Oil or wax on knife blades?

[SUP]

@Littlef, yes. debates everywhere. Isn't that nice? That is how one learns, after all.   As you say, I plan to use the  paste wax for longer storage and oil for knives constantly in use.

@dikmanyes, mineral oil is a petroleum product, but see, that is natural too, organic, isn't it? At least was, when learning organic chemistry! Strictly speaking, from plants and animals, only very long ago!  If it is okay for baby skin, as the only ingredient of Johnson's baby oil other than fragrance, it should be fine for leather!  I have no issues with it. Same with petroleum jelly - main ingredient of Aussie conditioner, I learnt!

Yes, I do plan to mix mineral oil and beeswax. no paraffin wax though - don't much like it except as a hardener. 

LOL.  That's okay @chuck123wapati. We all have our own way of thinking. The world would be a boring place if we all thought the same way . Stepford families!  On my part, I like to pick and choose what I keep of the old and adapt of the new.

I like to make things myself - from food items to things I use around the house. I make my own cleaning solution, leather conditioner and now, it appears, I will make my own blade protectant - not because I cannot get as good ones outside but because I like the sense of satisfaction from making my own. Like I said, to each his own. 

 

 

 

 

own

Edited June 27, 2023 by SUP

[fredk]

Before the petro-chemical industry weapons were stored in goose grease. Right up to WW2. In the late 1990s several barrels of iron arrow heads were found stored in a spare basement of the Tower of London. The barrels and their contents dated to the mid-1300s. Just over 600 years old. The arrow heads were packed in goose grease.

About 8 years ago a friend of mine, a curator/caretaker of some places here discovered several boxes of unused crated Brown Bess muskets in an old fort, date of the muskets is uncertain, but of between 1780 and 1820, all packed in goose grease. All very perfect. One was cleaned and test fired. No Problem

Apparently goose grease does not go bad, it will harden and not be edible though. It can be removed from weapons, such as muskets, simply by pouring boiling hot water over them

In the recent past when I / you bought high quality steel tools they came wrapped in greased paper. Many of the older tool companies still used goose greased paper, even if they didn't know it was goose grease. Some tool companies use oiled paper and in the main the oil used is a petro-chemical oil of the form like 3-in-1 oil

The US started to use petro-chem oils sooner and more of than Europe / UK did, mainly because the US has so many, and easily accessed, oil fields

[SUP]

@fredk I imagine goose grease  was around all the time as a cooking medium as well as for aches and pains and bruises. I wonder how similar tools would hold up over time when kept preserved in the  currently used waxes and oils. 

I like the idea of limited number of items, each with myriad uses. 

Wonderful, how enterprising humans are. There is another thread going on, about old time armorers and tool makers and how enterprising and inventive they were - necessity being the mother of invention.

Edited June 27, 2023 by SUP

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, fredk said:

Before the petro-chemical industry weapons were stored in goose grease. Right up to WW2. In the late 1990s several barrels of iron arrow heads were found stored in a spare basement of the Tower of London. The barrels and their contents dated to the mid-1300s. Just over 600 years old. The arrow heads were packed in goose grease.

About 8 years ago a friend of mine, a curator/caretaker of some places here discovered several boxes of unused crated Brown Bess muskets in an old fort, date of the muskets is uncertain, but of between 1780 and 1820, all packed in goose grease. All very perfect. One was cleaned and test fired. No Problem

Apparently goose grease does not go bad, it will harden and not be edible though. It can be removed from weapons, such as muskets, simply by pouring boiling hot water over them

In the recent past when I / you bought high quality steel tools they came wrapped in greased paper. Many of the older tool companies still used goose greased paper, even if they didn't know it was goose grease. Some tool companies use oiled paper and in the main the oil used is a petro-chemical oil of the form like 3-in-1 oil

The US started to use petro-chem oils sooner and more of than Europe / UK did, mainly because the US has so many, and easily accessed, oil fields

i have elk tallow i rendered over 20 years ago, its still good , not rancid at all i use it for my Black powder wads. 

[SUP]

@chuck123wapati. That's nice! It is so satisfying to use things that have been around for a long time, knowing it will not be wasted. 

[chuck123wapati]

17 minutes ago, SUP said:

@chuck123wapati. That's nice! It is so satisfying to use things that have been around for a long time, knowing it will not be wasted. 

lol here's one of those old things not be wasted, Knowledge!!!  1935 edition 

[SUP]

That looks very interesting! What recipes, formulae and secret methods does it contain, if I might ask?

I always look for such old books at estate sales and flea markets. Never found anything but old recipe books.. 

[chuck123wapati]

35 minutes ago, SUP said:

That looks very interesting! What recipes, formulae and secret methods does it contain, if I might ask?

I always look for such old books at estate sales and flea markets. Never found anything but old recipe books.. 

it has a ton of recipes for almost every thing , from art like jappaning . cleaning , metals, paints and varnishes, glass, laundry soaps and household stuff a section called home chemists guide lol.. Really a cool little book. I love collecting and reading books about making stuff. There is so much lost knowledge out there in books that will be forever lost to the www.

here is an on topic subject for you. 

[fredk]

2 hours ago, SUP said:

I always look for such old books at estate sales and flea markets. Never found anything but old recipe books.. 

Join a local group who gather paper for re-cycling,       Many years ago my wifey did some volunteering with such a groups and right from the start she said she told them she would be keeping old interesting books - but putting some money in to the coffers for them. We got several dozen old books that way. My favourites are 4 old 'magazine books from 1802 to 1816

A most excellent book there chuck. But be careful using those recipes which need lead!

[SUP]

@chuck123wapati japanning! Not heard that term for a while. Interesting recipes. Do we get the raw the ingredients these days? Need to find my magnifying glass to read them. 

@fredk that's a good idea. With so little paper being used, it is all probably being got rid of anyway.

Not that the recipe books are not good. I mean, the ones I found from church groups and women's clubs have recipes like "Susan's apple pie" and "Maureen's ribs".  The towns must have been so small with so few people at the time of publishing that the purchasers would know whose recipe each was! It's delightful!

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by SUP