Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - What kind of oil do you use for your blades?

kronckew · 10th December 2019, 06:41 AM

You CAN get proper BLO without the poisonous drying additives if you look hard enough. You can even buy edible flax seed oil (Flax oil IS another name for Linseed oil) from health food stores and boil it yourself, tho that may get interesting if it overheats, I bought some for use on wooden clubs from my local Hardware store. They happened to also be the local undertaker and coffin makers.

"A coat a day for a week, a coat a week for a month, a coat a month for a year, a coat a year forever" is also what I was taught many moons ago. works for me. After the first annual reoil, I turn 'forever' into 'as needed'.

They were/are quite traditional and preferred that for their hand rubbed coffin finishes. the tin specifically says there are no additives. It does take a LOT longer to polymerise and 'dry' without the additives.

In the late 19c Germany held a contest with a cash prize for anyone who could develop an all-purpose non-toxic gun lube and rust preventative. A gentleman won with his mineral oil based stuff, it could be used on wood stocks and does not dry out or harden or get tacky or sticky, it removes leading and copper fouling from the barrel rifling, lubricated the rifle moving parts, and prevented rust better than all the other entrants. It was non-toxic, and could also be used to lube moving parts on food prep machinery. It was found that it also was anti-septic and could be used to disinfect wounds and cuts, was anti-fungal as well, and could even be taken internally for a variety of illnesses (you can still buy a medical grade of it which is a bit purer, or a food grade version for fool machinery.) It's anise fragranced as anise oil is part of the formulae, some people like it, others do not. The Name of this miracle stuff is - Ballistol. It also doe not degenerate or break down over time, A tin of it can be left open for years and will be just as good as when made. Might get a few bugs in it tho, they can be strained out

. Like anise flavoured Greek ouzo, it can be mixed with water, and turns a similar white cloudy look. tastes a bit like it too, but is not alcoholic.

For some reason I have not yet found the formulation sold in America has a slightly different formulation than the original still sold in Europe and the UK. Not sure what the difference is. Also useful for softening ear wax (Earwax is not recommended for use on wood or ferric metals

)

10th December 2019, 06:41 AM	#59
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	You CAN get proper BLO without the poisonous drying additives if you look hard enough. You can even buy edible flax seed oil (Flax oil IS another name for Linseed oil) from health food stores and boil it yourself, tho that may get interesting if it overheats, I bought some for use on wooden clubs from my local Hardware store. They happened to also be the local undertaker and coffin makers. "A coat a day for a week, a coat a week for a month, a coat a month for a year, a coat a year forever" is also what I was taught many moons ago. works for me. After the first annual reoil, I turn 'forever' into 'as needed'. They were/are quite traditional and preferred that for their hand rubbed coffin finishes. the tin specifically says there are no additives. It does take a LOT longer to polymerise and 'dry' without the additives. In the late 19c Germany held a contest with a cash prize for anyone who could develop an all-purpose non-toxic gun lube and rust preventative. A gentleman won with his mineral oil based stuff, it could be used on wood stocks and does not dry out or harden or get tacky or sticky, it removes leading and copper fouling from the barrel rifling, lubricated the rifle moving parts, and prevented rust better than all the other entrants. It was non-toxic, and could also be used to lube moving parts on food prep machinery. It was found that it also was anti-septic and could be used to disinfect wounds and cuts, was anti-fungal as well, and could even be taken internally for a variety of illnesses (you can still buy a medical grade of it which is a bit purer, or a food grade version for fool machinery.) It's anise fragranced as anise oil is part of the formulae, some people like it, others do not. The Name of this miracle stuff is - Ballistol. It also doe not degenerate or break down over time, A tin of it can be left open for years and will be just as good as when made. Might get a few bugs in it tho, they can be strained out . Like anise flavoured Greek ouzo, it can be mixed with water, and turns a similar white cloudy look. tastes a bit like it too, but is not alcoholic. For some reason I have not yet found the formulation sold in America has a slightly different formulation than the original still sold in Europe and the UK. Not sure what the difference is. Also useful for softening ear wax (Earwax is not recommended for use on wood or ferric metals )