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

yoda4561 said:
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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Yep, anethole oil is licorice smelling.
"Alkaline salts of oleic acid" = soap. (!) "Oil from vegetable seeds" may be the reason your cans went bad. Depending on 'which seeds' they used, these oils may be subject to oxidation, ie go rancid, with the generation of organic acids. Normally the "alkaline salts" would neutralize any acid but there appears to be more oxidizable oils than alkaline salts so, over time, the oils will deteriorate, and generate acids which will attack the can, causing rust.

This is consistent with the claim to be 'biodegradeable'. Most oils are biodegraded via oxidation, UV light, or bacterial action and break down into smaller, more chemically reactive chains, which may the be easily consumed by bacteria/fungi in a landfill. But in the can there arent many bugs around to eat them, so they react with the can, and each other, making a nasty goo.

Of course, if the alcohols did absorb some water, that would make the problem worse. I see you're from Florida, so your garage gets pretty hot in summer (?), and heat will accelerate the problem, too.
Sounds like ballistol needs a "store at room temperature" caution and a "use-by ..." date.
 
Thanks for the info Flashlife on Ballistol. I had read about Ballistol but did not know it contained alcohol. And thanks yoda4561 as I have a metal bottle of Ballistol and will check it out to see if has rusted. This is a great place to learn about knives and just about any subject pertaining to them.

RKH
 
My point was that since it is petrochemically based, one may as well use astroglide. If for no other reason than the humor factor. I mean, when it comes right down to it, knives are pretty damned phallic, c'est non? Is a condom not also sometimes refered to as a sheath?

My gawd... I need to get some.
 
Unsalted lard is food grade (unless your religion prohibits) and comes highly recommended, but mineral oil sounds like a better choice as a lubricant.

As strictly a rust preventative on blades, I like Johnson's paste wax for both knives and guns, but I don't think it's food grade, although it's probably mostly natural carnubia wax.
 
shecky said:
Knives and Astroglide is a combination too scary to contemplate.

Petrochemical?
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Yeah, Petro. "Mineral" was probably used way-back-when to differentiate it from vegetable oils and whale oil. The 'mineral' part denotes that it came from the ground...like minerals...ie, it's a refined petroleum oil product.

Petroleum is separated into various products by fractional distillation, ie, boiling temperature, and the products, in more-or-less low-to-high boiling order, are:
petroleum 'ether', then naphtha, then gasoline, then diesel, then several grades of lubricating oils (5wt to 50wt), then various greases, then solid waxes, then "pitch" and "tar". Mineral oil is separated from the lube oils and refined and purified/filtered/etc to a specific range of melting point materials which are all liquid 'paraffins'.

Paraffins are all typically pure hydrocarbons, meaning they're long-chain-like molecules made of carbon and hydrogen with no oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc anywhere in the chain. This accounts for their stability and low chemical reactivity. Having no 'odd' atoms like oxygen or nitrogen, the body can't digest them, so they pass thru your system unchanged. They 'lubricate' the intestines, allowing easier passage of solid wastes, but don't stimulate the colon like some other laxatives. However, long-term use inhibits the body's uptake of several oil-soluble vitamins.

This BP order corredponds generally to the number of carbon atoms in the molecular chain/structure, petro-ether having about 5-6 (pentane, hexane), naphtha having 7-8 ( "Zippo lighter fluid"),gasoline having 8-10 (octane to decane), diesel about 15...and on up from there.

Here endeth the chemistry lesson... :)

BTW, when I googled "Astroglide MDSD" and clicked the link,I got an insistent message that I needed to upload a video player to view it. I finally had to click "OK", then "Cancel", but my PC got a virus from it. (found and quarrantined by my anti-virus software). So, my advise is "Don't go there!".
 
On my carbon steel kitchen knives I use peanut oil, seems to be the most 'stable' of all the cooking oils. Knives that I have stored away in card board blade covers for six months or so still didn't form any kind of funky residue or odor, like that can happen with olive or veg oils....damn good for frying also ;)
 
flashlife said:
BTW, when I googled "Astroglide MDSD" and clicked the link,I got an insistent message that I needed to upload a video player to view it. I finally had to click "OK", then "Cancel", but my PC got a virus from it. (found and quarrantined by my anti-virus software). So, my advise is "Don't go there!".
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Heh.


BTW, thanks for the chemistry lesson.
 
sam adams said:
On my carbon steel kitchen knives I use peanut oil, seems to be the most 'stable' of all the cooking oils. Knives that I have stored away in card board blade covers for six months or so still didn't form any kind of funky residue or odor, like that can happen with olive or veg oils....damn good for frying also ;)
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:thumbup: Great tip on the peanut oil---I don't actually keep any lard handy around the house, but I always have a bottle of peanut oil in the kitchen. This just might keep my Old Hickory knives from rusting quite so fast. Thanks.
 
I use a mixture of mineral oil and clove oil on all of my carbon steel knives.
Food safe and smells great.:cool:
 
Try Pam. I read in Blade? that a custom knifemaker recommended Pam to keep his carbon steel knives rust free.

RKH
 
RKH said:
Try Pam. I read in Blade? that a custom knifemaker recommended Pam to keep his carbon steel knives rust free.

RKH
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Who is this 'Pam' and how can I get her to come to my house to keep my knives free from rust?:p
 
Ditto on mineral oil. I have a number of really old carbon steel kitchen knives, and some stainless, with wood handles. Remember Herter's? I douse them with mineral oil every year or so, or as needed. The carbon steel blades have developed a patina over the years, but no rust. The handles have darkened nicely. One bottle lasts many years.
 
Is there a specific brand of mineral oil thats good, or anything on the counter should do? What about Choji oil?
 
iBlade said:
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!
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I've been using olive oil because it's readily available in my kitchen.
 
I use olive or peanut oil to prevent rust not only on my old carbon kitchen knives but cast iron pans as well. As long as you don't go too long without using or cleaning the knife either works pretty well.
 
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