Danish oil vs BLO

Take whatever risks you want, personally. I want the forum to know what the risks are. I won't intentionally expose myself to a known carcinogen.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/topics/oil.htm
"Frequent and prolonged contact with used engine oil may cause dermatitis and other skin disorders, including skin cancer.

Avoid unnecessary contact with used engine oil. Adopt safe systems of work, wear protective clothing which should be cleaned or replaced regularly. Don't keep oily rags in pockets as the oil will seep through overalls etc and affect the skin below. Maintain high standards of personal hygiene and cleanliness."
 
Alright, plastics may be made with oil, but that doesn't meant that the oil in it dried out. It has been completely chemically changed and isn't oil at all. BTW, crude oil and motor oil are not the same either. Crude oil contains liquid oil, volatiles, and semi- solids. The semi solids are what are in black-top, not the same stuff as motor oil. Both derived from crude, but two different things.

I guess what I was saying is that you can leave a mug full of motor oil out for a year and you will still have a mug full of oil. At no point will you have a dried out hard puck fall out of the mug. Petroleum oil is non-drying.

These types of things absorb through the skin. I read a study once that found detectable levels of diesel and kerosene in the internal organs of people that regularly washed their hands with those substances. It is never recomended for cleaning skin, especially of old dirt/grease/oil as it dissolves the gunk and brings it along into the body.

Anyway, the point is that it is an unhealthy substance to have prolonged contact with. Maybe it is mostly under the wood surface and contact is limited, but there are so many superior choices and it can't be recommended.
 
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My 90 year old (and still healthy) neighbour was a power utility linesman up until he retired 30 years ago. He chuckled when he told me fresh pails of now-highly-verboten PCBs (for topping up electrical transformers) were an unsurpassed solvent for cleaning hands and that this had been common practice amongst his colleagues for quite some time.
 
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Since it came up ("We eat boatloads of palm oil. . .") I figured I'd share a recipe using one of my favorite oils. Also, now that we are in the Holiday Season, I recommend it for those special gatherings with family and friends. I guarantee a holiday your loved ones will long remember!

Garlic, Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Dip




Ingredients

1/2 cup motor oil, Pennzoil is excellent
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, grated
1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt​


Directions

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes for flavours to “marry each other”. Serve with cut up organic fresh bread like multigrain, baguette or sourdough. You can use dip as a coating on an axe handle as well.​

Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a month.

Bon appétit, and happy Holiday's.


Bob

P.S. This is kind of personal, but I feel I should add a caution. My digestive system has slowed down, I guess it's just part of ageing. Anyway, things stay in my system longer. The longer the motor oil stays in my system, the more likely it is to dry out before it's exit. You guessed it - constipation. And that can take the fun out of the holidays.
 
Kevin Houtzager said:
Try setting some run down oil on a flat piece in de sun. It will dry out. But pour it in a container and it will take years. What it leaves behind is the same stuff asphalt is made of (bitumen). It's sort of like a tar. Leave a container of oil to dry out long enough en it'll basically be the same thing.

As for not being the same thing: your right, they're not, but thats exactly the point I was making: Once it changes state it's harmless. The problem lies in the acidity of oil. And it just so happens that every oil contains acids to some degree: Palm oil, tung oil, Danish oil, Cooking oil, olive oil. The list goes on and on. I know there was a protein discovered about a year ago thats the main cause for cancer spread through oils, but that research is still in progress I believe?

The only reason it's more pronounced in Motor oil is because of the acidic ability of motor oil to remove skin grease. But that again: We eat boatloads of palm oil in a day to day basis....
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You should know, it isn't acid, it's solvents. My salad dressing doesn't have those.

As adults, we can use our own judgement and make our own decisions. Hopefully they are informed ones. But, back to the original point of this thread and for the information of those looking for advice, the simple point is that used motor oil is not a recommended wood finish. There are many better choices, be they drying oils, varnishes of some sort, or even paint. I personally like drying oils but that is my preference.
 
Maine20 said:
Danish oil vs boiled linseed oil. Pros, cons. What do you prefer?

I have only used blo on handles so I can’t speak to the differences.

I have plenty of experience with the common film building finishes but in my opinion they aren’t the best choice on handles.
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Blo, turpentine, pine tar mix. Followed by a paste wax made from bees wax and blo when its dry.
All kinds of recipes out there for "boat soup".

Film thickness is the only way to seal wood and keep moisture out. That is why I use the wax. I seal around the head with straight bees wax, also the end grain.
 
Wait....what? Olive oil is carcinogenic and will disolve my skin oils?

I guess all of those people using mineral oil and vegetable oil based products to protect their skin will need to be notified.
 
Deep breath. I don't have the interest level required to properly reply, so I'm going to let this go. Stay away from lip balm I guess. I hope that the motor oil does well for you.
 
Danish oil vs BLO? I vote Danish. :thumbsup:

Well to be accurate, I vote American and I bake my danishes with butter but you all know what I mean :rolleyes:.

Ray
 
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Tried danish today for first time. I felt like it soaked in faster and more. Also dried faster. It gets my vote
 
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