[QUOTE=Xema]
In the US, most of the stuff sold as “baby oil” is scented mineral oil, which is not what you want. Plain mineral oil is sold under that name.
Walnut oil is excellent for kitchen items - it hardens slightly over time, which makes it a bit more durable. But I think most vegetable oils will work. All will need to be re-applied every 3 months or so.
You can definitely take out scratches with sanding. But since they will soon reappear in use, why bother?
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Vegetable oils can turn rancid, so their use on a food preparation surface is not advised.
Another vote for mineral oil. I used to work in a shop that (occasionally) made wood countertops, and the only thing we used was mineral oil.
The trick in finding it is to go to the laxative aisle. When you buy it in the form of “digestive lubricant”, it will be unscented and one tenth the price of “baby oil.” Also, you can buy “butcher’s block oil” which is just 100% mineral oil but at 20x the price.
[QUOTE=Squink]
You can buy that at the grocery store in the states. Flax seed oil is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, so it’s sold as a supplement.
Obviously it’s food grade; it also works nicely for finishing wood. Flax oil = Linseed oil
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Flax meal can go rancid. Can flaxseed oil go rancid too?
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ]
Flax meal can go rancid. Can flaxseed oil go rancid too?
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Rancid is a bit of a funny term when applied to hardening oils like flaxseed.
The oil won’t develop a nasty smell, but it will oxidize, which is a part of the polymerization process that makes it such a nice coating for wood. It also happens to be part of the process by which some oils develop funny smells: become rancid.
Walnut oil is also a hardening oil, and good for cutting boards.
Corn oil is a semi-drying oil, and will leave a gooey buildup on your board after repeated application.
I use mineral oil when I think to oil my cutting board. That does not dry.