It used to be easier to find in the US as well. For a while, one of the big hardware store chains carried both the Norton Economy 6" oil stone and the 4.5 oz Norton Honing Oil at about $6 and $5 each, respectively. I picked up two of each at the time. Somewhere along the line, they stopped carrying both, though I can still find the oil at one on-line dealer. I am still working my way through those two, but I tend to reserve the sharpening stone oil for knives and use other mineral oils for sharpening.
The Norton Honing Oil is still available at my local Home Depot. It is highly refined mineral oil and FDA approved food safe. I use it on all of my knives. The only exception is when I run into a restoration project or a new folder with a gritty or sluggish action that’s when I reach for my 20+ year old can of 3 in 1 oil.It used to be easier to find in the US as well. For a while, one of the big hardware store chains carried both the Norton Economy 6" oil stone and the 4.5 oz Norton Honing Oil at about $6 and $5 each, respectively. I picked up two of each at the time. Somewhere along the line, they stopped carrying both, though I can still find the oil at one on-line dealer. I am still working my way through those two, but I tend to reserve the sharpening stone oil for knives and use other mineral oils for sharpening.
Seems like a common occurrence in recent years where products and brands that you took for granted would always be available just disappear. One reason to stock up while you can still get things, especially things that are a particularly good value for your money. Those are the ones that are more likely to vanish. Or maybe it's just because I am old enough now to where things I consider to be "recent memory" happened 20 years ago.
It is a bit thinner than the mineral oil from the pharmacy, but I've never really found the pharmacy stuff to be too thick.Hello! Natural oils like Coconut can turn rancid and if you cut any food, a snack of sausage etc if it gets contaminated it can make you Defecate like a Goose!
———- I recommend to my customers all of the time to refrain from using Olive Oil etc on cutting boards for this very reason. —— on my folders I light a candle and put a drop or two of the melted wax in the pivot! It works great and doesn’t collect all of the lint like oils do!! Try it!——-/—-As far and coating Blades to protect them use car wax. Start with one you may have around the house! You can use Floor wax as well. They work fine!
I have a bottle of Norton sharpening stone oil that I used to use with my Arkansas stones (I've since switched to DMT diamond stones for almost all my sharpening). I didn't realize that it was mineral oil!
I don't think it's food safe, but for a knife with a gritty joint or something like that, I'll use Ballistol.
I think he was referring to Ballistol not being food safe. Ballistol does make a food safe formulation, "Ballistol H1", which meets the NSF H1 certification for use on products with incidental food contact. The regular stuff may or may not be safe, but it is not certified.
It used to be easier to find in the US as well. For a while, one of the big hardware store chains carried both the Norton Economy 6" oil stone and the 4.5 oz Norton Honing Oil at about $6 and $5 each, respectively. I picked up two of each at the time. Somewhere along the line, they stopped carrying both, though I can still find the oil at one on-line dealer. I am still working my way through those two, but I tend to reserve the sharpening stone oil for knives and use other mineral oils for sharpening.
Seems like a common occurrence in recent years where products and brands that you took for granted would always be available just disappear. One reason to stock up while you can still get things, especially things that are a particularly good value for your money. Those are the ones that are more likely to vanish. Or maybe it's just because I am old enough now to where things I consider to be "recent memory" happened 20 years ago.
I can order it online, but the prices are through the roof!
It's fine to get some mineral oil on stag during knife maintenance, assuming you wipe if off afterwards, but it's not good to soak stag in oil from what I have read here. I use a product called Renaissance Wax on bone and stag, even Delrin if I want to bring out the beauty and protect it. Doesn't take much.
This is what I do too. Plain old mineral oil for blades and pivots, Renaissance Wax on stag, wood and bone. A little goes a long way.
You can try Coconut Oil too! Use a light coating from time to time, all this talk about oils going rancid nonplusses me. Maybe if you coat it with certain oils and then leave it for months, years untouched it would go rancid, but with users there no time for it. I consume about half a litre of Olive Oil a month, probably more, no time for that to go off. Maybe I should try half a litre of mineral oil (non food grade) 
