Musty smell from spruce bowl (fractionated coconut oil)

[tory jarvis]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here but I have been absorbing information from the forums for quite a while. I have been experimenting with fractionated or MCT coconut oil for my wood turnings. Mostly it is great, however I used it on a spruce burl piece the other day and it left a very unpleasant odor, kind of musty. Since this oil doesn't go rancid I'm not sure what the cause could be? Possible chemical reaction? Anyways I thought I would reach out and see if anyone else has played with this oil. Like a champion I bought about 4 gallons without testing it so I'm kicking myself for that now. I have used it on walnut, beech, maple, read oak all without smell or issue. Thanks for the help.

[Prashun Patel]

I use mct extensively in my business but not for woodworking finishing. It does not dry. You can certainly use it in place of mineral oil in some cases if that's how you wish to finish. It is GRAS, and should not react with anything to produce a musty smell.

Is it the spruce that is giving that odor?

Also beware that while Capric and caprylic (the mc in mct) triglycerides are found in coconut oil, much commercial product is palm oil derived.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Prashun may have hit it on the nose . caprylic acid has a rancid, unpleasant odor and is found in palm and coconut oil.

[tory jarvis]

Thanks for your input, I will look into this. Although the oil it's self has no odor and when applied to other woods there is no odor. I'm puzzled.

[Prashun Patel]

I did not mean to imply that the oil goes rancid. In fact it is extremely stable in my experience. It should not smell at all.

I do not suspect the oil nor any reaction with the oil. I suspect the wood to be the cause.

[tory jarvis]

Well to follow up on this, I am still stumped by the smell, i am assuming at this point that the oil was tainted. I have switched over to pure Linseed oil, and am investigating using a local Hemp oil which hardens up similar to Walnunt oil. Thanks for your input.