So about this mineral oil soaking...

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Revolvergeek

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Is this safe for synthetic scales too or something best reserved for bone handles? It the main intent to lubricate the knife or preserve the bone or ???

Thanks,
Danny
 
:thumbup: Yes, Yes and yes old fashioned mineral oil is even safe to drink cept you :):D end up with on h..lish case of the trots!!! :p;)
 
I generally use mineral oil to protect and preserve the scales and keep the blades free of harmful oxidation.

I think it a bit thick for "oiling the joint" and use other products toward that end.

The mineral oil is also good for penetrating and protecting the neglected areas such as the inside of the backspring and other hard to reach areas in the trough of the knife.

(BTW, the thread was moved to the "maintenance" section as its a better fit and will allow more of our members to participate.)
 
As far as synthetic materials it won't really protect them, but can cosmetically improve their appearance if the surface is dry or chalky. It won't hurt a thing if that's what you're worried about though.
 
what about celluloid scales ? is mineral oil harmful ? what about other lubricants ? thanks, roland
 
To my recollection pure mineral oil is safe on almost anything, but celluloid has been known to be particularly sensitive to various things, so get a second opinion before using it on an old collector piece. With celluloid I recommend not getting any oil on them in the first place just to be safe. Most lubes should be okay, keep anything with solvent away from it though (this means most aerosol lubes, breakfree CLP, gun cleaners, etc).
 
Mineral oil is not good for bone, stag, or horn scales.
Bill
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Mineral oil is not good for bone, stag, or horn scales.
Bill
Click to expand...

That's odd. I'd always heard the opposite of this and because of such have been using mineral oil for a while on my bone and stag scaled/handled knives. Haven't noticed any ill effects so far, but hopefully something doesn't crop up later down the road. :confused:


Gautier
 
Mineral oil is not a natural component of any natural material. It will darken porous materials. The mineral oil myth came about because it seeps into cracks and delaminations in horn scales and makes them APPEAR better-but it does nothing to prevent cracks and makes repairing them difficult.
Paste wax or neutral shoe polish seals natural materials without penetrating them.
Bill
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Mineral oil is not a natural component of any natural material. It will darken porous materials. The mineral oil myth came about because it seeps into cracks and delaminations in horn scales and makes them APPEAR better-but it does nothing to prevent cracks and makes repairing them difficult.
Paste wax or neutral shoe polish seals natural materials without penetrating them.
Bill
Click to expand...


So, if I waxed the scales and then did a mineral oil soak, would that be ok?
 
Why do you want to soak the scales in mineral oil in the first place?
You don't want to introduce oil into them. Oils tend to make glues release. Most synthetic handle materials like Micarta, G 10, Pakkawood, etc. are a fibrous material layered with a binder (glue). For the most part, the glue will penetrate these fibers-but if it doesn't, and you introduce an oil into the fiber, it can deteriorate the material at the bonding level.
A quick wipe on the surface is one thing. Soaking is another. It may have no ill effect, but it won't help much either. If the scales are a solid plastic, oil will have no effect beyond surface darkening.
 
Horn is modified hair and is not porous, like bone or antler(modified bone), so oil will not be absorbed into this material. hence coating with a wax (beeswax is what i have used) is a "natural" way to protect the surface from fingerprints, etc.
in a living animal, the outer(cortical) part of it's bones have blood vessels running through it and these contain water and fat(oil). hence it seems reasonable to soak bone(or antler) in mineral oil to allow the canaliculli (thin walled tubes runnuing through the bone that contain the blood vessels) to again have some oil in them. but it probably is unnecessary as in the living state the fat in blood never comes into direct contact with any bone cells as it is all contained within the walls of the blood vessels.
i have noticed on older knives that bone scales seem NOT to shrink, or crack, unless there has been "trauma", like at a pin crack. this would support the view that bone scales do not need any treatments.
my question is how do you clean bone or stag handles to remove the "hand" grease, etc. it has accumulated over years of use ? what about warm water, dish soap and a nylon brush ?
v. useful thread and i hope the more experienced collectors will continue to share their experiences on this topic. thanks, roland
 
Rprocter is correct. Horn is not porous, but it will crack and delaminate. Soaking in mineral oil will fill these voids and make it LOOK better for a short while, but the oil actually makes repairs to horn more difficult.
 
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Bone and stag can be scrubbed with soap/water/toothbrush. I use an ultrasonic cleaner.
Wax when polished and cleaned.
I have not tried lanolin.
 
I use a combination of mineral/clove oil on my carbon steel blades to prevent corrosion. I use Hooflex on my horn and bone handles. These treatments have worked well enough for me.
 
This information provided by Bill De Shivs on mineral-oil is very interesting and thought provoking.

The conventional wisdom, or almost mantra on this is, that it is good it must be good etc.I too have been using mineral oil but I do begin to wonder about the utility of it.Recently I've noticed that one of my stag knives(not top drawer stag here)has begun not only to darken but at the pithy porous parts of the antler it has actually softened!The binding material/glue on the liners has come off too....Perhaps mineral oil actually softens stag and to a lesser extent bone?

I have read elsewhere that owners of CASE 6.5 Bonestag knives have actually had the knives turn black from mineral oil baths,one of my CASE Bonestag's whilst not going black went a distinctly greyish colour after a soaking but I thought this was a one-off,maybe not. I've had some nice results from soaking but frankly, I'm beginning to question the merits of it and I think the immense value of forums like these is that people can share differing experiences and maybe shed new light.
 
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