I asked Ragnar (from ragweedforge) about this once, this is what he said...
First, I would not use ordinary "boiled" linseed oil from the hardware store. It's not really boiled, but blended with chemicals to speed curing. These chemicals contain heavy metals and are highly toxic.
The traditional finish is raw linseed oil, but it takes a long time to cure. I've seen estimates of a half a year at room temperature.
An advantage of linseed oil is that it penetrated and then hardes.
On items that are not going to be used for food, it's often suggested that you cut the first coat with turpentine to improve penetration.
I expect it would help to warm the oil to improve penetration, then store the item in a warm place to speed curing. The curing oil generates heat however, and I wouldn't go too far with this. The very best raw linseed oil is "cold pressed", just as the best olive oil is the first pressing. Walnut oil can be used in the same way.
Much of the wooden ware I sold
was finished with mineral oil from the pharmacy. It's non toxic and doesn't turn rancid. You just wipe it on, let it soak in a bit, then wipe it off and wash of the surplus in warm soapy weter, then rince of course. The downside is that it didn't really harden and had to be renewed occasionally.
Another tradtional finish is to boil the item in milk to seal it.
I haven't tried this myself.
I expect you can also use any of the food safe finishes sold by the woodworking shops for salid bowls, cutting boards and other utensils. There's a great variety of products on the market.
JP 