What is Mineral Oil?

[Tommy Emmons]

I am going to apply mineral oil or another oil to a small serving tray that is made of cherry. I got to thinking, what is mineral oil exactly? Is it like castor oil from the castor bean, or another oil from a different nut/bean? Would olive oil work just as well for oiling the cherry serving tray to make it "food safe"? I don't want to get into the all finishes are "food safe" argument. Thanks for the reply. Tommy

[Jim Becker]

Mineral oil is not made from a plant...at least not one that's been alive for a few million years. It's also sometimes referred to as Paraffin Oil and is used as both a laxative and by woodworkers to treat items such as cutting boards and salad bowls. It does not cure and must be renewed from time to time. Some folks will also mix it about 10:1 with melted paraffin for these items.

Don't use olive oil or anything similar...it will go rancid. There is a particular type of walnut oil that is fine to use...it's processed such that it also will not go rancid, but could be a problem with folks allergic to nuts.

And I know what you said about the "food safe" argument, but to be clear, it's not "all finishes are food safe"...it's "all finishes sold today are food safe when fully cured." There is a difference. Mineral oil is an exception.

[Gary Keedwell]

I think it is a petroleum product.
Gary K.

[Tommy Emmons]

Thanks guys, I was just curious and had to enquire. Kind of like the ENQUIRER crowd.

[paul ashman]

If you live near an airport with general avaiation facitities (private aircraft) you can buy Aeroshell mineral oil. Piston powered aircraft engines use mineral oil for a specified number of hours after rebuilds. It is a very high grade of mineral oil.
just my 2 cents.....

[Robert Waddell]

One word of caution regarding Paul's post. The mineral oil used for this purpose needs to be food grade. Food grade is tested for heavy metals, arsenic and other things that could contaminate it during processing that would be harmful if ingested. The stuff sold in the drug store is food grade or or lower viscosity FG can be bought from suppliers such as STE Oil here on the web.
Rob

[Austin Grote]

Aeroshell Mineral oil is non detergent aviation MOTOR OIL, not the same as mineral oil you can buy in the grocery store... They call it mineral oil so it is not confused with synthetic oil.

[Joe Mioux]

I think it is a petroleum product.
Gary K.


Bingo!,,,

I dealt with this issue back in the mid '80's. Dust suppression systems in Grain elevators.

Mineral oil v soybean oil.

enough said!

[Scott Thornton]

I got the Mineral Oil I used for my last few cutting boards at Walgreens (in the laxative section):). I wouldn't recommend using any cooking oils as they will get rotten and stink really bad. Whatever is being served probably won't get eaten!

Also, mineral oil will need to be reapplied periodically. My only complaint is the drying time, takes a while.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Or the other way round Petroleum Jelly is High molecular Weight Mineral oil.

It's a tasteless odorless nontoxic, aseptic, fluid (or in the case of Jelly a semi-solid) that is extracted in the cracking process when petroleum oils are refined.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I got the Mineral Oil I used for my last few cutting boards at Walgreens

Of course being careful not to get the stinky mineral oil that some marketing idiot thought needed an artificial odor added.


Also, mineral oil will need to be reapplied periodically. My only complaint is the drying time, takes a while.

It never dries. It is absorbed slowly into the wood over time and it gets wiped and washed off the surface. But it never dries.