[TheForge] Was: Finishes for food contact items Now and other things!

[Mike Spencer]

Lynn wrote:

> I had read that linseed oil in it's raw state was very slow drying
> and one should use 'boiled' linseed oil.  The boiling was actually
> the addition of dryers.  Comment?

Years ago, one of the smiths here called the company whose name
appeared on locally sold linseed oils and asked them about this.
According to him, they told him that linseed oil sold as "boiled" had
cobalt dryer added and should not be used for food purposes.

It's reasonable to surmise that he amount of cobalt in a whole quart
of "boiled" oil is very small.  The amount of oil you would put on a
weenie fork or barbecue utensil would be be a small fraction of an
ounce and thus contain a miniscule amount of cobalt, an even tinier
portion of which would ever end up on a weenie or pork chop.
Nevertheless, I've avoided using "boiled" linseed on cookware.

> ...linseed oil in it's raw state was very slow drying...

Yeah. Heat, up to just short of smoking, speeds it up.  The reason I
use carnauba wax with some linseed oil in it is that the wax forms a
nice, non-sticky finish but (I think, but I may be imagining it) the
linseed in the mix gradually dries and toughens the finish.  On
anything at all rough, I apply the wax with a swab or chunk of wax in
one hand and a torch in the other to melt the wax into surface
irregularities and crevices.  But not enough heat to smoke the wax/oil
mix.

> By accident I discovered that when quenching oil was allowed to burn
> off the steel it left a finish that I thought looked good. Now I use
> old motor oil and dip items with a high black heat and allow it to
> burn off.  The finish has held up for a couple of years outdoors
> even here in south eastern Florida.

That's a pretty good testimonial.

> The question is what remains on the steel that retards rust?

Good question.  Must be some of that there boogity-boogity that -- who
was it? -- said blacksmithing was full of.  But I'm going to go out
and get my whole pickup up to a black heat and dip it in old motor
oil.  Stuff rusts away here in NS 'bout as fast as in Florida. And
lichens and fungus grow on the remains. :-)

- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^