Fractionated Coconut Oil on Blades and Boards?

[Kale]

Has anyone tried fractionated coconut oil to protect knives (or cutting boards, which it's primarily used for)? This is coconut oil that has been further refined, to prevent rancidity (and is liquid at room temperature, similar to MCT oil). As one example, see Clark's Cutting Board Oil on Amazon. It seems to be commonly used for cutting boards. But there's divided opinion on whether it actually resists rancidity or not.

Why use this over tried-and-true food grade mineral oil? Mineral oil is prescribed as a laxative, so while it's safe it isn't exactly "food." It's probably impossible to absorb enough from a knife or cutting board to cause issues, but if there's a better option I'd like to use it.

[bleasure]

also interested to know the answer if anyone's knowledgeable about it - my concern with mineral oil has nothing to do with its laxative effect, which i believe you'd only need to worry about if swallowed in larger amounts, but the fact that it's a petroleum product. if there's an oil which serves in the same way mineral oil does - foodsafe, biodegradable, won't go rancid, and isn't a commodity propelling deforestation (e.g. palm oil) - i'd be very interested in using it.

[JRinFL]

Not an oil, but beeswax or carnauba wax come to mind as food safe protectors. Much more effort involved to use them as they have to be warmed up prior to application.

[Kale]

Agreed bleasure, it's not something our body expects to be in there. I've had issues absorbing nutrients as it is (one reason I'm not a vegetarian, in spite of the screen name), so it just seems like a bad idea to lubricate my digestive system even a tiny bit.

I'll probably try the Clark's product on a cheap cutting board and knife. I imagine it's more likely to go rancid on the knife, but then it's easy to clean plastic and steel (and for a kitchen knife, it's going to get regularly cleaned anyway).

[Kale]

Not an oil, but beeswax or carnauba wax come to mind as food safe protectors. Much more effort involved to use them as they have to be warmed up prior to application.

Thanks, that's a good option! Have you personally used wax to protect blades?

[JRinFL]

Not an oil, but beeswax or carnauba wax come to mind as food safe protectors. Much more effort involved to use them as they have to be warmed up prior to application.

Thanks, that's a good option! Have you personally used wax to protect blades?

Not as of yet. I have read about other using it with success, so I've wanted to to try it on some simple high carbon steels. I think you can get pure carnauba wax in a paste form for use on automobiles, but I'm not sure if there are added chemicals to keep it paste like.

[Kale]

Not an oil, but beeswax or carnauba wax come to mind as food safe protectors. Much more effort involved to use them as they have to be warmed up prior to application.

Thanks, that's a good option! Have you personally used wax to protect blades?

Not as of yet. I have read about other using it with success, so I've wanted to to try it on some simple high carbon steels. I think you can get pure carnauba wax in a paste form for use on automobiles, but I'm not sure if there are added chemicals to keep it paste like.

The Clark's company (which I have no association with) has a product with bee's wax, carnauba wax and the refined coconut oil I mentioned. Just like the coconut-only product, it's sold for cutting boards, but I don't see why it couldn't go on knives:
https://www.amazon.com/CLARKS-Coconut-W ... merReviews

And here's the oil I'm going to try (they're also sold together in a bundle): https://www.amazon.com/CLARKS-Coconut-C ... r=8-6&th=1

[JRinFL]

Please keep us informed of your progress. I'd be happy to switch something food safe and that will not go rancid.

[Evil D]

I'd say even if you dipped a blade into mineral oil and then cut your sandwich in half you still wouldn't ingest enough to effect you. The thin layer you'll use on a blade is so insignificant you shouldn't worry about it. I tend to use good old Vaseline on my carbon blades, it seems like it lasts longer than oils and the guy who "invented" it was said to have ate a spoonful a day because he believed it it's health benefits so much and it didn't kill him.

[RustyIron]

the guy who "invented" it was said to have ate a spoonful a day because he believed it it's health benefits

I wanted to quote your entire post, 'cuz you're spot on. Mineral oil won't hurt you, AND the amount transferred from a blade to the work being cut is negligible.

I was curious about your claim regarding the "inventor" of Vaseline, so I read a little bit about Robert Chesebrough. Ever hear of a company called "Chesebrough-Ponds?" That's the guy. He was an out-of-work sperm oil processor. While speaking with the first oilfield workers in Titusville, PA, he learned of the healing properties of the goop that accumulated on the pump rods. He tested it, marketed it, got rich, and the rest is history.

Chesebrough was so confident in his product that he hired a lady to come to his house every day and rub him from head to toe in Vaseline. It's true. I could never make something like that up.

Personally, I use some goop called ichthammol for cuts and abrasions. It's made from the same stuff as Vaseline, but it's blacker and smellier. It's anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and works WAY better than all the expensive stuff that the pharmacist wants to sell you. I don't know how anyone on a knife forum could ever get cut... but I'm just throwing it out there.

[Doc Dan]

I use Vaseline. It is mineral oil and paraffin wax. It stays really well. Even when wiping off everything you can see, it is still there protecting the blade and lubricating. Nice stuff.

I have some Howard's Cutting Board Treatment. It is food grade mineral oil with vitamin E, beeswax, and carnauba wax. I've not tried it on my knives, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work and it will not go rancid.

[DrHE]

I use bees wax and mineral oil on all wood cutting boards/utensils as well as all my kitchen knives. Works wonderfully, is food safe and 1 small batch lasts for a long while. I wipe all my kitchen knives down after cleaning and drying and all my wood cutting boards 1x a month no matter the frequency of use. I keep the small mason jelly jar of it in the cabinet in the kitchen near the sink. That way I wash, dry, and treat them each time.

Melt (food grade) bees wax in a small mason jar using a pan of hot water on the stove. Add mineral oil (food grade) and stir it together until mixed remove from the heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature before screwing the lid on. A 1:4 mixture works well but you can make it softer or harder at room temp by varying the ratio.

[skeeg11]

I'm lazy. I just buy BooS Block Board cream. Natural unbleached beeswax and food grade mineral oil.

[Toucan]

Maybe a food safe drying oil? Walnut comes to mind. It doesn't go rancid after curing. You would have a thin polymerized coating on your knife though. That could be good or bad for your use case.

[Toucan]

Maybe a food safe drying oil? Walnut comes to mind. It doesn't go rancid after curing. You would have a thin polymerized coating on your knife though. That could be good or bad for your use case.

[Bloke]

Melt (food grade) bees wax in a small mason jar using a pan of hot water on the stove. Add mineral oil (food grade) and stir it together until mixed remove from the heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature before screwing the lid on. A 1:4 mixture works well but you can make it softer or harder at room temp by varying the ratio.

I make the same concoction.

My favourite, though it’s not food safe is Beeswax, linseed oil, and gum turpentine. I can’t remember the exact ratio’s off the top of my head but it’s the best I’ve found for my Brux hatchet and the like. It protects the steel, wood and leather all in one.

[Airlsee]

Melt (food grade) bees wax in a small mason jar using a pan of hot water on the stove. Add mineral oil (food grade) and stir it together until mixed remove from the heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature before screwing the lid on. A 1:4 mixture works well but you can make it softer or harder at room temp by varying the ratio.

I make the same concoction.

My favourite, though it’s not food safe is Beeswax, linseed oil, and gum turpentine. I can’t remember the exact ratio’s off the top of my head but it’s the best I’ve found for my Brux hatchet and the like. It protects the steel, wood and leather all in one.

Weatherproofs canvas as well.

[standy99]

On Coconut oil that is refined

Refined coconut oil

On the other hand, refined coconut oil undergoes some additional processing to make it better suited for cooking.

It begins with pressing crude coconut oil from copra. At this step, the process may be similar to that of the dry extraction of unrefined coconut oil. Next, one or more of the following steps may occur, depending on the manufacturing process

Degumming. The crude coconut oil is mixed with a degumming agent to remove gums, which can alter the texture and quality of the oil. The oil is washed in water to separate these gums from the oil.

Neutralizing. Next, sodium hydroxide, or lye, is added to the oil, which forms a soap with free fatty acids in the oil. The oil is then washed with water, removing the soap and free fatty acids. This reduces the risk of rancidity, as free fatty acids are prone to oxidation.

Bleaching. Following neutralization, the oil is “bleached” by filtering it through an activated clay filter. No bleach is used in this process.
Deodorizing. Finally, the oil is heat-deodorized to remove any remaining coconut scent or taste.





Soooo

Mineral oil was the staple of butchers blocks and knife handles for years when I was a butcher.

I use mineral oil on wooden handles during sanding between paper changes and once finished on a high sandpaper then change to natural bees wax

[JacksonKnives]

Has anyone tried fractionated coconut oil to protect knives (or cutting boards, which it's primarily used for)?
...
...there's divided opinion on whether it actually resists rancidity or not.

Why use this over tried-and-true food grade mineral oil? Mineral oil is prescribed as a laxative, so while it's safe it isn't exactly "food." It's probably impossible to absorb enough from a knife or cutting board to cause issues, but if there's a better option I'd like to use it.

I haven't used it for long-term storage, but as an occasional wipe it seems similar to mineral oil. The bottle I have on hand has been in the cupboard for years and it seems unchanged.

"Better" is difficult to evaluate without more specifics; every time I see a test of corrosion inhibitors the usual suspects wind up in different places, almost certainly because of changing variables in the test. Frog Lube is a very good corrosion inhibitor in the right use-case, and it's basically just thick coconut oil, but that doesn't mean fractionated coconut oil will work better than mineral oil on your knives. It might, though!

FWIW, the laxitive effects of mineral oil are (AFAIK) simple mechanical side-effects of pushing a slug of oil through: because it isn't absorbed in your intestines it passes right through, and it prevents your intestines from absorbing water at the same time. Fractionated coconut oil is digestible, but it will likely have the same laxative effect if you drink enough of it at once.

[DrHE]

Melt (food grade) bees wax in a small mason jar using a pan of hot water on the stove. Add mineral oil (food grade) and stir it together until mixed remove from the heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature before screwing the lid on. A 1:4 mixture works well but you can make it softer or harder at room temp by varying the ratio.

I make the same concoction.

My favourite, though it’s not food safe is Beeswax, linseed oil, and gum turpentine. I can’t remember the exact ratio’s off the top of my head but it’s the best I’ve found for my Brux hatchet and the like. It protects the steel, wood and leather all in one.

Amen to Beeswax and Linseed oil! Yep not food safe but will keep a table and tool/axe handles for literally centuries. I always used it on my gransfors hunters axe handle which I have had since they were introduced. I admit I have skipped the turpentine in my last few batches (wife said it was a bit strong for her nose in the house) so I went to pure boiled linseed. Made it thinner more like a soft paste and she hits all the wood furniture with it.