is a bit of smell, but it isn't too bad if you wipe it afterwards. Certainly not ideal, but I'm surprised that it got so bad in your case. Is the board a really nice piece of gear or does it hold significant value for you? If not, maybe save your time and find a nice fire for it.
If yes, I'd try fat solvents: Alcohol, or even paint thinner - stuff that will evaporate without leaving a trace. I'd assume that if you find the right stuff, it will pull out enough oils. Stuff thats deep in the wood shouldn't be a big problem, if you can seal it with a neutral oil/wax, it shouldn't be smelly / sticky anymore.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 22, 2022)

miggus said:


> I have to say that sometimes I'm lazy and use olive oil on wooden tools. There is a bit of smell, but it isn't too bad if you wipe it afterwards. Certainly not ideal, but I'm surprised that it got so bad in your case. Is the board a really nice piece of gear or does it hold significant value for you? If not, maybe save your time and find a nice fire for it.
> If yes, I'd try fat solvents: Alcohol, or even paint thinner - stuff that will evaporate without leaving a trace. I'd assume that if you find the right stuff, it will pull out enough oils. Stuff thats deep in the wood shouldn't be a big problem, if you can seal it with a neutral oil/wax, it shouldn't be smelly / sticky anymore.



Keep a bottle of laxative-grade mineral oil next to your work station and you won't have to worry about it any more. No more effort than the olive oil if it is right there at hand.

Maintaining wood with cooking oil is nasty.


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## miggus (Oct 22, 2022)

I agree, it's ideal to use oil without mucilage (is that the word? I mean stuff that can go rancid). But I have to point out two things:
1. As long as I took off any excess soon enough (after 15-20mins), it wasn't all too bad. It's when you don't do that and leave on the oil that doesn't get absorbed is when the oil becomes sticky and then it's really a mess.
2. I edited my original post, because I used linseed or walnut oil. These do polymerize (again, not sure if that is the right term), meaning they harden to a certain degree.

Still - no question that it is much better to use oil that's right for the job from the start. I just mean to say that you can use some other oil in a pinch and it doesn't have to be all too bad.

I'm pretty sure @r0bz' board can be salvaged, the question is if they are willing to invest the effort. Maybe we can see a picture of said board?


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Keep a bottle of laxative-grade mineral oil next to your work station and you won't have to worry about it any more. No more effort than the olive oil if it is right there at hand.
> 
> Maintaining wood with cooking oil is nasty.


as i have wrote at the top i did not use the olive oil on the board...
i know that white mineral oil for cutting boards must be used....
the problem is that the board is soaked with the oxidized olive oil ...


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## Delat (Oct 22, 2022)

miggus said:


> I have to say that sometimes I'm lazy and use olive oil on wooden tools. There is a bit of smell, but it isn't too bad if you wipe it afterwards. Certainly not ideal, but I'm surprised that it got so bad in your case. Is the board a really nice piece of gear or does it hold significant value for you? If not, maybe save your time and find a nice fire for it.
> If yes, I'd try fat solvents: Alcohol, or even paint thinner - stuff that will evaporate without leaving a trace. I'd assume that if you find the right stuff, it will pull out enough oils. Stuff thats deep in the wood shouldn't be a big problem, if you can seal it with a neutral oil/wax, it shouldn't be smelly / sticky anymore.



Standard vegetable oils go rancid eventually, it’s as inevitable as patina on a carbon blade. If you’re just quickly treating the surface of side grain it’s probably not an issue as the oil wouldn’t soak in very deep. With end grain and a long soak though, the oil goes quite deep.

Solvents don’t work when the oil is deep in the wood. As you remove oil from the surface, osmosis pulls oil from deeper inside back to the surface (the reverse of what pulled the oil down deep in the first place). I guess you could spend months wiping down the surface and that would eventually suck the oil out, but seems like way more trouble that it’s worth and it would probably still be smelly from oil residue inside.

For the OP, I don’t think there’s anyway to salvage the board from what you describe.


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

Delat said:


> Standard vegetable oils go rancid eventually, it’s as inevitable as patina on a carbon blade. If you’re just quickly treating the surface of side grain it’s probably not an issue as the oil wouldn’t soak in very deep. With end grain and a long soak though, the oil goes quite deep.
> 
> Solvents don’t work when the oil is deep in the wood. As you remove oil from the surface, osmosis pulls oil from deeper inside back to the surface (the reverse of what pulled the oil down deep in the first place). I guess you could spend months wiping down the surface and that would eventually suck the oil out, but seems like way more trouble that it’s worth and it would probably still be smelly from oil residue inside.
> 
> For the OP, I don’t think there’s anyway to salvage the board from what you describe.


thank you


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## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 22, 2022)

r0bz said:


> as i have wrote at the top i did not use the olive oil on the board...
> i know that white mineral oil for cutting boards must be used....
> the problem is that the board is soaked with the oxidized olive oil ...



I wasn't talking to you.


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## r0bz (Oct 22, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> I wasn't talking to you.


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## captaincaed (Oct 22, 2022)

Unfortunately time to start again. But now you have fire wood


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## Jovidah (Oct 22, 2022)

Worth giving a shot IMO is classical solutions like salt, lemon and bleach. If the alternative is throwing it away you could even consider throwing it in a dishwasher; you don't have that much to lose by the sound of it.


HumbleHomeCook said:


> Keep a bottle of laxative-grade mineral oil next to your work station and you won't have to worry about it any more. No more effort than the olive oil if it is right there at hand.
> 
> Maintaining wood with cooking oil is nasty.


To be fair... I'm actually thinking of switching away from mineral oil... Ikea actually stopped selling it because they couldn't get health inspectors to sign off on the mineral oil anymore... and given how some of it unavoidably ends up in your food I think replacing some boards in the long term might be preferable to eating laxative.
Seems like enough people swear by using things like grapeseed oil that it can't be all _that _bad. Even some cutting board manufacturers sell it.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 22, 2022)

Jovidah said:


> Worth giving a shot IMO is classical solutions like salt, lemon and bleach. If the alternative is throwing it away you could even consider throwing it in a dishwasher; you don't have that much to lose by the sound of it.
> 
> To be fair... I'm actually thinking of switching away from mineral oil... Ikea actually stopped selling it because they couldn't get health inspectors to sign off on the mineral oil anymore... and given how some of it unavoidably ends up in your food I think replacing some boards in the long term might be preferable to eating laxative.
> Seems like enough people swear by using things like grapeseed oil that it can't be all _that _bad. Even some cutting board manufacturers sell it.



To each their own. All my grandparents used it on everything and they all lived long lives and none of them died of digestive issues.


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## captaincaed (Oct 22, 2022)

Dishwasher will explode the board. Grape seed oil will go rancid.


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## miggus (Oct 22, 2022)

There's a lot of food safe options by now. For example, Uulki oil is modified coconut oil with some lemon aroma added to it. There's many options like this available, so there is no need to use mineral oil to begin with. And these oils certainly don't go rancid - I had an almost empty bottle standing around for a few years, still smelling fresh.



Delat said:


> Solvents don’t work when the oil is deep in the wood. As you remove oil from the surface, osmosis pulls oil from deeper inside back to the surface


If you say so - I haven't tried this kind of thing, so I have no experience. I just know that my boards are well saturated, but yet the surface "dries out" after washing them 10 or 20 times. In that case, no oil from the deep is pulled up, I have to apply a bit new oil, otherwise the board will start absorbing food juices. So I assumed something like this could be forced with a more powerful solvent than my warm soapy water - still worth a try imho since it won't cost much in money or effort.

But sure, it might not work... Probably depends on a lot of things.


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## captaincaed (Oct 22, 2022)

Any plant or animal derived oil will go rancid, harden, or change in an undesirable way. Full stop. 
It often takes some oxygen light and water, but it goes off. 
Mineral oil from the pharmacy is inert.


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## Jovidah (Oct 22, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> To each their own. All my grandparents used it on everything and they all lived long lives and none of them died of digestive issues.


Well both my smoking parents haven't died of lung cancer either but that still doesn't make their anecdotal behavior best practise. 
I get your point, mineral oil is used in a lot of places... but since I'm already suffering from IBS I don't exactly feel like adding more laxative into my diet.
And I'm genuinely curious how many people actually experienced a board going bad versus how many people used certain vegetable oils without problems. You'll run into plenty of anecdotal people who swear by it when you dive into the topic, and I've seen some manufacturers here actually sell grapeseed oil as cutting board oil. Not saying I have the answers but I'm willing to take the chance.


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## Cliffkol (Oct 22, 2022)

Jovidah said:


> Worth giving a shot IMO is classical solutions like salt, lemon and bleach. If the alternative is throwing it away you could even consider throwing it in a dishwasher; you don't have that much to lose by the sound of it.
> 
> To be fair... I'm actually thinking of switching away from mineral oil... Ikea actually stopped selling it because they couldn't get health inspectors to sign off on the mineral oil anymore... and given how some of it unavoidably ends up in your food I think replacing some boards in the long term might be preferable to eating laxative.
> Seems like enough people swear by using things like grapeseed oil that it can't be all _that _bad. Even some cutting board manufacturers sell it.


Jovidah, you are not drinking the mineral oil. It is being used as a thin layer to protect wood cutting boards. The amount that actually ends up on food and into your body is so minuscule that it is not measurable. If any!! And probably is cooked, steamed or roasted away anyway. Seriously! Use mineral oil on the wood cutting boards. or beeswax. Or a combination.


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## dfoulk (Oct 22, 2022)

If it were my board I don't have a planer so I'd hit it with the electric sander. I'd sand it for a bit and see if I could get past that oil. You can do this repeatedly if you have to until you get down far enough. I think you can get it back to good this way.


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## M1k3 (Oct 22, 2022)

Jovidah said:


> Well both my smoking parents haven't died of lung cancer either but that still doesn't make their anecdotal behavior best practise.
> I get your point, mineral oil is used in a lot of places... but since I'm already suffering from IBS I don't exactly feel like adding more laxative into my diet.
> And I'm genuinely curious how many people actually experienced a board going bad versus how many people used certain vegetable oils without problems. You'll run into plenty of anecdotal people who swear by it when you dive into the topic, and I've seen some manufacturers here actually sell grapeseed oil as cutting board oil. Not saying I have the answers but I'm willing to take the chance.


In your case I would definitely avoid mineral oil.

But point still stands, don't oil your cutting board with anything that'll go rancid. Plain beeswax would be better than oil going rancid. Even though it'd be a struggle to spread out.


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## captaincaed (Oct 22, 2022)

if you get a sacrificial pan from a thrift store, you can melt beeswax, and pour it on. I guess that’s the one exception to animal based oils going rancid.


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## Delat (Oct 22, 2022)

miggus said:


> There's a lot of food safe options by now. For example, Uulki oil is modified coconut oil with some lemon aroma added to it. There's many options like this available, so there is no need to use mineral oil to begin with. And these oils certainly don't go rancid - I had an almost empty bottle standing around for a few years, still smelling fresh.



Right, this is why I said “standard vegetable oils”. Fractionated oils remove the long chain triglycerides which is what reacts with oxygen to go rancid. The remaining medium-chain fats seem to be more stable although I haven’t found any long-term studies on it. I personally use fractionated MCT coconut oil on my cutting boards and they’ve been ok after a couple years now.


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## Jeff (Oct 23, 2022)

r0bz said:


> I have an end grain wooden cutting board that has been "maintained" with olive oil for a long time* not by me* to "protect it" and what happened is that the olive oil oxidated and is smelly and sticky and the cutting board is soaked with it
> 
> is there any way to revive it or it needs to go to the trash?



Unless it is something special, I agree with replacing it. 

Another alternative is to apply a product called “OIL EATER” I have used ot for years in many different applications … everything from cleaning oil spots off laundry and the driveway to getting rancid oil out of an antique salad bowl.

It is totally safe and biodegradable. It is an enzyme. it is uses to get oil off of wildlife after an oil spill. 

It’s available on AMAZON.


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## William Hunt (Oct 23, 2022)

I would try flooding the cutting board with naphtha. That is a solvent like mineral spirits that dries quickly. You may have to do a little sanding and reapply. I’ve seen videos where people use a 50-50 mix of naphtha and salad bowl finish for new cutting boards and the finish drips out from the bottom. 
Just make sure that your not even close to an open flame because naphtha is extremely flammable.


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## DavidScubadiver (Oct 23, 2022)

Course salt. Rub it onto the board with cut lemon. Rinse and repeat. And use the mineral oil and hope for the best.


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## Vadoche (Oct 23, 2022)

r0bz said:


> I have an end grain wooden cutting board that has been "maintained" with olive oil for a long time* not by me* to "protect it" and what happened is that the olive oil oxidated and is smelly and sticky and the cutting board is soaked with it
> 
> is there any way to revive it or it needs to go to the trash?


Clean it with Marseille or black soap, handplane it to remove the contaminated thickness (sandpaper is not a good choice since it rips the fibers), treat it with mineral or boiled linseed oil.


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## EricEricEric (Oct 23, 2022)

Hit it with steel wool


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## TB_London (Oct 23, 2022)

Scrape it to flee fresh the surface. The stickiness is the oil on the surface.

If you don’t have a scraper use the edge of a beater knife and then sharpen after.

A well sharpened scraper will pull of ribbons of oil soaked wood, but even a poor one will give you a sludge that is satisfying to remove.

Once scraper board butter will keep it conditioned. 
I’d avoid solvents etc as unlikely to do anything productive.

Board will be fine. 

An alternative approach is the very traditional way to maintain wood surfaces in kitchens - sprinkle with salt and use that to scour the surface, a bit of mineral oil will help lubricate, but you need plenty of elbow grease to scour the surface clean.


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## sansho (Oct 23, 2022)

Jovidah said:


> I get your point, mineral oil is used in a lot of places... but since I'm already suffering from IBS I don't exactly feel like adding more laxative into my diet.



i don't think that's a realistic concern. usually, people drink well beyond 10mL at a time for laxative effect. a greasy meal would have a much stronger effect than trace residue from cooking equipment, right? how much could you realistically consume in a day from food contact with cutting boards or knives? i would imagine far less than 0.2mL. maybe that as an upper limit if it were really sloppily applied and not wiped off.

imho, referring to it as laxative is misleading. that term should just be used to signal that the oil is food grade as it is labeled safe to ingest even in large doses for medical applications. i.e. i disagree with the implied connotation that it's bad because it's a laxative. if anything, it's good because it's laxative grade (implying food grade). i similarly disagree with dismissively labeling ivermectin as "horse dewormer" as it has applications far beyond that, including human indications. (and no, treatment for covid isn't a good application, lol)

i'm open to the idea that it could be unsafe for other reasons though. it's a petroleum product, and maybe there are trace amounts of some other nasties. i haven't seen literature supporting this, however. but anyway, i have a hard time believing that it's going to act like a laxative when properly used to maintain kitchen equipment.


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## WildBoar (Oct 23, 2022)

This discussion has turned far too serious.

If the OP really wants to know how to remove olive oil residue and odor he should consult with Popeye.


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## r0bz (Oct 24, 2022)

TB_London said:


> Scrape it to flee fresh the surface. The stickiness is the oil on the surface.
> 
> If you don’t have a scraper use the edge of a beater knife and then sharpen after.
> 
> ...


what kind of scraper ?
can you send a picture


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## Justinv (Oct 24, 2022)

My thought, is to remove what you can by solvent or washing then bake it a while to polymerize whats left which would harden it (like cast iron seasoning). Then you could treat it with an actual curing oil like linseed and let it soak in and cure. I have no idea of temperature or time, but 300-350 or so for a few hours may work. Outdoors if possible, as it will stink. Maybe do it on a gas grill and protect if from flame. Or find a toaster oven big enough and run it outdoors. Too high a temp will toast the wood but I have no idea what temp that is!


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## miggus (Oct 24, 2022)

I'd be worried that this would crack or at least warp the wood. I wonder if OP is going to undertake a rescue attempt


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## Jovidah (Oct 24, 2022)

sansho said:


> i don't think that's a realistic concern. usually, people drink well beyond 10mL at a time for laxative effect. a greasy meal would have a much stronger effect than trace residue from cooking equipment, right? how much could you realistically consume in a day from food contact with cutting boards or knives? i would imagine far less than 0.2mL. maybe that as an upper limit if it were really sloppily applied and not wiped off.
> 
> imho, referring to it as laxative is misleading. that term should just be used to signal that the oil is food grade as it is labeled safe to ingest even in large doses for medical applications. i.e. i disagree with the implied connotation that it's bad because it's a laxative. if anything, it's good because it's laxative grade (implying food grade). i similarly disagree with dismissively labeling ivermectin as "horse dewormer" as it has applications far beyond that, including human indications. (and no, treatment for covid isn't a good application, lol)
> 
> i'm open to the idea that it could be unsafe for other reasons though. it's a petroleum product, and maybe there are trace amounts of some other nasties. i haven't seen literature supporting this, however. but anyway, i have a hard time believing that it's going to act like a laxative when properly used to maintain kitchen equipment.


Honestly I never gave it a whole lot of thought - always just used mineral oil - until Ikea stopped selling the stuff and I found out their internal reason was health concerns. Haven't really deep-dived the topic yet but they tend to be ahead of the curve a lot of the things and I ran into at least some more recent literature that had concerns about mineral oil consumption even in smaller quantities.

Beyond that, I'm at least 'open' to trying a new approach because I was honestly never all that enthusastic about mineral oil. Yes it soaks in easy, but mineral oil also goes out as easily; put anything hot on it and it WILL leach out in significant quantities, and soap does a number on it since it never really cures.

And as I said, what struck me about any discussions on this topic is that this is one of the handful of posts I've seen where someone actually had a board go rancid... most seem to get by fine somehow. Considering I have no prohibitively expensive boards I think I'm just going to try grapeseed oil and see how it works. In the past I've literally seen board manufacturers sell grapeseed oil so how horrible could it be? At current grapeseed and mineral oil pricing here, even if it turns rancid in 5-10 years it might still be the more economical option. 

My wooden plates have essentially been 'oiled' by whatever fats were in the food and they're still going strong after 5+ years without any issues! Maybe we should all be oiling our boards with a mix of butter, beef fat, duck fat, chicken fat and olive oil?


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## sansho (Oct 24, 2022)

Jovidah said:


> Honestly I never gave it a whole lot of thought - always just used mineral oil - until Ikea stopped selling the stuff and I found out their internal reason was health concerns. Haven't really deep-dived the topic yet but they tend to be ahead of the curve a lot of the things and I ran into at least some more recent literature that had concerns about mineral oil consumption even in smaller quantities.



if you find out more, lmk. that's kind of concerning to me since i use it all the time.

concerning the board though.. what if OP soaked it in some other oil? mineral oil or something else? maybe it could just swap some out via diffusion and dilute the rancid stuff. not all of it would come out (the stuff that's really oxidized), but maybe it would help enough?


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## jjlotti (Oct 24, 2022)

The sun is the strongest anti bacterial I can think of that won't completely jack up further....keep wiping it as the heat draws the oil out....theories i would consider but never have tried or needed to  scotch pad scrub with dawn. Flush with a lighter oil to flush the evil out in that lucky old sol. Do yhey make a thin viscosity mineral?


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## Justinv (Oct 24, 2022)

Instead of grapeseed, you can try walnut oil. It actually cures and hardens eventually so it shouldn’t go rancid. I’m currently trying odie’s oil on my wooden countertops. Its a curing oil/wax blend.


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## William Hunt (Oct 24, 2022)

Not sure if walnut oil would cause a problem with someone who has nut allergies. That’s not a laughing matter.


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## McMan (Oct 24, 2022)

Multi-step restoration process:
(1) Throw it out.
(2) Buy a Boardsmith (or something akin to one).
(3) Maintain with mineral oil and board butter.
(4) No need to ever repeat step 1.


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## sansho (Oct 24, 2022)

very close!



McMan said:


> Multi-step restoration process:
> (1) Throw it out.
> (2) Buy a Boardsmith (or something akin to one).
> (3) Maintain with mineral oil and board butter.
> ...


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## MarcelNL (Oct 24, 2022)

veg oil going rancid is IMHO not caused by bacteria but by oxidation, right?


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## MarcelNL (Oct 24, 2022)

I am not able to throw the Hagesawa in the dishwasher, waaaay to large.


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## JoBone (Oct 24, 2022)

I would put it in the oven wrapped in newspaper or old rags. Heat it are a lowish temp, maybe stared with 200, to force the oil out. Think I would bake it 8-12 hours. You won’t get it all, but it should help. 

End grain boards are the best, sorry it wasn’t treated well.


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## stringer (Oct 24, 2022)

r0bz said:


> what kind of scraper ?
> can you send a picture











Bahco 474-125 Cabinet Scraper 5 Inch Length BAH4741250






www.abolox.com


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## coxhaus (Oct 24, 2022)

So, I ordered a small maple cutting board which I am going to try walnut oil on it and see how it goes. Anybody has recommendation for walnut oil for cutting boards?

None of my friends have a nut allergy.


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## Jovidah (Oct 25, 2022)

Justinv said:


> Instead of grapeseed, you can try walnut oil. It actually cures and hardens eventually so it shouldn’t go rancid. I’m currently trying odie’s oil on my wooden countertops. Its a curing oil/wax blend.


I've heard grapeseed and walnut described in the same breath by woodworkers as both being semi-curing (and not prone to rancidity as a result). Although the risk is small, the nut allergy risk (well and to be honest, price difference) is why I'm leaning towards grapeseed.
Pure tung oil also gets a lot of positive mentions, but the curing time rather turns me off.


MarcelNL said:


> I am not able to throw the Hagesawa in the dishwasher, waaaay to large.


The trick is to figure out your dishwasher measurements before buying. I have the same problem with my 1/1 GN plastic board...


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## MarcelNL (Oct 25, 2022)

I was just looking up oils, as I'm kindof carelessly using EVO in between beeswax spa treatments, and found that stand oil (linseed oil boiled over longer period in the absence of oxygen) may be a better alternative than 'boiled' linseed which is mixed with some yucky catalytic (lead oxide in the old days)
My carpenter grandpa would have used boiled linseed no doubt, I'm not so sure I want it anywhere near my food.

thoughts anyone?


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## miggus (Oct 25, 2022)

Get something that is cleared as food safe, then you should be fine.


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## DavidScubadiver (Oct 25, 2022)

Which cancers are associated with exposure to mineral oils?​Exposure to mineral oils is strongly associated with an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, particularly of the scrotum.Yay. A link.

I see no reason not to use fractionated coconut oil instead. Doesn’t seem unreasonably priced here in the us. Fractionated Coconut Oil on Amazon though it is THREE times as costly as fda food safe mineral oil.


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## sansho (Oct 25, 2022)

DavidScubadiver said:


> Exposure to mineral oils is strongly associated with an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, particularly of the scrotum.Yay. A link.



hm. of the scrotum, you say 

that article specifically says the warning doesn't apply to food/pharma-grade mineral oil, though...



> Oils used in cosmetic products are typically highly refined, whereas those used in automotive oils and fluids tend to be unrefined or only mildly treated. Highly refined products are not covered in this section.


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## DavidScubadiver (Oct 25, 2022)

sansho said:


> hm. of the scrotum, you say
> 
> that article specifically says the warning doesn't apply to food/pharma-grade mineral oil, though...


I should have read it through. But I started with this one and thought the other more fun. Highly refined mineral oil data sheet.  

And then there are other articles of kids getting sick from it. But ingesting for constipation and wiping on a board once a month seems quite different. Even so, I am inclined to use coconuts.


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## Justinv (Oct 25, 2022)

MarcelNL said:


> My carpenter grandpa would have used boiled linseed no doubt, I'm not so sure I want it anywhere near my food.
> 
> thoughts anyone?


The old school heated oil is called polymerized linseed oil and some commercial products use it. Here is an article on it.

Polymerized Oil

That article claims True-Oil is one of these and that product is often mentioned for use on handles around here but I have seen no mention of using it on boards.


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## sansho (Oct 25, 2022)

DavidScubadiver said:


> I should have read it through. But I started with this one and thought the other more fun. Highly refined mineral oil data sheet.



but that one also doesn't say anything bad about mineral oil...

i'm open to the idea that it could be bad, but i'm just not finding evidence and don't understand where the paranoia is coming from. i've looked but haven't found anything credible.


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## btbyrd (Oct 25, 2022)

People! Don‘t use drying oils on cutting boards. There‘s a reason nobody is talking about putting Tru Oil or linseed oil or tung oil on their cutting boards. Yeesh.


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## Jovidah (Oct 25, 2022)

btbyrd said:


> People! Don‘t use drying oils on cutting boards. There‘s a reason nobody is talking about putting Tru Oil or linseed oil or tung oil on their cutting boards. Yeesh.


Actually plenty of people talk about applying tung oil to cutting boards.


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## sansho (Oct 25, 2022)

yeah, i am reading about tung oil now. seems popular. what gives? does pure/untreated tung oil not cure?


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## Jovidah (Oct 25, 2022)

sansho said:


> yeah, i am reading about tung oil now. seems popular. what gives? does pure/untreated tung oil not cure?


It does, problem is that it takes very long. Which is why most 'tung oil' products on the market aren't pure tung oil.
(At least that's my takeaway from watching Stumpy Nubs and others on YT; not talking from actual experience here)

There's actually a Dutch board manufacturer who specifically sells tung oil cured boards. They've been in business for multiple decades. The idea is that because it cures the oil doesn't leach out constantly require far less reapplication of oil (which is one of the issues with mineral oil; it basically gets washed out everytime you apply water & soap).


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## coxhaus (Oct 25, 2022)

I have used a lot of Tung oil in the past on different pieces of furniture and it was more like a hard finish. A knife would cut it up. I think what I used was Minmax Tung oil.

I put a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax on both of my maple workbenches. The beeswax keeps white glue from sticking. It is not permanent as the beeswax goes away over time. My workbench top was waxy at first. If you polish it, then the glue sticks.

The linseed oil I have claims it has heavy metals in it so it would not be a good solution cutting boards.

Still waiting for a Walnut nut oil solution for cutting boards. Anybody know? I have always used mineral oil.

Is there a way to add beeswax to mineral oil? Can you just heat the mineral oil and melt the beeswax in it and then rub it on the cutting board? When it gets cold does it separate again?

PS
I guess I need to buy some pure Tung oil from Woodcraft and try it. Ater researching online seems like there is a difference in different Tung oils. I kind of like using beeswax and linseed oil. For furniture you can use an electric polisher to make it shine. I used it on my maple trim boards in my kitchen when I remodeled. It is working in my kitchen and the maple is aging well. The color is getting a nice golden color.

I used poly on my kitchen cabinets when I refinished them as I was told the other would not stand up to the high humidity in the kitchen.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 26, 2022)

coxhaus said:


> I have used a lot of Tung oil in the past on different pieces of furniture and it was more like a hard finish. A knife would cut it up. I think what I used was Minmax Tung oil.
> 
> I put a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax on both of my maple workbenches. The beeswax keeps white glue from sticking. It is not permanent as the beeswax goes away over time. My workbench top was waxy at first. If you polish it, then the glue sticks.
> 
> ...



Mineral oil + beeswax is super easy. I like to do it in a small jar sitting in a pan of hot water. You'll have to decide on the ratio you like. A lot of folks like around 4 to 1 (oil to wax) but I like it thinner so I up the oil.

Pour some oil in the jar and get it hot, feed in a little beeswax and stir. It'll likely seize up at first but will melt and flow. Repeat until you've incorporated all your wax.

Let it cool. No separating. Great for boards.


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## Jovidah (Oct 26, 2022)

Yeah I've done the au bain marie approach in the past and it works well. No mess, no fuss. Just melt it on a low fire, then stir. Should remain spreadable for just about forever.
No idea if board butter works with other oils. I can imagine some (semi)curing oils may pose problems. The main thing to watch out for when buying tung oil is that you actually get undilluted pure tung oil, since most products that say tung oil on the label actually contain a lot of other stuff, and not all of it might be food-safe.


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## Delat (Oct 26, 2022)

coxhaus said:


> I have used a lot of Tung oil in the past on different pieces of furniture and it was more like a hard finish. A knife would cut it up. I think what I used was Minmax Tung oil.
> 
> I put a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax on both of my maple workbenches. The beeswax keeps white glue from sticking. It is not permanent as the beeswax goes away over time. My workbench top was waxy at first. If you polish it, then the glue sticks.
> 
> ...



Minwax is a mix of varnish + tung oil. Unless a product is specifically sold as "pure tung oil" or "pure linseed oil" it's likely mixed with other ingredients including poly or varnish.


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## coxhaus (Oct 26, 2022)

So, I am thinking walnut oil is not a solution and I need to buy more mineral oil?

My new little cutting board is going to be here Friday.


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## btbyrd (Oct 26, 2022)

I don't know of any reputable manufacturer of cutting boards who recommends drying oils as part of the care routine for their products. There are a few who use such oils during manufacturing, typically diluted with mineral spirits, varnish, or naphtha. But it's not for ordinary maintenance of cutting boards. If you want to seal up the bench top in your shop, go for it.

Walnut oil goes fishy rancid quickly and will create a tacky surface in the quantities you need to use it in. People who like walnut oil finishes on things like bowls are using a very, very thin coat (like if you're seasoning cast iron). They're not inundating the grain with copious oil and allowing it to soak in. Best practice is to flood the zone with mineral oil, let it absorb forever, and then seal it up with board butter (beeswax mixed with mineral oil). The wax is impermeable to moisture and won't melt at normal washing/rinsing temps.


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## coxhaus (Oct 26, 2022)

I used turpentine to melt my beeswax for the boiled linseed, beeswax mixture I used on my workbenches. Turpentine can't be used on cutting boards as it is poisonous.


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## martchap (Oct 27, 2022)

coxhaus said:


> I have used a lot of Tung oil in the past on different pieces of furniture and it was more like a hard finish. A knife would cut it up. I think what I used was Minmax Tung oil.
> 
> I put a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax on both of my maple workbenches. The beeswax keeps white glue from sticking. It is not permanent as the beeswax goes away over time. My workbench top was waxy at first. If you polish it, then the glue sticks.
> 
> ...


If you want a beeswax & mineral oil mixture, but don't want to blend it yourself, there are quite a few inexpensive options available: Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner is "a combination of pure USP grade mineral oil, beeswax, and carnauba wax." Walrus Wood Wax also has very similar ingredients.


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## William Hunt (Oct 28, 2022)

If you’re looking for a food safe finish to seal a new board, look up Real Milk Paint Half and Half. It’s basically pure tung oil mixed with a citrus based thinner. Personally, I would mix it myself and use one part tung oil and three parts thinner. I think the trick is to seal the wood without building up a film finish. Extra thinner allows the tung oil to seep deeper into the wood. I know it works with a solvent (naphtha), but I have never tried the food safe thinner.
Or just keep reapplying mineral oil. Once a day for a week. Once a week for a month. Once a month forever. In the end you are just trying to protect the wood without making anyone sick.


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## William Hunt (Oct 28, 2022)

I should have mentioned that you should use a pure tung oil like Howard’s .


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## Betsy L (Nov 7, 2022)

If you are to the point where you feel you have nothing to lose, try this stuff. I used it to remove years of built up tung/linseed oil on teak furniture and it melted the finish right off. You may be concerned about solvent residue-there is a non-toxic kitchen option but not sure if it is as powerful. https://www.amazon.com/Krud-Kutter-...021pAnSA==&sprefix=krud+cutter,aps,109&sr=8-4


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## Dhoff (Nov 7, 2022)

soop what happened to OPs board?


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