homemade cutting board oil

[tuneswoodshop]

I was wondering you any of you guys had a beeswax mineral oil recipe for cutting boards or if most you guys just used mineral oil.
Thanks

[meackerman]

This is what I did when I made cutting boards for presents a few years ago.

Howard Acheson said:

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Here is some info on cutting board surface treatment that may be helpful. A film finish is not a good solution as every time you cut or pound on the board you open a pathway to the wood underneath. Juices will get under the finish and lift the finish.

An excellent treatment for wooden food preparation surfaces like cutting boards and butcher blocks is a mixture of mineral oil and either paraffin or beeswax. This is what is used on many commercial wood surfaces. It will last longer and be more protective than just mineral oil. Mineral oil can be found in most supermarkets in the pharmacy section or in a true pharmacy. Paraffin is found in the canning section of the store or in a hardware store.

Heat the oil in a double boiler and shave in some wax. The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine. Stir the mixture until all the wax is liquefied. Apply the mixture heavily and let it set 10-12 hours or overnight. Next day do it again and continue until the wood will no longer absorb the finish. Let it set for 10-12 hours and then lightly scrape off any excess. Then buff it with a rag.

Reapply whenever the wood begins to look dry.

Never put a wood board in the dishwasher and don't soak it in dishwater for long periods.

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[ianab]

Quote:

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The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine

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This.

It's not critical, you just want it to come out as a sort of thick oily paste that you can spread around and rub into the surface.
Not enough wax, and it's more like just putting oil on the board, which does no harm anyway.
Too much wax and it wont spread, that's easy, add more oil until it does.

[Brian Miller]

If you don't want to make your own, this is a product I have used for bowls and cutting boards.

https://www.hollandbowlmill.com/xcart/home.php?cat=2

[Edwin Hackleman]

Every time I post a recipe other than mineral oil I get some EPA freak telling me that my recipe could be poisonous if ingested in sufficient quantities. So, I stopped doing that. Funny thing, I'm still alive.

pssstt... So is Brian.

[ianab]

Edwin Hackleman said:

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Every time I post a recipe other than mineral oil I get some EPA freak telling me that my recipe could be poisonous if ingested in sufficient quantities. So, I stopped doing that. Funny thing, I'm still alive.

pssstt... So is Brian.

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I hear that Hydrogen Dioxide can be fatal if you ingest too much of that as well.

[Scoony]

Edwin Hackleman said:

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Every time I post a recipe other than mineral oil I get some EPA freak telling me that my recipe could be poisonous if ingested in sufficient quantities. So, I stopped doing that. Funny thing, I'm still alive.

pssstt... So is Brian.

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I use walnut oil in my mix. Let all the haters hate!

Mineral oil, walnut oil and bees wax.

I also use a heat gun to melt it in as best as I can without weakening the glue.

[Steve N]

I always use 9 parts of mineral oil, to each part of wax. My reasoning is the mineral oil you want to completely saturate the wood, just not get onto the outer surface. The wax sort of seals things over, so in greater quantities I feel it hampers the absorption of the oil. If I was going to finish with just one of these products it would just be the oil, so for me it is much more important it do it's job fully. Just my $0.02

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

I've used the paraffin wax and MO solution many times. It's pretty hard to screw it up. I use a dedicated Bunn brand coffee warmer with an old coffee cup to warm it up. Works like a charm. I start with more MO in the solution compared to wax in hopes it will saturate deeper. After a couple coats I'll up the wax content to where it starts to become quite "pastey" on the last coat. Buff it to a shine. My favorite finish for a cutting board and it's easily renewed. What's even better, on a thicker end grain board, is to take the board back down to the work bench and give it a quick resurfacing with the low angle smoother or jack. Then hit it again with the finish. The board will look brand new again and your wife will look at you like you're amazing......for about 10 seconds.