Lunacy or Logic re: Oil ?

[Scott Perkins47]

For 35 years I have been using motor oil on all my leather goods
instead of saddle soap, or neatsfoot oil etc. My reason was
that those natural oils always will dry up and motor oil will not.
Turns out that new motor oil has very little odor and the
new synthetic oils ( that I have used ) have zero offensive
odor such that I have used it on wifes leather coat and auto
leather seats etc.
Last week I put some motor oil on some wood tool handles
and a very old and very dry oak icebox. Where the oil really
soaked in on the oak icebox I kept applying until it would
soak up no more oil. Finally after several days I rubbed
with dry cloth and the icebox looks fabulous. Unlike other
furniture oils, I do not think the motor oil will EVER dry out.
Am I crazy ? The oiled and slightly rubbed wood ( rubbed mostly
to scrub the surface a little of stain etc ) looks terrific.
In case you wanted to know, it was Castrol Syntec 5w-50.

[Todd Carpenter]

Boy, that's a new one on me! Does it rub off or transfer to anything set on it, like paper or fabric?

[Scott Perkins47]

There is no transfer to anything. In fact I think it behaves exactly
the way other Tung Oils or Linseed Oils behave appearance
wise except the oil will never evaporate away leaving the
wood dry. I have my leather high school football shoes
( and hockey skates and leather belts )
from 1972 preserved with motor oil. Had I used any kind
of leather oil they would be like crunchy potato chips.
I believe the motor oil in wood will last similarly.

[Rob Hermann]

I know years ago there were some guys on the river that used the red Dexron Transmission fluid exclusively to finsih the teak decks and swim platforms. They had a pretty look but did seem to collect a little more dirt everywhere than the other more traditional finishing oils and coatings. Other than that I guess it worked fine. It gave it a pretty color too, an orangish golden look.

[Michael O'Sullivan]

The oils used in furniture finishing (like tung oil, BLO etc) don't evaporate -- they cure. Mineral oil is, I believe, the main exception.

The main problem I would foresee with saturating wood that will be touched with motor oil is that every time you touch it, you will get motor oil on your hands.

[Scott Perkins47]

Michael, please define the word "cure"
The point is I think that Tung oil and BLO do not remain
liquid and thusly appear to be "dry" to me. ( if they are not
liquid ) In my mind, if oil that remains wet clings to
the internal wood and displaces moisture, I can see
how it might act as preservative. You are wrong about
getting oil on you when you touch the wood. Just like
any other oil, the wood soaks up as much as it can
and then you wipe off the surface if there is any left.
Go ahead and try it with a scrap piece of wood
and see what you think.
Since you mention mineral oil as not drying out,
what is the difference between motor oil
and mineral oil as it relates to wood ?

I just did a Google on Mineral oil and found
it is also a petroleum oil and another comment
was made that mineral oil is the "basis for most
automotive engine oils.

So, to my surprise, motor oil is basically mineral
oil ( or Baby Oil ) except it has the motor oil
additives that wood obviously doesnt need.
I guess I'll just use baby oil or bottles of mineral
oil if I see them labeled as such.

[Rob Fisher]

Tung oil and linseed oil are drying oils. Meaning that a chemical reaction occurs when they are in the presence of oxygen. They actually become a hard film that will stay hard and will not become a liquid again.

Oil based products (dino oil, the stuff we drill from the ground), like mineral oil or automotive engine oil, do not harden (and that's good because who would want hardened oil in there engine? ).

I would be had pressed to use a non drying oil on much of anything. Even for kitchen utensils and cutting boards I like all natural drying oils (typically nut or seed oils).

[Michael O'Sullivan]

Sorry that I was unclear. What you would look for in leather treatment is very different that what you would look for in wood treatment (at least usually). In wood, you want something that hardens (i.e. cures or polymerizes) to provide a barrier between the outside elements and the wood. With leather (or metal) , you want constant lubrication.