Mineral Oil for Bone Handles?

Lenny

Lenny

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Oct 15, 1998
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I know I should get some mineral oil for my buffalo horn and bone handle knives, but I have a dumb question first.
Is mineral oil, mineral oil?
By that, I mean, can I just go to the drug store and pick up some mineral oil for the handles?
Thanks all.
Lenny
 
Yes, the mineral oil sold at pharmacies will do just fine and is clean enough to safely ingest.
 
I have bought some that was for cutting boards, it said it was food safe. I don't know if that matters for your purpose. And, I could be wrong, but I've heard that not all mineral oil is food safe.
 
foxx said:
I have bought some that was for cutting boards, it said it was food safe. I don't know if that matters for your purpose. And, I could be wrong, but I've heard that not all mineral oil is food safe.
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The mineral oil that is sold in my store pharamacy sections as a laxative. If it's safe enough to drink a couple teaspoons of the stuff then it must be safe enough to put on a blade and then later cut an apple (or whatever) with it.

I'm not saying some mineral oil isn't foodsafe. Maybe not. But the stuff in the pharmacy section should be. And it's dirt cheap too.
 
Yup. Drug store laxative section mineral oil is exactly what you want to get.

Or you could get baby oil if you want your knife to smell like a baby's butt. :) Same thing, just scented.
 
The 'safe' stuff has been refined into a chemical form that the body can't absorb (which is why it's used as a laxative; it passes straight through). The safe mineral oil, so far as I know, will be marked/labelled as 'U.S.P.' grade ('U.S.P.' = United States Pharmacopeia, which sets safety standards for medicines, dietary supplements and other health care products).
 
Don't put mineral oil on horn or bone. It will ruin bone in short order, and it does nothing for horn.
Use paste wax or paste neutral shoe polish.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Don't put mineral oil on horn or bone. It will ruin bone in short order, and it does nothing for horn.
Use paste wax or paste neutral shoe polish.
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So, what should you use mineral oil on?
And, by paste wax, do you mean the stuff that I put on my wood panelling?
Lenny
 
You can put the mineral oil on the blades, or the pivot, or use it as a laxative.
I don't know what you put on your paneling, but Johnson's Paste Wax or (again) neutral paste shoe polish work well.
 
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