# What mineral oil do you use...



## mark76 (Nov 14, 2014)

... for your carbon knives, but also cutting boards. I use mineral oil, because it won't go rancid.

But I don't like the smell of Ballistol, which I use now. I've heard Camelia oil smells a lot better. Is this true?

What oil do you prefer and why?


----------



## 99Limited (Nov 14, 2014)

Regular mineral oil, as far as I'm aware, is odorless and colorless. I use what ever I find in the pharmacy section at the grocery.

I have some Camellia oil that I use on my blades if I'm putting them away for a while. I didn't notice any odor from it.


----------



## XooMG (Nov 14, 2014)

I got a bottle of mineral oil for cutting boards at Ikea because it was conveniently available. Works fine.


----------



## Ruso (Nov 14, 2014)

Mineral oil that is sold in pharmacies as laxative.


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 14, 2014)

Exactly the same as everyone said above: the $2 bottle from the Kroger pharmacy. Mine lasted me for about a year, had no odor, and worked just fine. I only have one blade I use it on, a Usuba that I don't use much (I need to spend a few weeks using it exclusively, actually). Other than that, I use it on boards (or the odd carbon passaround).


----------



## Chifunda (Nov 14, 2014)

Ditto to all the above comments re mineral oil; pharmacy section of your local grocery store.

I used camelia oil on all my chisels and cast iron hand planes when I was woodworking. It does an excellent job of preventing rust but be aware that it will harden over time and will need to be removed with a solvent. I'd never use it on my cutting board.

Ballistol is amazing stuff, but wouldn't be my first choice for an aftershave. :biggrin:


----------



## Karnstein (Nov 14, 2014)

XooMG said:


> I got a bottle of mineral oil for cutting boards at Ikea because it was conveniently available. Works fine.


Same here...


----------



## johnstoc (Nov 14, 2014)

I've just used the stuff from the pharmacy at ~$3/pint. One thing I don't really like is how thick it is. I have been on the lookout for low viscosity (thin) mineral oil as I'm curious how it would work. I am hoping to create a mixture that replicates this product:
http://www.earlywooddesigns.com/collections/food-safe-mineral-oil/products/earlywood-oil

I haven't tried that oil but would like to.


----------



## WildBoar (Nov 14, 2014)

The mineral oil I picked up at CVS is also thick, especially when compared to the stuff sold at Sur La Table. But I think it's because they may 'cut' the oil specifically sold as for cutting boards to make it flow better. But to replicate with the drug-store mineral oil, just warm it a little in a pot on the stove or in the microwave and it will flow much better.


----------



## Richard78 (Nov 14, 2014)

XooMG said:


> I got a bottle of mineral oil for cutting boards at Ikea because it was conveniently available. Works fine.



The mineral oil from Ikea is absolutely fine and pretty cheap.


----------



## zitangy (Nov 14, 2014)

I hv tried the mineral oil for Ikea but it is too think for my liking. I like it thin so that it can penetrate quicker and easier. Switched to Howard's Butchers block adn also Boos ( John Boos )Mystery Oil and they are both graded as food safe. The latter , i believe as a little bit but of Tung oil which does enhance the depth and color of the grains and makes it comes alive and leaves a thin layer of resin . Slightly more protection.


IF you cna get food safe Tung oil, you can do yr own mix with mineral oil.
rgds
d


----------



## mark76 (Nov 14, 2014)

As much as I love Tung oil for my knife handles, it is not mineral oil and it will get rancid over time. No problem for knife handles on which I put only a light film and then wipe it off, but I wouldn't use it on my boards.


----------



## riba (Nov 14, 2014)

Richard78 said:


> The mineral oil from Ikea is absolutely fine and pretty cheap.



Yep, works for me too


----------



## mark76 (Nov 14, 2014)

Is the IKEA mineral oil odourless? In that case, I'll pay them a visit soon.


----------



## XooMG (Nov 14, 2014)

mark76 said:


> Is the IKEA mineral oil odourless? In that case, I'll pay them a visit soon.


Seems to be...pretty neutral stuff. Just a bit viscous, but I like that for knives. It's also very reasonably priced if you live in an area where chemists don't sell mineral oil as a laxative.


----------



## larrybard (Nov 14, 2014)

Ikea mineral oil may be fine, and not too expensive, but I'd be surprised if the unit price is better (at least in the U.S.) than mineral oil commonly found in drug stores.


----------



## XooMG (Nov 14, 2014)

larrybard said:


> Ikea mineral oil may be fine, and not too expensive, but I'd be surprised if the unit price is better (at least in the U.S.) than mineral oil commonly found in drug stores.


It is not found in most drug stores in many places.


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 14, 2014)

XooMG said:


> It is not found in most drug stores in many places.



I would imagine that any locale that has an Ikea, has a number of grocery/pharmacy stores with mineral oil...of course there's always this:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&index=blended&keywords=mineral oil&link_code=qs&tag=opera-20


----------



## Karnstein (Nov 14, 2014)

Zwiefel said:


> I would imagine that any locale that has an Ikea, has a number of grocery/pharmacy stores with mineral oil...of course there's always this:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&index=blended&keywords=mineral oil&link_code=qs&tag=opera-20



In German we have a term called "Apothekenpreise" (pharmacy prices), which basically stands for overpriced stuff. So I would be surprised if a bottle of mineral oil from a German pharmacy store beats the price of a IKEA Skydd bottle. 

Which holds 0.5L (is that ~16 ounces?) and costs 3.99 Euros in Germany... or 4.99$ in the US according to the IKEA web store...


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 14, 2014)

Karnstein said:


> In German we have a term called "Apothekenpreise" (pharmacy prices), which basically stands for overpriced stuff. So I would be surprised if a bottle of mineral oil from a German pharmacy store beats the price of a IKEA Skydd bottle.
> 
> Which holds 0.5L (is that ~16 ounces?) and costs 3.99 Euros in Germany... or 4.99$ in the US according to the IKEA web store...



Yeah...same thing with Pharmacies here...but convenience stores (usually attached to gasoline/petrol stations) are much more notorious over here.

yes, .5L is roughly 16oz. 

That looks like a pretty good price to me...assuming same quality.


----------



## muddywaterstones (Nov 14, 2014)

Damn! I paid 7 here in a chemist here in France. I feel done seeing the German price. Next time I go to IKEA. That said, I hate the way they lay out their stores. I feel like a rat in a maze without any assurance that there is actually a way out. And where are the toilets? After supping on some mineral oil, due to thirst, the bast**ds go and hide the toilets. That is out of order! Yeah, it's Friday and I've had some wine...........In fact I must have bought that mineral oil 2 years ago and still have half of it left. Either it's some good sh*t or I don't use half enough of it!


----------



## daveb (Nov 14, 2014)

Many things are different across the oceans - but it sounds like IKEA is the same....


----------



## Ruso (Nov 14, 2014)

I was looking at ikea thing, SKYDD, and it's not meant to be digested. However, looks like it safe around the food. Also is does not say mineral oil. I wonder if its a mix of mineral oil with something else.


----------



## insomniac (Nov 14, 2014)

Maybe this should go in a separate thread, but I'm curious what is the difference between board wax and board oil? Do you need both? I only oil myself (camellia and I have a free boos one that came with my board), but have noticed wax/creams available regularly as well...


----------



## Keith Sinclair (Nov 14, 2014)

I use Howard's Butcher Block for cutting board. CVS mineral oil with a little clove oil for Carbon knives. CVS from Drug Store & Clove oil health food store. Kind of like the smell of clove and it is antibacterial, good for Carbons in wooden sayas.


----------



## XooMG (Nov 14, 2014)

Ruso said:


> I was looking at ikea thing, SKYDD, and it's not meant to be digested. However, looks like it safe around the food. Also is does not say mineral oil. I wonder if its a mix of mineral oil with something else.


Product description on the website and in the little leaflet that came with the bottle both say "mineral oil".


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 14, 2014)

XooMG said:


> Product description on the website and in the little leaflet that came with the bottle both say "mineral oil".



Not all mineral oil is food-grade.


----------



## larrybard (Nov 14, 2014)

Zwiefel said:


> Not all mineral oil is food-grade.



That may be true, but Ikea's website does specifically say:

SKYDD wood oil is a white mineral oil. It contains no solvents and is totally non-toxic. The oil does not give off a strong odour or taint foods which come into contact with oiled surfaces. . . . Swallowing a small amount of the oil is not dangerous, but it may have a laxative effect.


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 14, 2014)

larrybard said:


> That may be true, but Ikea's website does specifically say:
> 
> SKYDD wood oil is a white mineral oil. It contains no solvents and is totally non-toxic. The oil does not give off a strong odour or taint foods which come into contact with oiled surfaces. . . . Swallowing a small amount of the oil is not dangerous, but it may have a laxative effect.



Sounds legit.


----------



## zitangy (Nov 15, 2014)

mark76 said:


> As much as I love Tung oil for my knife handles, it is not mineral oil and it will get rancid over time. No problem for knife handles on which I put only a light film and then wipe it off, but I wouldn't use it on my boards.




Interesting question as to tung oil turning rancid.. I did a quick search and......
http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/showthread.php?3899-Tung-Oil-Smell

Hopefully this guy is right......
" I am not sure tung oil will go 'rancid' without polymerizing. This is one of the "drying" oils, that, in the presence of oxygen, and heat/time will allow the oil molecules to link to one another to form the durable surface that we desire. Among the "vegetable oils", tung oil produces one of the hardest finishes (better than linseed [flax] oil) and although the drying rate is slow compared to other finishes, it still produces a good surface that protects the wood pretty well. The fact that the oil you are using seems to accomplish the polymerization process correctly, and does not smell badly after it 'cures' lends me to think that there are also volatile compounds in the oil which you find offensive that are released in the drying/curing process. I don't think your oil is rancid, at least in the sense of the partially-oxidized, non-drying oils (like corn oil or "vegetable oil") which can go rancid without altering its physical properties appreciably. I think truly 'rancid' tung oil would be a solid in the bottle!

Tung oil comes from the seeds of a tree that is in the same family as poinsettia (Euphorbiaceae), and this family of flowering plants is known to have a complex chemistry in its tissues. The degree to which the processor has cleaned the native oil as it is prepared prior to packaging likely has a lot to do with how many other compounds are present in the final product. Because other commercially-available tung oil-based products are mixtures, they may not smell as bad (or at all) if: 1. higher purity oils are used, 2. the oil has been diluted by other additives in the finish, or 3. the volatile compounds causing the offending odor(s) is/are masked by other compounds.

I suppose the question comes down to what the meaning of "pure" is....

Hope this helps a bit...

Rob Wallace
Rob Wallace

Ames, Iowa
President, Ames Area Woodturners 
Member, Board of Directors - American Association of Woodturners - [email protected]
Member, Des Moines Woodturners 
Vice-President, Board of Trustees, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames, Iowa - www.octagonarts.org
My Woodturning Gallery -- Rob Wallace's Homepage - Find Me on Facebook
Woodturners: Check out my Woodturning Links Web Page - http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rwallace/WTlinks.html


----------



## Keith Sinclair (Nov 15, 2014)

Thanks Zitangy for info. Use a mix of pure Tung oil & clear shellac for finish on knife handles. For cutting board like mineral oil with some Carnauba & Bees wax.


----------



## mc2442 (Nov 15, 2014)

Assume the expiration date on mineral oil is not that important for oiling a board. Only the first coat I put on my new cherry board from boardsmith, and I plan to replace it for the second coat, but it is a wee bit past due (said very sarcastically).


----------



## krx927 (Nov 24, 2014)

XooMG said:


> I got a bottle of mineral oil for cutting boards at Ikea because it was conveniently available. Works fine.



I use the same ^


----------

