# Olive Oil For Food Safe Finish?



## phonewired (Mar 11, 2007)

I made several breadboards and wanted to do a food safe finish. The lady I sold my first one to said she always uses olive oil on her food safe wood. Well, I have olive oil already, so would it work as well as a product that I would have to purchase for a food safe finish? I will be selling some of these to the public. What little I know about food safe oils is they need to cure for seveal days? Also, could the oil be cut with mineral spirits. Thanks again for all the help, Noel.


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Vegetable oils can and will turn rancid over time. Contrary to belief, almost all finishes sold in America today are food safe after they have cured. The sniff test is the best way to check. Sniff the finish and if it has a chemical odder, it is not cured. If it has no odder, it is cured and food safe. If you check the label for butcher block or food safe finishes, most all contain varnishes of some sort. The manufacturer's package it this way to create a "premium product" and turn a profit.


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## BroDave (Dec 16, 2007)

Mineral oil is the way to go on any wood that will come in contact with food. It is natural, edible and safe.
If you use anything thing else you are taking a chance on making someone very ill or killing them.


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Check out this article and related links.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

don't use olive oil because it would turn rancid. your best bet is to go with a salad bowl finish like this one from General Finishes. its more durable than mineral oil too.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

In my opinion mineral oil and olive oil are not finishes…they wet the wood ..about it…mineral doesnt turn rancid…unsure about the olive…a good drying oil..with some resin..seals the wood…thats what ya want..and it cures ..so it is food safe…good drying oils are Arm R Seal..WAterlox..minwax polyoil..formbys tung oil..several coats and you are done..try this ..put mineral oil on a section .and a drying oil on another..wait 2 days..then wipe it with a water based dye ..or food color…see which one you think..I did a thing on youtube about this…not sure of the link..but its there .just do a charles neil search..and its called cutting board finishes..you can see the test….....mineral oil is cheaper and easy to get….it just doesnt do anything as a finish..


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

found the link


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

I've been using Waterlox with great results. It penetrates & seals wonderfully.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

Walnut oil doesn't go rancid and cures hard. At least in my experience. If you serve to people with nut allergies you might have an issue, but I don't have any evidence either way on that.

I use walnut oil on my food finishes rather than mineral oil because of the curing issue.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

I have used Mineral oil exclusively for about 15 years now….No problems at all with it and it is very inexpensive…About $2 / pint at my local WalMart pharmacy…..I always apply it at least four times over a week to ensure that the wood has absorbed what it will before giving it to my customer. Pay attention to the end grain as it sucks up the finish very quickly. I have been told to try some Waterlox sometime , but at $21 / quart @ WoodCraft , it might be a very long while : ) The main difference is that the Mineral Oil does not dry and is so easy to reapply as needed .( My customers can do it themselves as Min Oil is readily available , versus trying to have them find Waterlox , etc.. ) FOOD SAFE / Does not turn rancid : ) NO ALLERGIES as with Walnut Oil ….I can't even smell that stuff with out having an asthma attack : (
Happy Boarding to you and be sure to post your projects : )


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

I agree with Trifern. Any finish you put on projects that comes in contact with food, once cured out, will be just fine. This includes varnishes, polyurethane, shellac, tung oil and mineral and the various other penetrating oils. I would ten to avoid natural oils, such as vegetable oil, due to the fact that they will decompose and become rancid with time.


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## blackdogwoodshop (Mar 11, 2008)

Looks like you have all covered this well. Olive oil will eventually turn rancid. Use mineral oil for great results!


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## jcash3 (Dec 15, 2007)

i build cutting boards and cooking utensils, i started out using mineral oil, but i always got complaints that the "finish" wouldn't hold up. Mineral oil washes off when you wash the utensil. I've found that salad bowl finish is very durable, and you can get it at woodcraft. It's a type of poly that is food safe after it has cured for 3 days.
I've used tung oil and walnut oil, both are good products, but when people here the word nut they associated that with nut allergies. 
I've talked to a doctor friend and people that have nut allergies, usually peanut, aren't allergic to walnut or tung oil. Peanuts are not really nuts and are not even in the same family as walnuts.
but to cure the problem, i've stuck with salad bowl finish. 2 coats and it holds up.


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## RobH2 (May 11, 2008)

I use mineral oil on my cutting boards. It does need to be reapplied frequently, about once a month or so. I don't believe it is a natural product but rather it is made from petroleum. I've not used shellac but I hear it is fine with food and in fact they will coat produce with it as a preservative of sorts.


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

this one has come up before, and it looks like we've paid attention. Olive oil is great for the kitchen, but not for woodworking, it doesn't even hold up well to high heat in cooking. (Don't bother cooking with Extra Virgin, it breaks down, use regular olive oil to cook, but break out the extra virgin for dressings, sauces, or just to drizzle on after, but I digress).

Walnut oil is the only food oil that will cure, and it won't go rancid. Great for turning…

the allergy thing shouldn't be a problem, turns out the allergens in peanuts aren't found in peanut oil (hence the movie theatre near me that uses peanut oil for it's popcorn - delicious!)


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## phonewired (Mar 11, 2007)

Thank you all for all the information!! Great, Noel.


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## Beeguy (Jun 11, 2008)

I use mineral oil blended with a little beeswax. It holds up better than mineral oil alone. Although I agree that a lot of finishes are ok once they are cured, most of the manufacturers will not state they are safe for food contact. Salad bowl finishes and Waterlox are exceptiopns. If you are SELLING these you should only use materials that are rated for food contact. Otherwise you are opening yourself up for liability and this is America, land of the frivilous lawsuit. Even if you are not at fault it will cost you a lot of $ to prove it. (I am not Chicken Little just stating facts.) Stick with food approved materials for anything you sell.

Mineral oil is available in food grade in bulk or just get it at the pharmacy. BTW mineral oil is not natural and is a petroleum product, produced in gasoline refining, similar to petroleum jelly.

Oh and if you want to try beeswax make sure you know where you are getting it from. If you know a beekeeper ask for capping wax. It is the purest available and and should be bright yellow in color. Stay away from dark wax. Make sure you don't use imported wax regardless of the color. Too many unapproved chemicals are used outside US (and Europe).


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## phonewired (Mar 11, 2007)

Thank you for the added info, noel.


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## SawDustnSplinters (Jan 18, 2008)

I picked up a sept 2008 Wood magazine yesterday and on page 73 they mention versatile uses for paraffin wax and said "Heat mineral oil in a double burner and melt wax shavings into the oil. Sounds reasonable…but watch the oil around flame….

also good stuff here:
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/f53/food-safe-finish-spoon-11025/


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## SawDustnSplinters (Jan 18, 2008)

I picked up a sept 2008 Wood magazine yesterday and on page 73 they mention versatile uses for paraffin wax and said "Heat mineral oil in a double burner and melt wax shavings into the oil. Sounds reasonable…but watch the oil around flame….

also good stuff here:
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/f53/food-safe-finish-spoon-11025/


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Mineral Oil is the best way to go… It's good to keep your bowels open too!

Olive or Vegie Oil will go rancid… Mineral Oil will not…

Can get it any super market or drug store in the Laxative section…

Mineral Oil… out of the bottle… rub in like a regular oil finish… then wipe off… let it soak in… wipe off…

When it gets cruddy looking, pour on some more mineral oil… rub it in… wipe off… ready to go for a few more months….


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## DocK16 (Mar 18, 2007)

Alot of misinformation out there regarding " the food safe myth" Just because a finish is made from something edible (various nut oils) doesn't make it the best finish, olive oil and other raw oils can and do go rancid. Trifern is exactly right about this (he has turned and finished enough bowls to know). Oils made specifically for wood finish make great looking finishes and are safe but need periodic refinishing coats. Adding various wax products can prolong it's life before recoating. Scott is right; All finishes, even those with a metalic driers are food safe once they cure, usually 30 days, but the sniff test mentioned is valid. Salad bowl finishes are espensive but are nothing but wiping varnish. Contrary to what some products claim The Food and Drug Administration does not certify finishes as food safe but does approve the ingredients and sets the rules for testing that a finish cures properly. (ref: Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner)


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