# linseed oil vs. mineral oil for food grade wood



## Paul Wheaton (May 10, 2002)

Today I'm learning about what to smear on my wooden kitchen stuff. And the two possibilities both seem yucky.

Mineral oil is a petroleum product. I'm not real crazy about smearing a petroleum product over my cutting boards and wooden spoons.

Linseed oil will turn rancid over time. Another turn off.

Are there other options?


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

Tung oil, but make sure it is pure, not just a tung oil product. I comes from the nut of the tung tree. It doesn't go rancid.


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## kitaye (Sep 19, 2005)

Olive oil. POur on a heavy amount and let the wood absorb as much as it can. You'll see dry spots appearing as the wood sucks it up. Move the oil from still heavy wet spots to the dry spots. After several hours of this you'll see what spots need more oil and what areas do not. When you are ready to finish it up use paper towels to absorb the left over oil. ONce you get down to the wood just looking a little damp, take a clean wash cloth and wipe it down really good. Almost like you are polishing it.

It's an all day project but it works great and I haven't had any issues with the oil going rancid. You'll have to reapply the oil every couple of months for the first year or so. After that reapply only when the wood looks like it is drying out.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

We have always used food grade walnut oil. It doesn't turn rancid. Find it in your grocery store. Smells nice too.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I have kitchen cabinets that have had tung oil only applied as a finish and they have held up fantastically and the tung oil is food grade safe. Even an iced mug will not water mark the finish if left on the finished area over night. The tung oil is user friendly in the application also. For each level sheen desired just apply the tung oil until it is reached.

This is after 17 years of use


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

Don't have any wood counters anymore- used olive oil when I did but was only there one year and didn't get it fully oiled (lazy- only did it when I realised I was getting it wet in cleaning/kitchen work). Every few months when DD is watching a movie I ask her to oil the wooden spoons and she rubs a half cup or so total olive oil on our few dozen olive and other wood spoons spatulas etc. (Bamboo doesn't absorb- think it's unfinished but maybe not) Those we seldom use/wash don't need as much. I use veg oil on rolling pin- mostly roll out sweet dough and don't want olive taste- and apply every few uses.


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## woodsrunner (Nov 28, 2003)

I use a product called "Boo's Mystery Oil". I got it from a shop that sells butcher block counter tops.


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

For wooden spoons, bowls, etc., that are in regular contact with food, we use coconut oil. It is very thick to solid at room temp, is entirely edible, and works well. No problems with things getting rancid, etc., or feeling excessively oily.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

boiled linseed oil is Poisonous and Raw is less Poisonous but still not to be used on food utensils.
http://www.allprocorp.com/techbuls/SunnyTB/7590TB21035BldLnsdOil.cfm


> CAUTION! INEDIBLE. NOT TO BE TAKEN INTERNALLY. Contains Linseed Oil. For further information, refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet. FIRST AID - IF SWALLOWED, call your poison control center, hospital emergency room or physician immediately for instructions.


http://kinne.net/poi-list.htm


> plant:Flax-Linum spp.
> toxicity: High
> parts of plant: all
> linseed oil & linseed cake
> cyanide


http://www.curbsideinc.com/HHW Info/NAHMMA-Alt to HHChem.pdf


> Linseed oil is available in two forms: raw and boiled. Raw
> linseed oil is practically non-toxic, but boiled linseed oil should
> be avoided because certain additives may be toxic to the liver.
> Linseed oil may cause moderate skin irritation and gloves
> should be worn to avoid skin exposure.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All About Oils by "Fine Wood Working" 
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Materials/MaterialsAllAbout.aspx?id=25486
note: information on oil finishes,
a lot of more information that posted and quoted, 




> True oils
> Vegetable oils play a critical role in the manufacture of finishes, and sometimes they are applied to wood either as a sealer under another finish, or as a stand-alone finish in their own right.
> 
> Some true oils, such as tung oil and walnut oil, polymerize (dry) readily by exposure to air. Others, such as boiled linseed oil, have metallic driers added to them to facilitate their curing. At one time, this process was initiated by heating the oil, hence the name. For the purpose of finishing, you should never use raw linseed oil because it will not dry, or cure properly on the wood surface.
> ...


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## Paul Wheaton (May 10, 2002)

Wow!!

A lot of really excellent info. 

A lot of this stuff I never knew. And after reading all of this, I spent hours poking around google feeding in all of this new stuff. 

With all of these suggestions followed by all the google research, here is what I decided to try: a thin layer of warmed walnut oil. Wait a day (not a problem to use it between layers). Another thin layer of warmed walnut oil. Wait a day. Warm a cup of walnut oil with two tablespoons of beeswax shavings. When the beeswax is melted, add a layer of this mix. Use the leftovers to make some cornbread (or a stir fry, or whatever!).

More news as events warrant!


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

Any CURED finish is food safe for woodworking. its been debated ad-infinitum on hte wood boards. Vegtable oils will turn rancid. after time. Walnut oil may add taste to your food if you use it to soon. Plain old mineral oil or beeswax work the best if your concerned. Anything used day to day needs to be cleaned occasionally with a mild bleech solution and reoiled. Its not an apply once and forget it situation


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## Paul Wheaton (May 10, 2002)

TNHermit said:


> Any CURED finish is food safe for woodworking. its been debated ad-infinitum on hte wood boards. Vegtable oils will turn rancid. after time. Walnut oil may add taste to your food if you use it to soon. Plain old mineral oil or beeswax work the best if your concerned. Anything used day to day needs to be cleaned occasionally with a mild bleech solution and reoiled. Its not an apply once and forget it situation


When you say "cured" - what do you have in mind?

If I am trying to avoid petroleum products, what would you recommend?


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## djb473 (Oct 15, 2005)

we use olive oil on wood and cast iron


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## FrankTheTank (Aug 27, 2003)

I use mineral oil...cheap and you can drink the stuff (its a laxative). It is very greasy. Walnut oil isn't cheap, i've wanted to buy it for a cutting board, but the priced scared me away. Wasn't aware of the coconut oil. I use it in cooking a lot (yummy!) and its neat how its rock hard when its cold and almost liquid when its 80F.


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## next61 (Jul 7, 2006)

Baby oil!!!! Same as butcher oil (mineral oil).


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Stay away from linseed oil like the others have mentioned. 

Boiled Linseed (BLO) is great as a waterproofing for wood that is going to be outside.

Studies that I have read show that bacteria can grow in BLO.

Here is something I found interesting....there are some woodworkers at the state fair. They make the coolest wood bowls...most cost $100 to $200. They use beeswax finish on all the bowls. I cant remember what the brand name is, but I am sure you can find it on the internet.
Clove


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

Paul Wheaton said:


> When you say "cured" - what do you have in mind?
> 
> If I am trying to avoid petroleum products, what would you recommend?


A cured finish is when what ever is used as driers are gone. The finish is cured. i don't want to bust any bubles here but tung oil you buy is not tung oil. its more of a high grade BLO. And BLO is not a waterprofing agent. It will last about one or two rains. NO finish lasts on objects that are used for everyday purposes. Mineral oil is probably the best and quickest but will NOt last that long. if you use it everyday your just as far ahead to have used a good dry hardwood or an african hardwood which have more atural oils in them., rinse it and dry it. There have been arguements about plastic versus wood and that wood supports bacteria. This has been shown not to be true unless it is kept wet. Plastic is more likely to support bacteria. if you have concerns then use a few drops of bleach in the wash water. Most beeswax finishes you buy have some type of drier in them. If you use pure beeswax then just warm it and rub in it. But it is exactly what it says. its a wax.
One of the best and easiest to use finishes is 1/3 beeswax 1/3 turpentine and 1/3 BLO. It homeade and used by a vast number of people who work with old finishes. Another is to replace the beeswax with polyurethane. Both finishes are appllied by wiping on and then wiping off and le dry. they require seveal coats to produce a build, or lustre


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

TNHermit
I differ with your opinion about the tung oil. I ordered a gallon of tung oil and it is oil from the tung nut and is a product from tung nuts grown in either Alabama or Louisiana. The label fully defined the contents and I can read. The tung oil on the cabinets in the pic has lasted from the original 3 coats until now without being recoated. I have use the tung oil on clock pendulums with excellent results also. If it a fine product and I was able to buy a gallon for less than $40 dollars at the time of application. The tung oil goes a long way when applying. Do you think these people are lying ? Do your see any resemblence to the cabinets in the pic and the pic at the site?
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

agmantoo said:


> TNHermit
> I differ with your opinion about the tung oil. I ordered a gallon of tung oil and it is oil from the tung nut and is a product from tung nuts grown in either Alabama or Louisiana. The label fully defined the contents and I can read. The tung oil on the cabinets in the pic has lasted from the original 3 coats until now without being recoated. I have use the tung oil on clock pendulums with excellent results also. If it a fine product and I was able to buy a gallon for less than $40 dollars at the time of application. The tung oil goes a long way when applying. Do you think these people are lying ? Do your see any resemblence to the cabinets in the pic and the pic at the site?
> http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html


Don't disagree with you. There is Tung Oil out there but a lot of what is labeled with or as tung oil is not. The fact that yo paid 40.00 for a gallons os proof of your point. Most is not that expensive by far


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## Paul Wheaton (May 10, 2002)

Shortly after we had this chat, I went and made a tiny article about it. Lifehacker just made a big link-a-roonie to that article!

http://lifehacker.com/5836790/protect-w ... walnut-oil

this is the third time this summer that lifehacker made a huge link to something of mine.


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