Mineral Oil

[lonepine]

Hello, I read somewhere about using mineral oil as a finish on wood work. Does anybody know of or used this product for this purpose? Thanks Bob.

[Grizz]

Hello, I read somewhere about using mineral oil as a finish on wood work. Does anybody know of or used this product for this purpose? Thanks Bob.

A Cutting Board/salad bowls surface needs an oil that can be repeatedly applied to fill the wood pores and repel food particles, liquids and oils.

The oil must be an inert oil or otherwise it will turn rancid. You should never use vegetable or cooking oils to treat or finish a cutting surface as in time the wood will reek of a rancid spoiled oil odor.

For initial treatment and continuing maintenance a Pure Raw Almond or Walnut Oil or Mineral Oil. It is usually recommended to 'oil' your wooden salad bowls/cutting boards once a month.

Mineral Oil for cutting boards/salad bowls is the only application that I know.

[arbarnhart]

It is commonly used on fingerboards of fretted instruments also. Check the ingredients of products sold in the music stores as string easing or fast fretting compounds and mineral oil will often be the primary component.

[Pyrographer]

I use mineral oil on items that I do that might be used for food such as bowls. For our fretwork we use danish oil.
Nedra

[GrayBeard Phil]

LonePine:

I use mineral oil from the Laxative section of my local Drug Store to finish real simple animal puzzles for very small children; where there is a good chance of wood in mouth with the children.

This is just my humble opinion:

I use the mineral oil not for the child, but for the Mother. There is a long and heated debate over the toxic levels of other finishes (when they are fully cured.) On another forum, some asked are the finishes any more toxic than the raw wood?

Don't mater anymore; too many young mothers just believe the stories about toxic finishes. Only the objects the Mothers decide are safe are going to be given to the children.

(also note: modern mothers also load up the dishwasher with the kids toys. Why bother with a finish that most likely be run thru the dishwasher and messed up. And talk about raising the grain!!)

BTW: Patrick and Patricia Spielman's book Scroll Saw Puzzle Patterns (Sterling Press) is my source of very young kid's puzzles. Book has been around for about 20 years. Rabbits, Bears, Turtles, Puppies, baby elephants, and so forth.

Phil

[lonepine]

all for your responces. This place is like R.S. have questions, you people have answers...Thank you. Bob

[Magpie]

Mineral oil

OMG I'm old. I put mineral oil on my shopping list for this week, and my son went to the grocery store and neither he nor the young folks working there had ever heard of it or knew where to find it. They were looking in the cooking oil section...