Let's talk wax.

Little curious just how big a deal "food safe" really is. I've never used a food safe oil, grease, wax, or anything on my knives. They get the blade wiped on my pants or sleeve and then my apple gets sliced up. I know my dad and my grandfather used oil right off the dipstick sometimes if it wasn't a fresh shot from the WD40 can. The more that I think about it I don't even know anyone that's ever used even a basic mineral oil on knives for all the times I've seen and heard it recommended. No doubt it's a good idea though.
 
I use mineral oil on my knives at home all the time. It's USP grade, so it's suitable for use in food products... Probably won't hurt you if you consume the amount that's wiped off on your food...
 
2nd the idea of USP mineral oil on kitchen knives. You can eat it medicinally by the teaspoonful, so it's safe enough. I use it on my carbon knives every time they go back in the knife block or saya. Blade and handle. Both Ho-wood and rosewood like oil.

Long term storage? I've used both camellia oil and RenWax for years, but am eager to hear about what Brian comes up with.
 
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Little update on the hardening wax (not the NON-HARDENING formula)!

It's now been nearly three months since I put the top four hardening wax contenders in their tins to check for shelf stability (hardening waxes tend to become unviable within a year of opening). One has become too gunky/gummy to use easily. The other three are doing just fine. I applied the four waxes (along with some off the shelf brands) to a piece of Cocobolo and a piece of American Holly (both finished to 320 - 400 grit) about a month ago to check for finish longevity and yellowing (on the holly). All are performing pretty well on the yellowing test, with the Polymerized linseed formula having the most yellowing effect (which was kind of to be expected). All are doing pretty well on finish longevity, with two stand outs... And one performing distinctly better (again, hard to distinguish in the video).

The next part of the test involves leaving the holly and cocobolo outside (protected from rain but with U.V. exposure) to see how they do.

I also applied the four waxes to some Westinghouse crosscut canvas Micarta finished to 600 grit. These will also be left outside to see how they do.

My process for application was as follows:

Warmed up material until warm to touch with a heat gun.
Applied wax.
Let the wax sit for 15 minutes.
Removed excess wax.
Polished with soft cloth.


 
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Just a little update! The wood and Micarta have spent a little over two weeks out in the elements now. The wind blew the cocobolo to an area that was unprotected from the rain sometime over the past few days. It's been taking a beating with all the rain we've been having!

So far one hardening wax formula is really standing out in all the tests. Assuming it stays shelf stable over the next several months, I think we have a winner. :)

 
Fixall said:
Just a little update! The wood and Micarta have spent a little over two weeks out in the elements now. The wind blew the cocobolo to an area that was unprotected from the rain sometime over the past few days. It's been taking a beating with all the rain we've been having!

So far one hardening wax formula is really standing out in all the tests. Assuming it stays shelf stable over the next several months, I think we have a winner. :)

Click to expand...

This is genuinely interesting stuff. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride :)

I used BLO for years with crappy results once water entered the equation, plus it's filled with all kinds of nasties. I find that wax gives the wood a unique sheen, I always apply mine with heat (heat really makes the grain pop too). I know SkillCult on youtube raves about non boiled linseed oil, which I think is basically just flaxseed oil? He certainly has some beautifully aged handles and deep penetration but I have no idea how it holds up to water/rain (which is a biggie for me).

This is sounding really promising, especially the food safe/non toxic aspect which is another reason I preferred my wax mixture.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
This is genuinely interesting stuff. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride :)

I used BLO for years with crappy results once water entered the equation, plus it's filled with all kinds of nasties. I find that wax gives the wood a unique sheen, I always apply mine with heat (heat really makes the grain pop too). I know SkillCult on youtube raves about non boiled linseed oil, which I think is basically just flaxseed oil? He certainly has some beautifully aged handles and deep penetration but I have no idea how it holds up to water/rain (which is a biggie for me).

This is sounding really promising, especially the food safe/non toxic aspect which is another reason I preferred my wax mixture.
Click to expand...

Glad you’re enjoying it! The testing and whatnot has been a lot of fun.

As part of my testing I used polymerized linseed oil in a few different mixtures. Polymerized linseed oil is just flaxseed oil that has been heated so that it polymerizes/oxidizes into a fully hardened finish quicker. Boiled linseed does indeed have some rather harsh additives. I’ve not use plain linseed oil as it takes so long to fully hardened, but honestly I’ve been really underwhelmed by linseed oil when it comes to water protection. It does leave a nice finish though.

I’ve had significantly better results from pure tung oil/beeswax than I have had with polymerized linseed/beeswax. The pure tung offers MUCH better water protection and doesn’t yellow the material. It tends to leave a more visible matte “film” on the handle material though.

Polymerized walnut oil has really been my favorite so far. It needs a few extra additives to really bring out the best in it, but with the right mixture it’s really been making for a good finish. :)
 
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