Anyone use coconut oil on their knives?

I bought baby oil by mistake and just used it, except for the scent it works just the same! I use a fair amount because I use it pretty liberally when cleaning an old knife.
 
Will Power said:
I agree, Olive oil doesn't go rancid but it does become sticky. Coconut does not.

This is a good place to discuss food prep. Many of my stainless knives - and some carbons get used for food prep so finding something safe to lubricate the springs with is vital. Here in my part of Europe, mineral oil is only available a Baby oil and is thus scented, not too nice on knife handles or blades. If you apply a tiny drop of 3 in 1 or lock type oils it soon gets on the blade and that too has odour and is unsafe. Is there anything else? Graphites? Some non sticky lubricant that's food safe and no odour? I've found Coconut oil pretty satisfactory so far as you can put a bit on a matchstick directly on the pivot. At least it's edible:D And it does make handles look good like I say, horn in particular which is very prone to dry air.
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Whale oil would be a great lubricant, and protectant for the blades...kinda rare these days. Also might have a displeasing odor for most folks.
 
My wife and I use coconut oil frequently for cooking, but other than a coconut oil spray from Trader Joe's, all the coconut oil we've ever had usually stays solid at room temperature. I don't know if it would be good or bad for a knife, but I can't really imagine the logistics of trying to use it for that purpose (for example, getting a small drop into the joint).

OP, I would just buy more mineral oil if I were you. I bought a bottle (maybe 12 oz) at the pharmacy a couple years ago, and I can't imagine how long it will take to use it all for knife oiling purposes. I did also buy a very small plastic squeeze bottle (made by Nalgene, I believe) that works great for applying a drop of oil to the joint of your knife. I just refill it from the bigger pharmacy bottle of mineral oil (though in 2 years or so I've only had to refill it once). You can see the small squeeze bottle I use in this photo.

rZTfk6a.jpg
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
The qualifier to the claims regarding a food-based oil that 'doesn't go rancid' is that the claim is always dependant on the product being stored in an airtight container under tolerable conditions of temperature, exposure to sunlight, etc. So long as it's in there, hopefully in a relatively 'full' container (read: small volume of air inside), it'll keep a long time. But once it's 'out in the air' and exposed to an unlimited volume of atmospheric oxygen, all bets are off and coconut oil, olive oil and most others go rancid pretty fast. A little bit of olive oil at the bottom of a nearly-empty bottle that's been unsealed for a while gets to smelling kind of funky too.

Well-reputed producers of olive oil warn of rancidity and also test for it, before shipping their product.

Whether any of that really matters, in using it to protect a knife blade from short-term corrosion, is anybody's guess. It'll probably do in a pinch, and likely won't matter much if the blade is cleaned and re-oiled regularly. But other products will still do it better.
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We have a jar of coconut oil on our kitchen counter that’s had the lid off for months. My fiancé only uses it for moisturizer. She always smells great!
 
redsparrow said:
Will, just curious what you meant by "...not to nice on knife handles or blades". Have you experienced or heard of a problem in using baby oil on knives? -James
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I believe that Baby Oil is refined mineral with added scents, the smell hangs around on the knife's blades and scales. It certainly doesn't agree with Stag, seems to soften it particularly the porous sections and promotes brass bleed/verdigris discolouration in my experience anyway. Knife maker @Bill de Shivs is very against mineral oil soaking for Stag and advises against it, I've found that Baby Oil lavender or aloe vera do not agree with Stag slabs at all.

Anyway, Coconut Oil will work on pivots when applied with a matchstick and it enhances lustre on patina, so far I find it very OK.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
A while back, I'd experimented with the liquified (assuming 'fractionated') version of coconut oil as a skin emollient/moisturizer. It came as a clear liquid (at room temperature), which I found at the drug store. I intended it mostly for my hands, but I also put a little bit on my face. By the afternoon, I was noticing the little bit of coconut oil left in my moustache, i.e., directly under my nose, was starting to SMELL PRETTY FUNKY. Not like fresh coconut anymore, but something beginning to approximate the smell of dirty laundry. I couldn't wash that stuff off my face soon enough.

Some have claimed coconut oil doesn't go rancid. But the little 'experiment' directly under my nose seemed to prove otherwise. Since then, it's been a no-brainer to me that I'll never use it on my knives. It may or may not do any harm to them, but I don't like the thought of that stuff going 'stinky' on one of my favorite knives.

What little oiling my knives ever need is handled with no worries, using a little bit of mineral oil.
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I use coconut oil for cooking daily and occasionally a moisturizer. The real virgin oil will not go stinky on you. The fractionated kind that is liquid at room temp is often a low quality product sometimes with other ingredients. Like the stuff used for movie theater popcorn. That stuff is pretty nasty even fresh from the jar. The virgin, either refined or unrefined, that is solid at room temp, tastes great for cooking and is used in many high price beauty products.
 
Will Power said:
I believe that Baby Oil is refined mineral with added scents, the smell hangs around on the knife's blades and scales. It certainly doesn't agree with Stag, seems to soften it particularly the porous sections and promotes brass bleed/verdigris discolouration in my experience anyway. Knife maker @Bill de Shivs is very against mineral oil soaking for Stag and advises against it, I've found that Baby Oil lavender or aloe vera do not agree with Stag slabs at all.

Anyway, Coconut Oil will work on pivots when applied with a matchstick and it enhances lustre on patina, so far I find it very OK.
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Thanks for the info Will. I was unaware of any potential risks associated with baby oil usage as a knife lubricant. I appreciate your expertise and will avoid using it, particularly on stag.
 
Ace Rimmer said:
An off-topic bit of trivia -- GM used to sell a Positraction additive that contained whale oil.
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I'm old enough to remember when Whale oil was the preferred lubricant for clock movements. Pretty scary to remember that....
That said, buy a bottle of Mineral Oil at the pharmacy and use it on your pivots and blades. It works and it's dirt cheap.
 
Will Power said:
Here in my part of Europe, mineral oil is only available a Baby oil and is thus scented, not too nice on knife handles or blades.
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Will Power said:
I believe that Baby Oil is refined mineral with added scents, the smell hangs around on the knife's blades and scales. It certainly doesn't agree with Stag, seems to soften it particularly the porous sections and promotes brass bleed/verdigris discolouration in my experience anyway. Knife maker @Bill de Shivs is very against mineral oil soaking for Stag and advises against it, I've found that Baby Oil lavender or aloe vera do not agree with Stag slabs at all.
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No mineral oil sold as a laxative in Europe, huh? o_O
How about butcher block and cutting board oil? I just googled it, and one brand I saw says it's made of food grade mineral oil stabilized with vitamin E. Should be odorless and not go rancid. Maybe not for stag, but I'd think it's okay for wood and steel.
 
Chui-888 said:
.....bought this cloth years ago, never used it, still in its plastic bag - will give it a go and report back (though it may've dried out :rolleyes:)

View attachment 874943


View attachment 874944
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I have a few of those Paul. They work OK, but get dirty quickly, and dry out. What I find them ideal for is where you have brass bolts/rivets/large pins on fixed blade handles. They can get really nasty, but the 'Miracle Cloth' cleans the tarnish/verdigris off, without damaging wooden scales :thumbsup:

r8shell said:
No mineral oil sold as a laxative in Europe, huh? o_O
How about butcher block and cutting board oil? I just googled it, and one brand I saw says it's made of food grade mineral oil stabilized with vitamin E. Should be odorless and not go rancid. Maybe not for stag, but I'd think it's okay for wood and steel.
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They used to sell it in pharmacies as 'Liquid Paraffin', but that stopped a couple of decades back. Still sold for pets though, in the UK at least. Butcher block and cutting board oil is sold, though can be overpriced :thumbsup:

The nastiest oil I've used used on my knives is Camellia Oil, it'll strip patina, etches, ruin a blade polish, and it sets like gunk in joints. Horrible stuff :thumbsdown:

Here's the blade of one of my best Joseph Rodgers which was ruined by Camelia Oil, set like a scab on the blade, and ate the (flawless) original mirror polish off :mad:

Camelia Oil 2S.JPG
 
Jack Black said:
The nastiest oil I've used used on my knives is Camellia Oil, it'll strip patina, etches, ruin a blade polish, and it sets like gunk in joints. Horrible stuff :thumbsdown:

Here's the blade of one of my best Joseph Rodgers which was ruined by Camelia Oil, set like a scab on the blade, and ate the (flawless) original mirror polish off :mad:

View attachment 875056
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:eek: Oh! That's not good!
 
I think coconut oil probably won't hurt a knife if ya check on frequently...I have a tiny can of all purpose household oil that cost me about a buck and has a pop-up plastic applicator that is convenient....clp can come in small handy inexpensive bottles too...maybe I am too plain...lol
 
I use the pure coconut oil on wood handles of tools, cheaper knives and such. I melt it in with a hair dryer although it is liquid in the summer. It's also very good as lip balm mixed with lanolin.
 
Never used coconut oil. I don't own any as far as I know. I generally use food-grade mineral oils. They are sold in several guises - as laxatives (for people and livestock), as cutting board oils, and as sharpening stone oils.

I've got several kinds laying around the house. I find the Mineral Oil USP from the pharmacy to be a bit thicker than I like for knife joints. The Norton Sharpening Stone oil I have in a little 4.5 oz can is about ideal for it, and it has a spout which makes it easy to apply a single drop.
 
jc57 said:
Never used coconut oil. I don't own any as far as I know. I generally use food-grade mineral oils. They are sold in several guises - as laxatives (for people and livestock), as cutting board oils, and as sharpening stone oils.

I've got several kinds laying around the house. I find the Mineral Oil USP from the pharmacy to be a bit thicker than I like for knife joints. The Norton Sharpening Stone oil I have in a little 4.5 oz can is about ideal for it, and it has a spout which makes it easy to apply a single drop.
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Same here, I,ve got four cans lined up on a shelf, I keep a little 1/2 oz needle tipped squeeze bottle in a tin, for oiling the joints. The Norton oil has a pretty low viscosity so it penetrates well, and a little drop goes a long way.
 
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