Knife oil - what's best?

[Chris]

I've just tended to use mineral oil like I'd use on wooden eating implements/cutting boards on my knives (including blades), just because I sometimes use them for food prep.

Is this alright, or are there better options out there?

 

[crosslandkelly]

I like Walnut oil. But any food safe oil will do.

 

[Mesquite]

Camellia oil is one oil used by a lot of folks for knife protection. It's food safe, non-toxic and doesn't go rancid.

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

Ballistol for wood,, metal, micarta etc.

 

[British Red]

Vaseline. Food safe, adheres well, have it anyway, makes a good firestarter. I don't overcomplicate this stuff.

 

[TLM]

If I remember correctly coconut oil is the vegetable oil slowest to go rancid.

"Paraffin oil" is the one of the better ones starting from crude oil. Essentially a lighter version of white vaseline.

 

[homesicksteve]

Camellia oil is one oil used by a lot of folks for knife protection. It's food safe, non-toxic and doesn't go rancid.

Also known as Tsubaki oil in Japan, & used for maintaining fine blades long before the invention of modern (mineral oil based) clove flavoured choji oil.

 

[Broch]

Like BR says, keep your oils simple. There's a lot of rubbish quoted about oils. If you base your store on a relatively thin food grade mineral oil such as the one below you can use it on a wide variety of applications (including on seized rusted nuts and bolts ).

For eating utensils and such I now use this, occasionally adding a little pure bees wax if I want longer between coats. For non-food applications, such as on my bows and tool handles, I tend to use paraffin and beeswax - it works just fine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Materialix-Food-Grade-Mineral-Oil/dp/B09MS5GK6M/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=food%2Bgrade%2Bmineral%2Boil&qid=1707041649&sr=8-7&th=1

 

[stonepark]

Another for Ballistol for knives.

As Ballistol is a manufactured synthetic oil it does not have the contaminants of mineral oils, nor the degradation of vegetable oils.

 

[Broch]

Another for Ballistol for knives.

As Ballistol is a manufactured synthetic oil it does not have the contaminants of mineral oils, nor the degradation of vegetable oils.

Food safe mineral oils do not have additives!

 

[Broch]

Just to add, if you don't mind a little perfumed smell, Johnson's Baby Oil is a food safe mineral oil and is very cheap (less than £5/L).

 

[Watch-keeper]

I dont know if you can still buy it but pharmacies used to sell unperfumed mineral oil. You used to be able to buy it by the ml and it was pretty cheap and food safe too.