pros and cons of mineral oil for bone handles

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buckgen5

buckgen5

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i read somewhere on the forums a recommendation for the use of mineral oil to condition bone handles to prevent cracking and shrinkage in different climates.
i tried some on a handful of my knives, i soaked them for about thirty minutes and found it brings out the color pretty well but, then i had a flash of panic thinking of what it might do to the glue that holds the logo shield on my slipjoints.
what are the harmful side effects of this oil? how often should it be used? and what does it do to the glue?
 
I wouldn't worry about the mineral oil loosening the glue for the shield. If the glue's worth anything at all, it shouldn't be fazed at all by the oil. Glue would more likely be affected by solvents, but you really don't want to be using much of that on your knife handles anyway. Mineral oil, by itself, is pretty inert stuff. If a glued shield does happen to fall out, it's more likely due to a lousy gluing job when it was made. I've only had one shield fall out, on a brand new Case stockman (red shield series). I just used a drop of super glue to put it back in. It's been fine since.

Some people do like to use mineral oil to keep bone/stag/ivory/etc. handles from getting too dry. I use a small amount occasionally on my stag handles (applied very lightly with a Q-tip or rag; I haven't actually soaked anything in it). Some feel this will darken and/or soften natural handle materials but, when used in moderation, I've never had any issues like that.
 
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Bone doesn't contain mineral oil naturally. Oil will saturate the bone, softening and darkening it. Use a coat of paste wax instead.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Bone doesn't contain mineral oil naturally. Oil will saturate the bone, softening and darkening it. Use a coat of paste wax instead.
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If you don't approve of mineral oil because bone doesn't contain it naturally, why do you recommend paste wax? Bone doesn't contain paste wax either.
 
I have heard of people soaking their bone and horn handles in mineral oil. I don't go that far, I just wipe them down with it. The only problem I've ever had with mineral oil is spotting a very nice sheath made for me by Dan Kostner when he rehandled my Himalayan Imports Bowie.
 
Many H.I. members have used mineral oil on both Horn and Bone handles for many years. Another favorite to use is original formula hooflex and another is your favorite Lanolin based baby oil.

None of these products is natural to Horn or Bone, but have been tested and used for many years by our members with no ill effects.
 
I rebuild cutlery that is very old, and I see what oil does to natural scale materials very often. Will oil destroy natural handles immediately? No, but it is not good for them.
The reason I recommend paste wax is that the wax is a surface treatment, and it seals the handle material without soaking into it.
Oil will eventually harm natural handle materials. Paste wax won't.
That's why I recommend it.
 
With all due respect to your expertise, Bill...i beg to differ somewhat.
It may harm them sometime, but it isnt going to be in this lifetime.
Wax may be fine for sealing the handle, but if theres nothing to seal in, then sealing it with wax would be unnecessary and useless. If the handle material needs to be hydrated, then the wax may well prevent doing so.
As i said, our members have been using it since the early days of H.I. with no reported ill effects. You may check our forum if you would like.
 
I don't think either of us will be alive when/if they need repair. :D
Teach Your Children Well, Bill. :thumbup:
[youtube]uQtRsSmU-6k[/youtube]
 
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I have seen older stag/bone-handled knives that were 'oiled' for an obviously long time, and they'd turned somewhat green as a result. I suspect, though, that the 'oil' used wasn't mineral oil or, at least, the stuff that's commonly used nowadays. I've noticed that the long-popular 3-in-1 oil has that same greenish tint to it, straight out of the can. I used to use it for the pivots in some of my knives, but stopped doing so, in part because of the staining produced on light-colored natural handles if/when some of it accidentally got on them.

When I hear that mineral oil is 'bad' for natural handles, I really wonder if part of that bad rep is actually due to something other than the refined medical/food-grade mineral oil that many are using today. Since the term 'mineral oil' can technically be attributed to any oil that's extracted ('mined') from the earth, I think there's possibility for some ambiguity in what people assume is being used.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I have seen older stag/bone-handled knives that were 'oiled' for an obviously long time, and they'd turned somewhat green as a result. I suspect, though, that the 'oil' used wasn't mineral oil or, at least, the stuff that's commonly used nowadays. I've noticed that the long-popular 3-in-1 oil has that same greenish tint to it, straight out of the can. I used to use it for the pivots in some of my knives, but stopped doing so, in part because of the staining produced on light-colored natural handles if/when some of it accidentally got on them.

When I hear that mineral oil is 'bad' for natural handles, I really wonder if part of that bad rep is actually due to something other than the refined medical/food-grade mineral oil that many are using today. Since the term 'mineral oil' can technically be attributed to any oil that's extracted ('mined') from the earth, I think there's possibility for some ambiguity in what people assume is being used.
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Now that is some food for thought, obsessed!

Yes, i should qualify my statement....medical/food grade mineral oil is what i recommend if it were used.. Just so everyone may be aware, any paste waxes generally will contain some type of solvent along with the wax.
 
i'd like to say thank you to everyone for helping to answer my question. i think it would be safe to say that a light coat would be most effective and least damaging. i am obsessive over my knives, if one part of them fails, then the whole thing is a fail to me.
i have been trying to collect the heck out of the finest production slipjoints i can get my hands on and just want to keep them in prime condition seeing as how i use them all.
 
The solvents in wax evaporate.
Mineral oil will seep into and permeate cracks in horn. Once in the horn, it can not be properly glued back in place. Oil soaking does temporarily make delaminating horn look better, but it's not particularly good for it. It just soaks into antler, darkening and softening it.
Most of the greenish tint seen on old oiled stag is verdigis from brass liners being carried into the stag by the oil.
 
buckgen5 said:
i'd like to say thank you to everyone for helping to answer my question. i think it would be safe to say that a light coat would be most effective and least damaging. i am obsessive over my knives, if one part of them fails, then the whole thing is a fail to me.
i have been trying to collect the heck out of the finest production slipjoints i can get my hands on and just want to keep them in prime condition seeing as how i use them all.
Click to expand...

(I have absolutely no idea what you mean... :p.)

Seriously, if you still have doubts, just do as I like to do, and go about it gently. My favorite method is to dip a Q-Tip into the bottle of mineral oil, and just use that to apply to the handles. I usually let it sit that way for maybe 15-30 minutes, then use a rag/paper towel to wipe off the excess. I do this maybe 2 or 3 times a year, tops. Doesn't seem to need any more than that. I'm in the arid southwest (NM), so it's very dry here most of the time (humidity below 20% most days, sometimes in single digits). Haven't had any issues with cracking on my stag handles.

Good luck. :thumbup:
 
To make sure you have pure mineral oil, just get it from the pharmacy. It is used as a laxative sometimes.
 
Baby oil is near pure mineral oil.Just a little fragrance added.I use it sparingly on stag and ivory.I do tend to listen to Deshivs as ive never known him to steer anyone wrong so i may reevaluate.
 
Will the darkening caused my mineral oil disappear with time? Is it reversible at all?
 
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