[rrich]

You probably would be happy with some walnut oil for the cutting board finish. It goes into the wood and sort of cures. (Cure is a bad word but I don't know what else to use.)

Walnut oil is a salad dressing oil and can be found in a grocery store.

Mineral or paraffin oil will require more frequent re-application than the walnut oil.

 

[Brian T.]

What is it that prevents anyone else but me from suggesting olive oil?
Seems to be edible, all over the world. I carve dozens and dozens of kitchen sticks for sale, all oven baked at 350F with olive oil. There is nothing at all that you can do at room temp to match that.
Simple physics = Charles' Law. My kitchen sticks are done and foinished and ready for use in 5 minutes. Can you match that?
Red oak is poor for cutting boards since the vessels are not occluded by tyloses, like white oak.
If you didn't follow that basic bit of kitchen wood anatomy, look it up.

 

[Manuka Jock]

Hi Guys.

I've got an Oak chopping board pretty well ready to be finished. I've been reading a lot around the place about guys heating up mineral oil a little and melting a bit of beeswax into it, letting it cool into a paste and rubbing that on. Haven't read anything bad about it yet and would like to give it a try. I read all about you guys overseas going and picking up a bottle of mineral oil from the pharmacy/grocery store where it's sold as is, mineral oil, or a laxative or an intestinal lubricant... For a few dollars a bottle...

I couldn't find it to save my life... Here in New Zealand. Or anything close to it. Not at a few different pharmacies or grocery stores. I went into a culinary specialist shop who knew what it was but said they couldn't get it. Why is this apparently abundant resource unobtainable in New Zealand?

I mentioned this to a friend who is a fairly accomplished cabinet maker and he said I should be looking for "paraffin oil" - which I've done a bit of research about. Seems depending on who you speak to it is the same thing, or it is something similar with a few more Carbons in it's molecular structure. Or it is kerosene. Or a few other things...

Is there something more common I could get away with over here? I know baby oil is pretty much what I'm after except it is fragranced. Would I get away with the pure paraffin oil you buy for lamps? I've done a bit of looking around and it seems vet suppliers seem to carry it I'm not sure why. But I don't want to buy a bunch if it doesn't work for any reason.

Any help on the matter would be great!
Cheers
Josh

Gidday Josh .

Stay clear of the vet supplies , they charge an arm and a leg for the stuff.

In the racing stables it is used as a horse laxative .
Go to the nearest rural Equine feed and supplies store , and ask about Paraffin Oil , get them to order it in .
The bigger the container the cheaper the litre rate.
2 litre bottles of Paraffin oil go for about $20


Jock.

Where abouts are you based Josh ?
I'm west of Kaiapoi , Swannanoa area

 

[heliboy89]

Well jock I guess the 19L pail for $140nz which is only $115usd is a pretty good deal then. Maybe I will do that if I continue to use it as a finish I just can't see myself even chipping half way through that. I think the pharmacy would sell the stuff I got there about the same rate, $7 for 500ml and would get cheaper as you order more like you say...

I've read a bunch about olive oil/walnut oil/almond oil/linseed oil etc. I haven't talked to many people about it but I've read enough times that it will go rancid and smell if it wasn't used in a while - it was enough to put me off it. Or enough to make me want to try the synthetic oil finish anyway. I've read nothing bad about it so why not. What's baking it in the oven do?

Josh

 

[cabinetman]

What is it that prevents anyone else but me from suggesting olive oil?

Could be that oil and that method aren't as popular as just using mineral oil. Your suggestion is appreciated, and because of it there may be those that will experiment. Hopefully if they do they will report the results, and their opinion.

.

 

[cabinetman]

Well jock I guess the 19L pail for $140nz which is only $115usd is a pretty good deal then. Maybe I will do that if I continue to use it as a finish I just can't see myself even chipping half way through that. I think the pharmacy would sell the stuff I got there about the same rate, $7 for 500ml and would get cheaper as you order more like you say...

I've read a bunch about olive oil/walnut oil/almond oil/linseed oil etc. I haven't talked to many people about it but I've read enough times that it will go rancid and smell if it wasn't used in a while - it was enough to put me off it. Or enough to make me want to try the synthetic oil finish anyway. I've read nothing bad about it so why not. What's baking it in the oven do?

Josh

Some oils can go bad and many aren't suggested. Mineral oil would be your best choice. It may be easier for you to get someone who has access to it in smaller quantities to just mail you a bottle. If you don't know anyone that can do that maybe someone here will offer. If not, I'll send you a bottle.

.

 

[Manuka Jock]

Well jock I guess the 19L pail for $140nz which is only $115usd is a pretty good deal then. Maybe I will do that if I continue to use it as a finish I just can't see myself even chipping half way through that. I think the pharmacy would sell the stuff I got there about the same rate, $7 for 500ml and would get cheaper as you order more like you say...

I've read a bunch about olive oil/walnut oil/almond oil/linseed oil etc. I haven't talked to many people about it but I've read enough times that it will go rancid and smell if it wasn't used in a while - it was enough to put me off it. Or enough to make me want to try the synthetic oil finish anyway. I've read nothing bad about it so why not. What's baking it in the oven do?

Josh

The heat drives the air out of the pores/cells and the hot oil replaces it .

Look thru Robsons posts , he covers the subject well .
If I recall correctly , wood science is how he finances his woodworking addiction
I once plunged a bowl in boiling raw linseed oil ,
looked like chips getting fried at the fish shop :laughing:
5 years later , the wee bowl is still feeding me porridge for brekky

 

[Manuka Jock]

Some oils can go bad and many aren't suggested. Mineral oil would be your best choice. It may be easier for you to get someone who has access to it in smaller quantities to just mail you a bottle. If you don't know anyone that can do that maybe someone here will offer. If not, I'll send you a bottle.

.

The person closest to him who has some is probably me , and I'm buggered if I'm gunna get off me arse to go to all that trouble , when he can go for a stroll in the country and get it himself ,
eh Josh :thumbsup:

 

[heliboy89]

Well I've got a reliable supply I'm happy enough with - in the quantities I'll need it, the price isn't really an issue. If I ever go mad and want to make a hundred chopping boards I'll order the pail... Might check out the equestrian supplies shop in Tauranga... That's what Equine supplies is right...? And that's different from the vet suppliers who charge an arm and a leg for it? My neighbour is a cattle vet, he might be able to get the stuff free I'll mention it to him. I'll have to have a read of Robsons stuff, sounds interesting.

 

[heliboy89]

Oh it's only 200ml I bought not 500. Not such a good price after all but like I said, I only need it every now and then.

 

[Manuka Jock]

Well I've got a reliable supply I'm happy enough with - in the quantities I'll need it, the price isn't really an issue. If I ever go mad and want to make a hundred chopping boards I'll order the pail... Might check out the equestrian supplies shop in Tauranga... That's what Equine supplies is right...? And that's different from the vet suppliers who charge an arm and a leg for it? My neighbour is a cattle vet, he might be able to get the stuff free I'll mention it to him. I'll have to have a read of Robsons stuff, sounds interesting.

Yeah , I think it is used on cattle too .

It goes a long way that stuff .
If all you are using it on is kitchen treen , it will take a while to use even that wee bottle you have .

If the kid's table you made is still bare wood , use it on that .

cheers ,
Jock

 

[heliboy89]

The kids table got done in Tung if I remember right... Probably over coated with a thin residue of vomit by now. I've since obtained a table saw, thicknesser, and jointer since that project - I'm looking forward to needing to make one again!

 

[Manuka Jock]

That's good gear , great toys :thumbsup:
Does that mean that the 4 wheelers , bikes , and barrows are outside now ?

 

[heliboy89]

They're not outside, just have a film of sawdust to be removed before each use these days lol The favourite toys tend to take refuge against the furtherest wall from the gear. Gee you have an observant memory don't you.

Do you ever sell any of your stuff on trade me Jock? I wouldn't mind a bit of cash back on some of my efforts but since I am an amateur and new to the game I have no way of guaranteeing longevity of my stuff haha... The chopping board looked great but I won't know if it lasts more than 5 years for 5 years yet .

Was your workshop all the right way up after the shakes?

 

[HowardAcheson]

>>>> What is it that prevents anyone else but me from suggesting olive oil?

Olive oil turn rancid with long term exposure to oxygen and also imparts a taste to things prepared on the board.

Almost all commercially manufactured boards and chopping blocks are treated with mineral oil or mineral and a wax like bees wax or paraffin.

 

[ryan50hrl]

Olive oil just doesn't provide anything to the board that mineral oil does, it's also more expensive, and can go rancid.

 

[Manuka Jock]

They're not outside, just have a film of sawdust to be removed before each use these days lol The favourite toys tend to take refuge against the furtherest wall from the gear. Gee you have an observant memory don't you.

Do you ever sell any of your stuff on trade me Jock? I wouldn't mind a bit of cash back on some of my efforts but since I am an amateur and new to the game I have no way of guaranteeing longevity of my stuff haha... The chopping board looked great but I won't know if it lasts more than 5 years for 5 years yet .

Was your workshop all the right way up after the shakes?

Most of my gear was in a storage yard , in a shipping container.
( I worked away on rural construction sites a lot)
At the time of the first quake (Sept. 4th 2010) I was staying down in Dunedin , milling a few logs , spending time at the Woodturners Guild workshop and catching up with folks .
I had the mill, chainsaw, lathe and some handtools with me .
When the industry started to pick up again in at the beginning of 2011, I headed back home to Chch , 3 weeks before the Big One of Feb. 22nd .
Great timing huh :laughing:.
So , I didn't have a workshop to get turned upside down , the container was a bloody mess tho .

Accommodation is in short supply here still , and it was only 2 months ago that I found this place .
A flat in an old barn 30 ks out of town , complete with workshop (the downstairs 'foyer') .
For the first time in years I have all my stuff in one place :thumbsup:

 

[yurijonker]

@heliboy89 I think I've sold your problem 10 years later. Im also in NZ and I've found the culprit. So what youre looking for is lamp oil that they sell in the bbq/outdoor section in bunnings. Its about $10 a litre (about 1/4 of the price of the counter top oil, which is basically the same thing.)

Lamp oil is paraffin oil is mineral oil.

 

[B Coll]

Do you have access to woodworking suppliers online? General Finishes makes a "Butcher Block Oil". Looking at the label it is mineral oil and available on Amazon for $25. Years ago I made a bunch of building blocks for one of my grandchildren. Being concerned about them sticking it in their mouth, as kids do, I used food coloring to dye and finished it with a mineral oil/beewswax combination. They are still in good shape 10 years later. https://www.amazon.com/General-Fini...locphy=9010594&hvtargid=pla-424525217658&th=1

 

[allpurpose]

Yep I did a few searches and made some calls. This is about as good as I can get

Pure Mineral Oil - 500ml - Food Safe -

$60 bucks for half a litre of the stuff... From what I understand about it's production process - your petrol companies over there can't give the stuff away.

I've found this - http://www.moreyoil.co.nz/guardian-usp35-white-oil/ Looks like exactly what I'm after except it only comes in an 18L pail or a 44gal drum... Neither measures I'm ever going to get through. Looks like the right stuff though. Maybe I ought to buy a pail of it and see if I can sell off a few litre bottles. Might even be a niche for it over here...

44 gallons of the stuff? Your constipation problems are solved for life..
I'm more entertained here in the states that they actually sell "cutting board mineral oil" which, if I'm not mistaken is EXACTLY the same thing as ordinary, run of the mill laxative mineral oil only much more expensive because it says cutting board on the label.. I'm not accusing anyone of being dumber than a rock, but judging by some people I've meet over the years rocks are looking pretty damned intelligent of late..