I'm Confused and would appreciate input

[Mrs Blackie]

I am so confused, though I know I'm doing it to myself. Here it is I recently started wood turning I have been making incense and candle holders of all sorts of sizes and shapes. I am very confused about mineral oil as I have seen on utube by a well known turner. What is mineral oil? and is it toxic and can it be used on bowls or not? I have been using orange oil, bees wax but even that has turpentine in it so Im so confused as to what I can use to keep it all non toxic and be able to apply oils and waxes that are non toxic, I have asked at many hardware stores and yes I have asked at chemists too for mineral oil as I have seen in many posts on sites that they would sell it, well they dont even know what Im talking about I am getting frustrated with it and I dont know how to obtain all these I have tried many avenues. There is a guy that has honey at his home he sells it that I could go see about pure bees wax but is that alright to use as it is?...Wow I really am confused aren't I? Now another question and I am hoping maybe someone might be able to help me with the incense holders I am making I have been asking everywhere about the actual little ash catcher they put on them so the incense doesnt burn the wood it sits on ie: Cone incense holder. If anyone could help me please with more information I would really appreciate it and I hope I have posted this in the right place crosses my fingers:) my apologies if I haven't I am still trying to work the site out too. Much thanks in advance to anyone that may be able to help me. I'm feeling a bit like duhhh!:doh:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

It's also known as Paraffin Oil :D It can be used as a finish on turnings, although it never actually dries. I wouldn't want to drink a cup of the stuff, but I'm pretty sure you're not going to keel over from ingesting food efrom a bowl finished with it. :;

Pure Bee's Wax is fine, but rather soft. Carnauba Wax is more durable, but very hard. So most people use a blend of bee's and carnauba waxes.

"Proper" Turpentine is non-toxic; it has been used as a medicine since ancient times! But don't confuse it with Mineral Turpentine; that's a different thing.

[Mrs Blackie]

Thank you Skew I appreciate your input, you just made my life a bit easier. This site is so great I can't seem to get off it once I come online, I just realised I have been here for a few hours already:) Thanks again!

[NCPaladin]

Here, mineral oil is sold in drug stores and supermarkets (in the laxative section). It is food safe and use for butcher blocks, salad bowls, etc. It does dull and needs new coats applied with use.
I have made up my own mixture of bees wax but seldom use it as it is just too soft. You can get a nice low luster finish but it seems to dull quickly with handling.
Do you need it to be food safe for candles or incense burners? For those items I would use shellac and burnish with 0000 steel wool to bring the shine back down. Very quick and easy.
I could never find the little metal dishes either. The 35mm glass petri dishes would work but I could not find them in small quantities. I’m sure some hobby stores carry just what is needed, only for other projects. I finally just cut off a shot glass.

[China]

Can I suggest you also have a look at the U-BEAUT range of finnishes

[NCPaladin]

I didn't even think of it until now...and all the time I took cutting of a shot glass.
How about these, available at any hardwear store. Caps for copper water pipe, cheap and available in many diameters. You can polish to a high shine if you wish.
179576

[Mrs Blackie]

:2tsup: Ok well I already checked out u-beaut China thanks:) you know? its always the simplest things I find hardest to do? lol it reminds me of times in my working days where I would find the hardest jobs easier than the easier jobs if you know what I mean? its like "wait!!! this is too easy there must be a catch to it, it cant be this easy" I don't know if you all know what I mean but I do. hehehe. Ok well and NCPaladan Thank you too for your input and well guess what? I was at the hardware store looking at pipe caps and never once thought of looking for the copper ones duuuhhh!!!:doh: so I thank you so much for the idea, will go in the morning to check it out.:U

[Mrs Blackie]

I forgot to tell you guys I have been using beer bottle lids for a trial it works but can you imagine spiritual people that don't drink and don't smoke and into a full on spiritual healing method of lifestyle using a incense holder with a beer lid? ok well I had to laugh at that one but I must admit it looks good I stripped off the plastic inside of them and they look nice and shiny, but I still think Your idea of a copper cap is better NCPaladin. Cheers!:2tsup:

[TTIT]

You might want to get on-side with any mechanics you know Mrs Blackie - welsh plugs are most suitable for incense cones as they come in a good range of diameters and the better plugs are made of brass which will polishes up nice.:2tsup:
I had the same trouble finding mineral oil when I first went looking but once I found it was just another name for parrafin oil, the options were endless - even baby oil is just parrafin oil with a fragrance in it !!! :doh:

[Avery]

A quick Google search on "mineral oil" returned lots of answers and quite a few opinions on the use of the stuff.

Wikipedia has a good unbiased description of what it is here:

Mineral oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_oil)

Hardware stores such as Bunnings sell it as Parafin oil in the same area as they sell turps and meth spirits.

[Big Shed]

Yep, baby oil is what I use, Homebrand from Coles.

[rodent]

Skews right ,you can also get it at horse supply stores ,they use it to shine the horses hoofs for shoe jumping etc , it makes there hoofs shine . I got this from Jess as she rides horses and some times competes in horse events .

[Mrs Blackie]

Ok well now!! I went to bunnings this morning started off at the plumbing section and no they dont have the pipe caps. But good news yes once again something so simple right? I then went to the turpentine section of bunnings and yes I found the so called (mineral oil) ie: Paraffin oil they never had it before I would have seen it and it must sell so quickly because it was the last one on the shelf yet once again my stupidity took over and I hesitated thinking is it the right one? is it not the right one? I put it down and walked out and ended up going to IGA lol and near the tea tree oils bang! right in front of me parrafin oil so I got it anyways, though my kids are now laughing at me after reading the back of it and Im sitting here still trying to tell them nothings wrong with the plumbing hahaha and I dont need it for my personal use rolls eyes. It was just so confusing though I wish they would make life easier for the people like me so we know it was parrafin oil all along and not mineral oil, because not one chemist knew what I was talking about nore did Bunnings nore did any hardware store I went to. So now all I have to do is find a mechanic to get on sides with TTIT:2tsup:
Thanks again everyone Cheers!

[RETIRED]

Mechanics will probably not have them but most real auto parts stores should have them.

What you are after is actually core plugs but some call them welch plugs.

Before we get in an argument, a core plug is a dish that fills the holes by a friction fit.

A welch plug is a domed piece of metal or brass that is expanded into the hole by "flattening" the dome.:cool:

[Mrs Blackie]

Thanks much appreciated Cheers!

[thompy]

noones mentioned this yet, so i'll throw this in, caster oil = mineral oil, for a more common source or name.

Neal.

[Mrs Blackie]

Thanks Neal cheers!

[Paul39]

Looked up castor oil vs. mineral oil and got a full page of discussions about inducing labor with the oil. Consensus is that it just made you sick, baby would come when baby was ready.

For butcher blocks and cutting boards, I'd use the kind for human ingestion. I don't think I'd like the taste of baby oil.