looking 4 non-toxic, even edible rust proof oil for knife

M

MilliePop

Joined
Aug 21, 2008
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83
not sure if this is the right forum so feel free to move if necessary. The title says it all. Any and all recommendations are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Mineral oil. Available at any drug store and most grocery stores. It's a laxative. I use it exclusively for my blades, as I try to avoid contact with petrochemicals as much as possible. It's very inexpensive, also has no smell whatsoever.
 
I strongly second mineral oil. Just a couple bucks for a jug that'll last you for years. :cool::thumbup:
 
22-rimfire said:
Silicone works too.
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I don't consider silicone oil "non-toxic". Not unless it is a food-grade material. I believe there are some so rated. But unless bought in that grade, I would not assume it is benign.

The most easily available food grade lubricant is, as has been said several times above, the mineral oil sold as a laxative. Sold in your local pharmacy.
 
H2H907 said:
Mineral oil. Available at any drug store and most grocery stores. It's a laxative. I use it exclusively for my blades, as I try to avoid contact with petrochemicals as much as possible. It's very inexpensive, also has no smell whatsoever.
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Yep. That's exactly what I use on my knives. Mineral oil from the drugstore section of the grocer. People take that internally. Super safe.
 
You need to replace it regularly but olive oil works, as does most plant oils, if really desperate cod liver oil also works.

As an aside try shaving with olive oil-works a treat!
 
Shaving with olive oil? No kidding? Learn something new every day.

As for the mineral oil, the food grade stuff is what I use on my blades. My knives...all of them...sit in drawers in their sheaths. I go through about once a month and give them a quick wipe with a very very light coat of mineral oil and they are perfect even in this high humidity and dew point WI weather we are having. No problems at all, even on 52-100 and 1095 with rusting issues in the sheaths.
 
Balistol. It is a spray lubricant for firearms. It is mostly mineral oil, but seems to work better. No residue build up, and marketed as non-toxic. I use it one toys that will be sitting around for a while in my trunk. Or anyplace else where something might rust if left unattended long term.

-Mb
 
Note that ballistol does have a rather strong smell which some find offensive. This goes away after about 30 minutes. Direct from the bottle it also has a strong flavor, which goes away quicker than the smell. Once the volatiles in it have gone away then it's completely flavor and oderless. Medicinal grade mineral oil works. Some woodworking shops sell japanese tool/knife oil that is basically food grade mineral oil with a bit of camelia flower oil in it, this works too.
 
Mineral Oil +5 (non-toxic) works great.

It is a little thick, sometimes you can find thinner types.
Also a great conditioner for most man-made knife handles.
If you can find a needle type applictor bottle it helps a lot.

Was in a local big-box drug store looking for some in the
baby / sun tan oil section recently. An elderly woman there
took me over to the laxative section. She kept insisting
there were much better choices than mineral oil. I didn't want
want to pull out my EDC and explain what it was for, so
I left with a large bottle for $1.99 (minus a little dignity..)

-Ron
 
H2H907 said:
Mineral oil. Available at any drug store and most grocery stores. It's a laxative. I use it exclusively for my blades, as I try to avoid contact with petrochemicals as much as possible. It's very inexpensive, also has no smell whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Sorry, guys. Mineral oil IS a PETROCHEMICAL ! It's a liquid-at-room-temperature PARAFFIN !

That said, it is non-toxic 'cause the body just ignores it, and it's a laxative only in significant amounts ( teaspoonful, etc).

Sorry to get so exercised, but I've heard this one time too many.

Another tasteless/odorless/edible alternative to mineral oil is petroleum jelly, which is just mineral oil with a slightly higher melting point. Also beeswax, which is not a petro derived product.
 
Well I'll be damned. Color me educated. I just thought since it was mineral oil... :-l

In that case, I guess one could also use astroglide.
 
H2H907 said:
Well I'll be damned. Color me educated. I just thought since it was mineral oil... :-l

In that case, I guess one could also use astroglide.
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Well, not really..if you want to avoid petroleum products...

"Astroglide" from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroglide :
"Original liquid product
Purified water, glycerin, propylene glycol, polyquaternium 15, methylparaben, and propylparaben.

Glycerin & Paraben Free liquid product
Purified water, butylene glycol, xylitol, propylene glycol, polyquaternium 15"

The ones in boldface are petro derivatives....Sorry !
Since Astrolube also contain water, it might not be to good as a steel preservative.

Ballistol:
The MSDS for Ballistol lists isobutyl alcohol as an ingredient, and while Ballistol maintains that it's product is non-toxic, I personally wouldn't use it for any food contact item. BTW, the isobutyl alcohol is probably what causes the product's strong smell. It's probably a solvent for the real lube stuff in the product and it will mostly evaporate after a while...but some residues may remain.

Mineral oil, petroleum jelly, beeswax, and canning paraffin are your best bets for coatings that are odorless, tasteless and food grade.

Ballistol MSDS:
http://hazard.com/msds/f2/ckw/ckwkc.html

Isobutyl alcohol MSDS:
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/i7600.htm
 
The alcohol and I believe it has something like anise oil in it as well. There's alot of alcohol in it, not much anise/whatever though since the strong scent/taste goes away pretty quick. I've got a few cans of the stuff from back when I thought it was the cat's meow, I still use it on tools and stuff. I use the japanese camellia flower/tool oil on my kitchen knives now, if they get oiled at all. Normally I just wash and dry them before and after food prep, they really don't need oil. I use Weaponshield CLP on all my non-cooking knives. The owner claims it's non toxic and he seems like a trustworthy fellow though I still don't want any of that stuff in my system, it also tastes like rubber. In the miniscule amounts that I use on a pocket knife though it's not an issue, even if there's a thick coat on the blade a quick wipe with a napkin or something will remove enough that you can't taste it on food.
 
Yep, and apparently this is what ballistol smells like to some people, most however (me included) think it just smells bad. :p

Ahh found this with a quick search. http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/sources-for-ballistol-lube-and-mysteries-revealed/

Q: What’s Ballistol made from — it smells funny?

A: Ballistol is made from medical grade mineral oil, alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and oil from vegetable seeds. The smell comes from medicinal Anethole oil, which is derived from the Anise plant. Ballistol is biodegradable and non-toxic

Just so you know the main reason I stopped using it on important stuff is that the two FACTORY SEALED metal cans I had kept in my garage rusted inside, and not just a little bit either. I grabbed an unopened and still sealed can of the stuff and shook it up to make sure nothing had seperated while it was on the shelf for a year. The outside of the cans looked pristine aside from some dust. When I poured it out it was an opaque orange color, clean ballistol is a clear, light honey colored liquid with no solids in it. All I can figure is that the alcohol attracted some water and it ended up forming a fine rust emulsion from the metal can's walls. Not quite sure how that works with a totally airtight, sealed can but I have no other answers here :p
 
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