# An alternative to Mineral Oil for cutting boards... California Walnut Oil Butter / Finishing Oils



## betowess (Feb 14, 2013)

I made a batch of board butter out of a 2 oz piece of bees wax and 8 oz of mineral oil, and it works fine. Total cost was less than $4.00. But I stumbled upon a wooden bowl artisan who offers his own finishing oil blend using California walnut oil. He also offers a paste which includes beeswax and carnauba wax with the walnut oil... It is supposedly food safe and doesn't go rancid... I may order some.

Here is the Link to Mike Mahoney Wood Turning Finishes...

http://www.bowlmakerinc.com/finishes.html


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## himself (Jan 7, 2013)

So just what, precisely, is the advantage of his over your home-brew "Board Butter"?


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## jimbo68 (Feb 3, 2012)

Food safe bowl finish is available most anywhere wood turners and carvers supplies sold.  It is not particularly cheap, nor any better than the home brews.  For a home use board, I think it is overkill.  In a commercial setting, you may want the certification for marketing and liability purposes.


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## betowess (Feb 14, 2013)

Himself said:


> So just what, precisely, is the advantage of his over your home-brew "Board Butter"?


Some folks are not comfortable using a by product from the refinement of gasoline - such as mineral oil, even if its USP approved. Its another alternative, and isn''t that much more money, and it has no carbon footprint, which matters to some people. I was surprised how many were down on mineral oil for that reason in the forum where I read of this walnut oil. Just different peoples perspectives, whether right or wrong, I am not an expert.


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## franzb69 (Jul 9, 2012)

linseed oil, tung oil both hare food safe


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## jimbo68 (Feb 3, 2012)

That may or not be true.  Linseed oil is flax seed oil that has various additives.  Flax seed oil is food safe, but aside from being expensive, is not particularly stable and goes rancid.

Tung oil supposedly mildly toxic, but I think that is only in large quantities.  However, tung oil is not as available as tung oil varnish, which contains other chemicals.  I would not worry about pure tung oil as a board finish.


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## betowess (Feb 14, 2013)

FranzB69 said:


> linseed oil, tung oil both hare food safe


I have a limited experience with linseed oil, which we used when I was crew on an Alaskan 58' seiner as a seal on a fish hold hatch combing. It put a beautiful finish on the hardwood, but needed to be about to boiling temperature, if I recollect correctly, and then painted on the wood. It took a long time to dry, like over a day... it smelled wonderful. I don't know if that would be too long for practical purposes, but would like to see more documentation that it is food safe.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Betowess said:


> I have a limited experience with linseed oil, ... It took a long time to dry, like over a day... it smelled wonderful. I don't know if that would be too long for practical purposes, but would like to see more documentation that it is food safe.


http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/food-safe-finishes.aspx

http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/finishing/articles_497a.shtml

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/2250576-post9.html


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## betowess (Feb 14, 2013)

BrianShaw said:


> http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/food-safe-finishes.aspx


That fine woodworking was a good link BrianShaw. Thanks. Sounds like raw linseed is out as it will never dry - the boiled has drying additives and is more spendy anyways. I called our local Food Coop and they sell non organic walnut oil (for cooking) for about $8 for 16 oz.

So 10 oz of walnut oil/bees wax butter would cost about $6.30 for ingredients as opposed to about $4.20 if using mineral oil - I paid a little less than $2 for a 16 oz. mineral oil at Wally. A local drugstore wanted about $6 for the same amount of mineral oil...


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