Mineral oil

[dan sherman]

I saw someone on the DIY channel using cooking oil (I presume it's regular old vegetable oil) and mentioned to my wife that it didn't look right. She informed me that people had been doing it for years. Wonder how mineral oil compares to that?

God I hope not, vegetable oil goes rancid after a while.

[Guy Belleman]

also baby oil is mineral oil. In my store, mineral oil is located in both areas under different brands. So, I always purchase the best buy at the time.

[Brian Penning]

I switched to using thinned varnish quite some time ago and have applied it to dozens of items, including the monster below.-it's so much better in every way. Lasts longer, less messy and looks great.
Came across the idea on the Woodwhisperer's site.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/ar...butcher_block/

[George Beck]

Mineral Oil is currently the only FDA approved finish, if that is a concern (resale perhaps). I like walnut oil but some people have allergic reaction (like peanut oil). I find the best finish for boards, although not the easiest) is 1-2 coats of pure mineral oil followed by a coat of mineral oil and bee's wax).

George

[Kent A Bathurst]

Mineral Oil is currently the only FDA approved finish, if that is a concern (resale perhaps). I like walnut oil but some people have allergic reaction (like peanut oil). I find the best finish for boards, although not the easiest) is 1-2 coats of pure mineral oil followed by a coat of mineral oil and bee's wax).

George

Exactly!!



tenten

[Aaron Wingert]

God I hope not, vegetable oil goes rancid after a while.

Agreed, not a good product to use! Although it isn't really visually apparent when it happens, vegetable oil does go bad after a while and can present a health hazard in wood items used for food prep.

[Philip Rodriquez]

Originally, I tried General Fininshes Salad bowl finish... but the boards lost their shine after they got wet. Now, I use mineral oil, 1.88 a quart at Walmart.

[Russ Filtz]

I also vote for the mineral oil w/ paraffin/beeswax melted in. Run it in thick and scrape off the excess when dried.

[George Beck]

Keep in mind that with cutting boards, that is boards intended to slice or use a knife on the surface, the purpose of the finish is to keep bad stuff out. Even Watco once cured is perfectly safe and I am personally skeptical that even if it were not the amount of contaminant from a knife edge seems very small. The idea here is to fill the woods pores so citric acids and meat juices and fat do not soak into the wood. This is where bacteria and mold can grow. Some woods like Hard maple and bamboo are naturally bacterial resistant. Bee's wax is also resistant to bacterial growth, to protect baby bees I assume. The mineral oil finish is perishable and needs refreshed from time to time. I might mention I make cutting boards and pastry boards for sale and so I had to do a lot of research on this topic, even checking with a lawyer on the FDA regulations. I did write to the Food Channel about the vegetable oil recommendation but received no reply.

[Mike Henderson]

And just in case anyone wants to know where mineral oil comes from, see here.

Mike

[Brian Penning]

Mineral Oil is currently the only FDA approved finish, if that is a concern (resale perhaps). I like walnut oil but some people have allergic reaction (like peanut oil). I find the best finish for boards, although not the easiest) is 1-2 coats of pure mineral oil followed by a coat of mineral oil and bee's wax).

George

This might be found interesting in that regards...
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/finish3.html

[David Winer]

Pure California walnut oil heat treated to do what??? Comeon... you can't seriously believe that mumbo jumbo!

It’s always a crapshoot whether to believe claims about products. Since we can’t even begin to be experts on the literally thousands of items offered to us in commerce, we end up using our life experiences to evaluate product claims. For instance, in this case of a claim to “heat treated” oil one might logically connect the process to that of boiled linseed oil. And then conclude, without really knowing anything about the chemistry of the product, that the walnut oil has beneficial properties similar to those of boiled linseed oil.

So, mumbo jumbo or solid chemistry? I can’t tell. Could be either one. But the fact that a very respectable vendor vouches for the product lends some credence to the notion of a product’s quality.

Anyway, I’ve learned here that mineral oil works well (if I can believe all the assertions) and will give it a try. Actually, I hope to do a side-by-side comparison with walnut oil—then I will have a much better idea of what to believe. This test will require obtaining the oils, making identical cutting boards, and the passage of time. Look for the results in a future thread here on the Creek.

[George Beck]

This might be found interesting in that regards...
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/finish3.html

Brian

What a great article! I completely agree. When I conversations with a lawyer, the advise was not about safety, which was concerning, it was about being able to show a FDA approved stamp on what ever you used( this applied to the glue Titebond III as well). It is a litigious society. There is a tendency in our society to think that an FDA approved or at least meets FDA requirements is safe that all others are thus not safe. The FDA does not test all finishes, only those brought to their attention. I eat salad from bowls I made finished with Danish Oil and have no reservations (well other than this twitch). But if you go on TV and recommend a finish then you might have someone take issue with you.

[Frank Drew]

Baby oil often has fragrance added, so might not be suitable for food contact pieces.

[Howard Acheson]

An excellent treatment for wooden food preparation surfaces like cutting boards and butcher blocks is a mixture of mineral oil and either paraffin or beeswax. This is what is used on many commercial wood surfaces. It will last longer and be more protective than just mineral oil. Mineral oil can be found in most supermarkets in the pharmacy section or in a true pharmacy. Paraffin is found in the canning section of the store or in a hardware store.

Heat the oil in a double boiler and shave in some wax. The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine. Stir the mixture until all the wax is liquefied. Apply the mixture heavily and let it set 10-12 hours or overnight. Next day do it again and continue until the wood will no longer absorb the finish. Let it set for 10-12 hours and then lightly scrape off any excess. Then buff it with a rag.

Reapply whenever the wood begins to look dry.

Never put a wood board in the dishwasher and don't soak it in dishwater for long periods.