Mineral oil

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Aerosmith101

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Oct 28, 2018
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Is there any advantage to the mineral oil that is labeled for knife sharpening (such as Norton mineral oil) over inexpensive drug store mineral oil
 
Not if the Norton oil meets FDA's CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.
 
Its thinner, but I like the thick stuff on my stones.
 
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I purchase pharmaceutical grade mineral oil at the drug store, so I can be sure it's food safe for my blades. I doesn't cost much. I bought a $4 bottle about a year ago, and I've still got about 85%-90% of it, and I use it at least weekly.
 
If looking specifically for thin mineral oil, it can be found by the gallon at the local feed 'n seed/Tractor Supply or other agricultural supply store. It's not labeled specifically as food grade, but it's intended for livestock consumption, and it's a thinner variety than the drug store stuff.
 
Personally, I don't want to have to thoroughly wash my carry knife every time I want to slice an apple or a piece of cheese with it. I prefer to just rinse it off and wipe it with a clean cloth or paper towel, and start cutting. I've been exposed to so many carcinogens in my time that I'm thankful to be alive - I don't want to push my luck any more than I already have.

When you invite me over for dinner, please tell me which utensils or other items have been exposed to cyanide before they were thoroughly washed. I appreciate it!

I've never sold any knives that I've made, and don't plan to - but if I did, I'd use mineral oil instead of cyanide, in case anybody ever got sick or died and was looking for a litigation scapegoat. It would be so nice to be able to testify truthfully that all I'd ever used as a lubricant was food-grade mineral oil.

Bill DeShivs said:
You can mix cyanide with your blade- as long as you wash it thoroughly afterwards.
Why all the concern about "food safe?"
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I use a Boker oil pen which is supposedly mineral oil but in a nice syringe like applicator. They’re like seven bucks and I haven’t put much of a dent in the oil in half a year
 
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Bill DeShivs said:
You can mix cyanide with your blade- as long as you wash it thoroughly afterwards.
Why all the concern about "food safe?"
Click to expand...

I hear you. I was thinking roughly the same thing in my tread where we were discussing honing oil. I'm glad you said it.
It seems some of the honing oil makers have taken out what ever solvent etc. they had in there in the old days and it is just mineral oil now to cater to the people who want food safe . . . good or immaterial as that may be.
Of coarse they MAY have been just putting in that other stuff so their product smelled "high tech" so as to give the illusion of being "better" than just plain old oil. ;) ? :rolleyes: ?
 
rje58 said:
Personally, I don't want to have to thoroughly wash my carry knife every time I want to slice an apple or a piece of cheese with it
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You mean you don't want to wash the death out of it after sharpening . . . before you cut the first bit of food.
You wouldn't have to wash it to death from there on out for quite a while.

Personally I enjoy using my work knife to cut some food once I get home especially if it is a brand new knife and I am still "trying it out".
Because of all the garbage I cut at work some slightly questionable honing oil is the least of my worries and I still have to wash the hell out of my EDC before attacking my chow.
I can always tell when I didn't wash it well enough because I get a sore in my mouth.
 
I usually use the food grade laxative stuff (because it is easy to get and reasonably priced) and it works fine for most of my sharpening. But it is a bit thicker than most honing oil. The only time this has been an issue is when I am trying to sharpen something with a wide bevel like a Scandi. They just float on the thicker oil and never hit the stone. The solution is simple enough. Add some mineral spirits to achieve the desired consistency.
 
Aerosmith101 said:
Is there any advantage to the mineral oil that is labeled for knife sharpening (such as Norton mineral oil) over inexpensive drug store mineral oil
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You might notice differences in feedback felt, between the thicker or thinner oils. Whatever feedback you get, it might make a difference in your results. Good example in the wide-bevelled Scandi mentioned earlier, for example, which will 'float' more persistently on a heavier oil, reducing feedback and the cutting aggressiveness of the stone. So, yes, there's some difference; it'll matter to some, and not to others.

Minor difference between them: the lighter, thinner stuff will clean up more easily, when washing your stones or your knife. But that's a minor point, because either of them will clean up pretty easily anyway, with some dish detergent and warm or hot water.

I favor the thinner, lighter stuff on relatively non-porous stones/hones (including diamond), mainly for feedback's sake. I save the heavier, thicker and less expensive stuff for very 'thirsty' stones that drink a lot of oil. It'll stay with the stone a little longer, instead of running right through it in a few seconds' time, like the lighter and (usually) more expensive stuff will.
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
You might notice differences in feedback felt, between the thicker or thinner oils. Whatever feedback you get, it might make a difference in your results. Good example in the wide-bevelled Scandi mentioned earlier, for example, which will 'float' more persistently on a heavier oil, reducing feedback and the cutting aggressiveness of the stone. So, yes, there's some difference; it'll matter to some, and not to others.

Minor difference between them: the lighter, thinner stuff will clean up more easily, when washing your stones or your knife. But that's a minor point, because either of them will clean up pretty easily anyway, with some dish detergent and warm or hot water.

I favor the thinner, lighter stuff on relatively non-porous stones/hones (including diamond), mainly for feedback's sake. I save the heavier, thicker and less expensive stuff for very 'thirsty' stones that drink a lot of oil. It'll stay with the stone a little longer, instead of running right through it in a few seconds' time, like the lighter and (usually) more expensive stuff will.
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This.

I use both the heavier stuff and designated honing oil. The heavier stuff goes on the course stones and the thinner stuff is for my Arkansas stones where I just feel like I need more feel. :)
 
I've used WD40, drugstore mineral oil (USP), light mineral oil (see FortyTwoBlades post) and methyl salicylate. I tend to like the lighter oils rather than the stuff from the drugstore. Methyl salicylate is synthetic oil of wintergreen, one of my friends uses it. If using the methyl salicylate, be careful with plastics. It will soften and dissolve some of them, but it smells great.

I used to use WD40, but my default is light mineral oil.

Ric
 
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