# Mineral oil. Paraffin oil or other substitute?



## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Well paraffin oil and mineral oil are nearly the same. It's just the paraffin oil is refined more. Either would be acceptable to use on a cutting board. Both are non-flammable where kerosene is so I would certainly not use that. It has a very pungent odor anyway. Mixing the beeswax with mineral or paraffin oil would also work. The beeswax would seal the wood better.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Paraffin Oil is not the same as mineral oil. If you check your local pharmacy, ask the pharmacist where mineral oil is in the store. Drug stores per-se most likely will have mineral oil. I've also found it in grocery stores, and health food stores.

I just use it as an applied oil to butcher block or wood cooking utensils by applying and letting it soak in and then wiping off. This is a simple method, that is done as needed. I don't heat anything. With continued maintenance, the wood becomes saturated and protected.


















.


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## SeniorSitizen (May 2, 2012)

If you can find canning paraffin and have a heat source you are all set and you'll find several other uses for it around the ranch. I apply it with a propane torch as a heat source rather than melting in a container.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

The OP's problem is that he is in New Zealand and apparently local stores or pharmacies do not sell mineral oil.


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

Yep thanks Howard. I went into a few Pharmacies (Chemists/Drug stores whatever you call them) and asked about it. I told them I think it is marketed as laxative and intestinal lubricant or maybe just mineral oil and is it available in any form and none of them knew about any of it. Had a good long look myself - in the pharmacy and grocery store.

http://www.vetpak.co.nz/Products/Miscellaneous/Paraffin-Oil
This is about the closest I can find anywhere... Would scented baby oil work? I assume professional cabinet makers in NZ must know about it maybe I ought to give one of them a call and see what the deal is.

Thanks for your input fellers!
Josh


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

If I do get my hands on a substance... Whatever we are going to call it. What characteristics does it need to have? I think I'm clever enough to know kerosene and mineral spirits when I see it. But beyond that... How would you describe mineral oil? I'm assuming its got a viscosity like baby oil?


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

>>>> Would scented baby oil work?

Not a good idea. The scent put in the product may very well transfer to the foods being prepared. 

Have you googled "cutting board oil" or "chopping block oil"?


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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

http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Kitchen/Pure-Mineral-Oil-500ml-Food-Safe/0609788981138

$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...


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

$149 for the 18.9L pail of mineral oil. Its a hefty price to pay to finish one and maybe a few more projects... Especially if I can't sell the stuff off. Seems like kiwis don't know what the stuff is! So why would they buy it...


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

I found this in the local pharmacy store... "Paraffin liquid". Assuming it's the same thing or near enough. Feels similar to baby oil to me. Will give it a try.

Don't try and talk me out of it. Don't try and talk me out of it. My mind's made up...


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I believe that may be the same thing......


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

I hope you're right! Got my bee keeper friend dropping off a block of wax this afternoon. Will let you know how I get on.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

heliboy89 said:


> I found this in the local pharmacy store... "Paraffin liquid". Assuming it's the same thing or near enough. Feels similar to baby oil to me. Will give it a try.
> 
> Don't try and talk me out of it. Don't try and talk me out of it. My mind's made up...



You've got it. I just looked up the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for paraffin oil and it's listed as 100% mineral oil https://us.vwr.com/stibo/hi_res/8196513.pdf

Just to be sure, since your bottle says "paraffin liquid" I also looked up the MSDS for it. Synonyms for "paraffin liquid" are mineral oil and paraffin oil.


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

Thanks for doing that Tim! The material safety data sheet for "paraffin liquid" doesn't necessarily mean it is the same sheet for this product is it...? Like you wouldn't assume it is food grade just because it is 100% paraffin liquid - there is no information about the quality control or refinement this particular product has been through really...?


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

heliboy89 said:


> Thanks for doing that Tim! The material safety data sheet for "paraffin liquid" doesn't necessarily mean it is the same sheet for this product is it...? Like you wouldn't assume it is food grade just because it is 100% paraffin liquid - there is no information about the quality control or refinement this particular product has been through really...?



No, the MSDS is not for this specific product, just for the generic name "paraffin liquid". 

I know that there are industrial grade mineral oil formulations that contain a lot of impurities that you wouldn't want on your skin, but these formulations would be labeled for industrial use only.

The fact that you found this in a pharmacy, it is labeled for skin moisturizing and is marked 100% paraffin liquid implies to me that it is highly refined and free from contaminants. That is as long as it doesn't have a fragrance:smile:.


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

Yep no fragrance in this. Strongest smell is the plastic bottle I think. Yeah I assumed the same thing - if it was safe enough to go on your skin it was safe enough to consume in the minutest amounts. Well thanks a lot for all your help. Hopefully the finish is worth the effort!


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

I suppose I should have asked beforehand, does any body have any experience with this finish? I've got it all mixed and it's awfully honey smelling. Pleasant no doubt but I don't know if I want that taste on my veges! Does it continue to give off a scent or pretty much absorb? My mate gave me a shopping bag full of beeswax and I used about a cubic inch haha what am I going to do with a bag of it :/


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

In re-reading this thread I missed the "Oak chopping board" in your innitial post. If it is red oak it isn't suited for a cutting board. Red oak tends to turn black when you get it wet. White oak on the other hand would work fine.


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

I'm pretty sure it is white oak there is no red colour to the timber. It's a copy of that one Scotty Lewis made with the swirled strips through it. But the recipient of the gift doesn't need to know that ^^. It's not great timber for a chopping board anyway, probably a little too far out in the tree it was milled from but it's all I've got. My neighbour gave me a pellet of Kwila before he died and my uncle milled an Oak tree from my granddads farm when we were kids. So things tend to be one or the other - I'm not serious enough about it to go out and purchase wood yet!

All in all I'm pretty happy with the finish anyway. Put about a cube 2.5cm block into 100ml of liquid paraffin and it set into a white paste, went on really good, I prefer it to tung oil. The jar smells great and the board loses its scent after a couple of days - Couldn't be happier! So thanks a bunch for the help!

Josh


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

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.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

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.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

heliboy89 said:


> 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...
> 
> ...


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


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Robson Valley said:


> 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.


















.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

heliboy89 said:


> 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.

















.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

heliboy89 said:


> 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


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> 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:


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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.


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

heliboy89 said:


> 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


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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!


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

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


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## heliboy89 (Sep 16, 2013)

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?


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

>>>> 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.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

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


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

heliboy89 said:


> 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:


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