# Is Danish Oil food safe



## PapaBear6 (May 21, 2018)

Folks:
Is Danish Oil food safe? 
I am sure it has probably been asked and discussed before, but when I did a quick search I couldn't find anything on it. (I probably have to learn how to search properly.)
I have a bowl that I made many, many, moons ago in High School and I am refinishing it and was planning on using Danish Oil.
Thanks for your response.


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

google is your friend:
you would have to google the particular brand you want to use prior to use.

"Bestwood" Danish Oil is naturally water, food and alcohol resistant. 
It is safe for food contact when dry and can be used for wooden bowls, 
chopping boards and butchers blocks. It is certified EN71 toy safe.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Most "Danish" oils are made from a base of Linseed oil or possibly Tung oil which are both food safe after they have cured (they don't dry they cure when exposed to oxygen) to make them cure faster "dryers" are often added and most dryers contain heavy metals. Even then they are considered food safe. If you want to be close to 100% sure use pure linseed or tung oil.


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## PapaBear6 (May 21, 2018)

Thanks guys. I thought it was, but when I googled it, I got a couple of conflicting answers. 
I thought it was better to come here. I trust the responses that I see here.
Thanks again.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

If it's going to be used as a serving bowl, or maybe a salad bowl, I'd use a hard finish like a urethane. You can oil it first if you want that look, but a hard film will be better for the topcoat. You also don't want to do anything in it that scrapes the surface. Even though ingesting slivers of urethane won't hurt you, it's not very appetizing, and the bowl will wind up looking like crap.


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## recon49 (May 21, 2018)

Good info. Learned something new today.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Check out this article:

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2006/08/01/food-safe-finishes


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

I use Mineral oil on anything that contacts food. Sometimes mixed with bees wax.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Put it this way, General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish is an oil based urethane that dries hard and I have yet to hear any concerns from consumer safety advocates about dangers of putting food on the surface. They also say it's not to be used on surfaces that are used for chopping.

Obviously we're not talking about storing food in wooden containers long term. But when it comes to putting cheese and charcuterie out for your party, a hard finish like urethane, lacquer or shellac is not going to taint your food if the finish has fully cured.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

One thing not provided by finish manufactures is fully cure times for their finishes! Make common sense why they do not. Not knocking manufacturers for not providing that information almost impossible given number of coats, where, temp & humidity variables. Another fact not provided is out gassing from their products.

Quote from Jonathan Binzen's article:

After scores of conversations with chemists, regulatory agencies, finish manufacturers, finishing experts, and woodworkers, I found that there are a few finishes that everyone agrees are food safe. However, these finishes tend to be the least protective, and the great majority are in a kind of limbo, with many experts saying most are fine for use with food but with others saying they should be avoided because there are some lingering questions about their safety. In the welter of contrary opinions about which finishes are food safe and which are not, a few naturally derived, unblended, no-hidden-ingredients, certainly nontoxic finishes stand out.

Lot of woodworkers on various message boards would direct you to CFR's that address chemicals and safe for food contact. Even with the aide of a product MSDS or SDS good luck finding those chemicals on any CFR!

For a food safe coating use non-drying mineral oil, and provide small bottle to my customers for re-coating as required. I use mineral oil laxative, and never Baby Oil or machine mineral oils which not food safe!

Actual experience with poly coated salt & pepper shakers, inside no finish applied. Brought into the house to dry faster did not look very good after washed with hot soapy water!

So make sure folks know how to clean those wood products whatever finish you choose!


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Randy did not say what he was going to use his finish on but his only project post was a cutting board so I did not mention using a hard finish because they don't work well on cutting boards.

But General and Behlen's salad bowl finish works great for hard finishes and after it has cured for at least 72 hours is is food safe and very durable. Application can be done with a cotton cloth or a high quality paper towel. My wife recently had me refinish a bowl I made 15 years ago that she must use at least once a week for salads. The bowl was finished with one of these salad bowl finishes (I use both so I don't know which one) and was looking a little worn and dull. A quick sanding and three more coats of the finish and it was ready for another 15 years. And by then I probably won't be around so someone else will have to take care of it.

I'm not a fan of mineral oil because it does not dry or more correctly cure, which is what linseed and tung oil do. So a recently finished mineral oil item can actually leave some oil on a nice table cloth or similar surface.
Instead of those I have found I like processed Walnut oil. It soaks in well and cures in the wood to form a water resistant finish that can be replenished when needed just like mineral oil. I usually apply 3 to 5 coats for the first finish.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Majority of bowls I turn get a film finish because only food they come in contact with is candy in a wrapper. Most bowls end up as center pieces with artfical flowers.

Yes laxative MO, is not drying petroleum product and needs reapplications over time with use. People that requested mixing & serving bowl sets provided a bottle of MO with their order.

On rolling pins, scoops, and spoons don't use any finish at all!

Going to section 3. Composition/information on ingredients, not a chemist but know would not use these products!

http://www.behlen.co.uk/safety/B603-00014.pdf

https://generalfinishes.com/sites/default/files/documents/files/2017-04/sds-salad-bowl-finish-general-finishes-ghs-us-hcs-2012-v4.3.2-2014.pdf

Manufacturers don't always list all hazardous chemicals used in their products in section 3. and get away with it legally!

Read ingredient labels or check out section 3. on products MSDS or SDS before deciding for yourself whether to use or not use!


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## PapaBear6 (May 21, 2018)

LesB:
I finished my cutting boards with a mineral oil / wax mix. I was wondering about refinishing a bowl that I had made in high school with Danish oil. I want a finish that will completely dry so the bowl can be used to store fruit.
I think I like the idea of using a salad bowl finish. 
Thanks folks for your suggestions.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Wildwood make a good point in checking the ingredients.

Behlen's salad bowl finish is primarily Tung oil but does have solvents which evaporate in about 72 hours. The only other ingredient I found was Cobalt which is a metal necessary for good health and is found in dietary vitamin B12. It would take a lot of excess Cobalt for it to become toxic. In this instance is it used to help the Tung oil cure faster.


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## PapaBear6 (May 21, 2018)

Thanks Les


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> Going to section 3. Composition/information on ingredients, not a chemist but know would not use these products!
> 
> - Wildwood


They're solvents. They evaporate. They are listed because they can be harmful to the person applying the finish. That's why we wear respirators when we apply volatile finishes. They are not a danger once the finish is fully cured.

I saw in your other thread that you have an irrational fear of any finish that contains solvents, and you are welcome to not use them. But you are doing a disservice to the community by spreading these falsehoods.

Don't you think that if a mainstream product like GF salad bowl finish could cause any harm, we'd have heard about it? It's been around for years. It, or products like it, are used on countless wooden food service products that are sold commercially. The CPSC and FDA don't play games and often err on the side of excess caution, so let them do their job.

Consider this from a well-known finishing authority:

In fact, all finishes are safe to eat off of or be chewed on once the finish has fully cured. The rule of thumb for curing is 30 days, but warm conditions make curing happen faster. With all solvent-based finishes, you can determine that a finish has cured sufficiently by pressing your nose against the dry finish and sniffing. If there is any odor, the finish isn't yet cured. Only if you can't smell anything is the object safe for food or mouth contact.

Flexner, Bob. Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish (American Woodworker) (p. 76). Fox Chapel Publishing. Kindle Edition.

And this:

■ No Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), required by the government to list all hazardous or toxic effects of a product, warns against contact with food or children's mouths for any oil or varnish finish, or for any other finish.

■ The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists all common driers as safe for food contact as long as the finish is made properly- that is, as long as the finish cures. (The FDA doesn't "approve" of finishes as some manufacturers claim. The FDA approves of ingredients and sets rules for testing that a finish cures properly.)

■ You have never heard of anyone (adult or child) being poisoned by contact with a cured clear finish. If someone had been poisoned, you can bet it would have made the news!

Let's finally put this myth to bed and use other, more legitimate, criteria for choosing a finish.

Flexner, Bob. Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish (American Woodworker) (p. 76). Fox Chapel Publishing. Kindle Edition.

- Rich


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