Need help on my first butcher block

[Hank Moreman]

I am trying to figure out exactly how do you salt a block, call me an idiot but I just don't get it. I am also wondering if Linseed oil is a good finisher, if not is there something I can get at Lowe's/Home Depot?

[Maurice Ungaro]

Welcome Hank -
As for your butcher block, the only finishes you want to use are "food safe" finishes. Linseed oil is NOT food safe. The most easily accessible and affordable finish is mineral oil. You can also use walnut oil, but it's pricier. Some folks have thought that food safe also means cooking oils, but have a care, as cooking oils tend to be too viscous to penetrate the pores of the wood. The result is that it makes a gummy surface on the wood that eventually gets rancid :(.

My brother likes to melt some parafin wax and blend it with his mineral oil. The result is a finish that you can buff to a semi-gloss luster.

[Chris Krysinski]

You might find this links informative:
http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/butcherblockta_syyn.htm

http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/butcherblock.html

http://www.ronhazelton.com/tips/Butcher-Block_finishing.htm

[Scott Loven]

I have a friend who is a butcher, he rubs a handful of salt on the block when he is finished cutting meat to sanitize it.

[Andy Pratt]

Unless I'm mistaken, BLO becomes completely foodsafe after a maximum of 30 days drying time, and the FDA has no problem with using it for food finishes if it is allowed to fully cure. I don't have it in front of me, but I believe that in Bob Flexner's book, he mentions that many of the finishes that we think aren't food safe are perfectly fine to use when fully cured. So, to answer your question, I think linseed oil is fine if you let it dry long enough.

If you want a quicker solution, I've used Walnut oil and it looks fine and is labeled "food safe", and parraffin wax melted into the top is the traditional, time-tested option for butcher blocks as far as I understand.

Can't offer any opinions on salting, though I'm sure it helps soak up blood and makes it easier to wipe off.

Hope this helps,
Andy

[Gene E Miller]

Greetings & Salutations,

I let all my boards soak in a Mineral Oil bath for 2 - 3 days and then
remove and wipe off the excess.

I then wrap them in an old terry cloth bath towel to let the excess
wick out for a few days.

I also tell all that get boards from me to coat them every now and then with Mineral Oil to keep them from drying out and only clean with a damp soapy cloth and the wipe with a damp warm water cloth and wipe dry.

Have hand excellent results with this method.

Gene

[Randy Johnson]

Unless I'm mistaken, BLO becomes completely foodsafe after a maximum of 30 days drying time, and the FDA has no problem with using it for food finishes if it is allowed to fully cure. I don't have it in front of me, but I believe that in Bob Flexner's book, he mentions that many of the finishes that we think aren't food safe are perfectly fine to use when fully cured. So, to answer your question, I think linseed oil is fine if you let it dry long enough.

If you want a quicker solution, I've used Walnut oil and it looks fine and is labeled "food safe", and parraffin wax melted into the top is the traditional, time-tested option for butcher blocks as far as I understand.

Can't offer any opinions on salting, though I'm sure it helps soak up blood and makes it easier to wipe off.

Hope this helps,
Andy

Allow me to possibly add to the confusion.
As I understand it there is a big difference between BLO and linseed oil. Blo is linseed oil with a bunch of (toxic to one degree or another) additives to help it cure faster. Pure, straight linseed oil on the other hand is about as natural as you can get but it takes much longer to dry. I'll be more than happy to be educated otherwise.
I would also like to ask those with more experience what exactly consitutes mineral oil. I currently use butcher block oil or salad bowl finish if the project seems to require it but it would be nice to discover a product more easily available.

[Jarrod McGehee]

Randy, although I'm only a high school student... the difference between Mineral Oil and Butcher Block Oil is pretty much nothing except the price. Mineral Oil is sold at drug stores and is quite a bit cheaper than Butcher Block Oil. I believe that the butcher block oil is a little thinner than the mineral oil viscosity-wise though. I use mineral oil or BLO on my foodware and I'll buff some beeswax over it and they seem to work out fine.

[Andy Pratt]

BLO has heavy metal additives that allow it to dry much quicker than pure linseed oil (day or two as opposed to weeks). Lead used to be one of these metals, so people are worried. Lead is no longer used, and none of the other driers are have any toxicity after they are cured, so it's a non-issue, but the idea persists.

I can't claim to personally be an expert, but every knowledgeable well researched thing I've read on the subject seems to point to the conclusion that everyone is incorrectly worked up over this, "food safe finishes" are mostly marketing hype, and we're all paying too much to finish our wooden kitchen products.

If I was making it for a customer, I would use a "food-safe" finish to make them happy and avoid a frivolous lawsuit. If I was making it for myself, I would have no problem using BLO.

Andy