Parrafin wax

[Pignut]

I have made a few things out of wood.. Spoons Kuksa etc and have on several occasions been told to use parrafin wax to treat them,

where can I obtain a food safe parafin wax, and how is it applied

Thanks in advance

Dave

 

[Robbo]

I'm presuming that parrafin wax is a derivative of Parrafin/kerosene and as such is a hydrocardon, if it is, I would strongly advise against using it to treat anything that was to be used for food preperation/consumption.

Of course I'm no chemist and I could be wrong (someone please educate me if i am), but personally I'd use beeswax or olive oil. it will at least smell better.

Andy

 

[wolf]

i would use the olive oil for sure.

 

[tomtom]

Danish Oil for knife handles and Boiled linseed oil for food surfaces, is the advice i have had and having acted upon it experince tells me its sound advice.

 

[ESpy]

Paraffin wax - food safe, canning for the use of, can be obtained from Hobbycraft - amongst other candle making supplies.

As far as it being an evil hydrocarbon - so's alcohol.

 

[Pignut]

Thanks for that!

Never thought of beeswax! looking on the tin I have it says it is toxic, again I guess I need to source a food safe type

 

[Hoodoo]

Food-grade paraffin, as far as I know, is totally nontoxic. If it was toxic, I would probably have died at a young age, as I recall eating bunches of paraffin-coated "juice" candies when I was a kid. Forget what they called them. Not to mention people have been canning with paraffin for eons. And if you've ever eaten Edam cheese, your cheese was in intimate contact with paraffin.

 

[bikething]

I'll have to have a dig around but IIRC this has come up before ref Kuksas and I think someone said you can get a food-safe parafin oil from IKEA of all places??
I think it's for chopping boards...

I'll get back to you if i find the thread..

here ya go - post #11

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=4550&page=2&pp=10

Steve

 

[Pignut]

Ah!

Thanks for that. so mineral oil and parrafinWax/oil are the same thing?

(Or am I missing something here?)

 

[Infragreen]

Ikea does sell Paraffin for their blocks.

Also, it's available as candles. Just go for the cheap white ones, which say 100% paraffin.

You burn it, it gets into the air you breathe.

So use it for a treatment for your utensils.

If nervous about non-food-grade paraffin, look around in your (bigger) supermarket.

In a cold-store cabinet, there should be a number of 1-pound-margarine packets, just waiting to be picked up.
Check the ones DEFINITELY not margarine! One might say 100% paraffin.

Heck, go to scienceforums (google it) and ask at chemistry/applied.

Then you'll know all about paraffin, including the bits you didn't want to know.

Or just sit back and watch the penguins

 

[ozzy1977]

I have always used bee's wax or bee's wax mixed with carnuaba wax to make it harder all disolved in turps, but for oil I use olive as it will not go rancid un-like veg/sunflour can, and olive can be buffed to a fantastic sheen