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It’s ok to use mineral oil isn’t it? I’ve been using it on my joints via Qtip and then rub the excess from the spring into the wood or bone.
 
Frank.K said:
It’s ok to use mineral oil isn’t it? I’ve been using it on my joints via Qtip and then rub the excess from the spring into the wood or bone.
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Not only is it ok, it's food safe too!

I apply it more liberally than you've described as I've found that a good soaking with mineral oil helps wick any residual polishing compound, or other forms of mung, out of the joints and seems to help the bearing surfaces wear together the way I like during break in.

I used to use Mobil 1 synthetic (it's food safe too, BTW) and still do on my firearms, but on the occasion that I need to cut a good steak, I prefer for it not to taste like motor oil - if I get judged for that, I'm ok with it. 😂
 
birdsbeaks said:
Not only is it ok, it's food safe too!

I apply it more liberally than you've described as I've found that a good soaking with mineral oil helps wick any residual polishing compound, or other forms of mung, out of the joints and seems to help the bearing surfaces wear together the way I like during break in.

I used to use Mobil 1 synthetic (it's food safe too, BTW) and still do on my firearms, but on the occasion that I need to cut a good steak, I prefer for it not to taste like motor oil - if I get judged for that, I'm ok with it. 😂
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Mineral oil is hard to beat.
 
Frank.K said:
It’s ok to use mineral oil isn’t it? I’ve been using it on my joints via Qtip and then rub the excess from the spring into the wood or bone.
Click to expand...
I use mineral oil on the joints and blades, but I don't rub it into into the covers (unless they're wood, in which case I might, particularly of it's ebony and looking 'tired'). This is because I have a horror of verdigris, and I'm told oil can encourage the reaction between copper (present in brass liners, brass pins, and nickel silver bolsters) and stag (or bone) which results in verdigris.
 
I just use whatever is handy… 3 in 1 gets the nod sometimes, Ballistol is used if I’ve been cleaning guns recently. (It’s also food safe.)

Mineral oil is the most frequently recommended on here so I’m sure it works brilliantly.
 
I use mineral oil. Any mineral oil that comes from a pharmacy is food safe, but just because it’s mineral oil doesn’t always mean it’s food safe. Or so I’ve been told.
 
btb01 said:
Are you sure about that? The label says “Eco-Friendly, Skin Safe, No Carginogens”, but it also says “Harmful or fatal if swallowed.”
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I think that's just a generic warning, to cover the manufacturer/seller. Mineral oil is known to hasten your regular toilet visit if you drink it - it is sometimes recommended as a laxative. The quantity you might ingest through knife maintenance is negligible.
 
dovidola said:
I think that's just a generic warning, to cover the manufacturer/seller. Mineral oil is known to hasten your regular toilet visit if you drink it - it is sometimes recommended as a laxative. The quantity you might ingest through knife maintenance is negligible.
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Yeah, but Ballistol isn’t just mineral oil. Based on the smell alone I wouldn’t chose to ingest it or use it on knives I planned on using for food prep, but hey, to each their own…
 
dovidola said:
I think that's just a generic warning, to cover the manufacturer/seller. Mineral oil is known to hasten your regular toilet visit if you drink it - it is sometimes recommended as a laxative. The quantity you might ingest through knife maintenance is negligible.
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Yeah I certainly wouldn’t drink the stuff, but a bit of residue on my knife blade on the infrequent occasion I may cut something edible is certainly not gonna hurt. Pretty sure the active ingredient in Ballistol is …mineral oil.

Generally when I oil a knife I put a couple drops on the tangs and work the blades back and forth a couple of times to distribute it. Then I use my finger to wipe up the excess that’s accumulated at the end of the backspring, and I wipe it over the whole backspring and blade. Just enough to put something on there so any ambient humidity won’t immediately cause a pepper spot. After all, I’d prefer if I did happen to cut some food, that the food help to patinate my blade, and it’s not going to work well at that if it’s got a thick layer of oil. I want patina because then it makes my blade less likely to rust if I’m not diligent about oiling, and also less apt to make my food have that metallic/rust/blood taste.
 
btb01 said:
Yeah, but Ballistol isn’t just mineral oil. Based on the smell alone I wouldn’t chose to ingest it or use it on knives I planned on using for food prep, but hey, to each their own…
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I wasn't suggesting you neck it neat from the bottle, just that ingesting the occasional trace of it will not harm you.
 
dovidola said:
I use mineral oil on the joints and blades, but I don't rub it into into the covers (unless they're wood, in which case I might, particularly of it's ebony and looking 'tired'). This is because I have a horror of verdigris, and I'm told oil can encourage the reaction between copper (present in brass liners, brass pins, and nickel silver bolsters) and stag (or bone) which results in verdigris.
Click to expand...
Mineral oil doesn’t encourage verdigris. It may seem like it to some people. However, it can spread verdigris that is already there hiding around the pins and liners. Basically it can cause it to leach out and become more noticeable if it already there. Verdigris is a chemical reaction of the copper that is in brass with oxygen and it is increased when there is exposure to salt.
 
Travman said:
Mineral oil doesn’t encourage verdigris. It may seem like it to some people. However, it can spread verdigris rust is already there hiding around the pins and liners. Basically it can spread it if it already there. Verdigris is a chemical reaction of the copper that is n brass with oxygen and it is increased when there is exposure to salt.
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There's a lot of conflicting advice out there about this. I've read that oil (even the oils naturally occurring in a leather slip) will promote verdigris, and I've read the best cure/prevention for verdigris is soaking in a bath of oil for 24 hours! Who to believe? It developed on two of my beloved stag GECs before I learned what it was, and I hate it so much that I'm taking no chances. All seem to agree that RenWax is a good idea (it would certainly form a barrier of sorts to the salts on our hands reaching the handle), so I regularly slather with that.
 
dovidola said:
There's a lot of conflicting advice out there about this. I've read that oil (even the oils naturally occurring in a leather slip) will promote verdigris, and I've read the best cure/prevention for verdigris is soaking in a bath of oil for 24 hours! Who to believe? It developed on two of my beloved stag GECs before I learned what it was, and I hate it so much that I'm taking no chances. All seem to agree that RenWax is a good idea (it would certainly form a barrier of sorts to the salts on our hands reaching the handle), so I regularly slather with that.
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That is what I was taught by one of my friends and mentors when I started collecting- mineral oil and a little bit of RenWax.
 
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