Baby oil and wooden weapons

Discussion in 'Weapons' started by righty, Nov 5, 2012.

  1. righty

    righty Valued Member

    Hi there,
    I've been struggling for a while to find a good oil to oil my bo and other weapons with. I've mostly been looking at the hardware stores and didn't find anything I was really comfortable using.

    But I picked up a bottle of baby oil the other day and looked at teh ingredients which is just mineral oil and a bit of fragrance so it seems like it might be good. And cheap too.

    Would there be any issues with using this to regularly oil wooden weapons?
     
  2. philosoraptor

    philosoraptor carnivore in a top hat Supporter

  3. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    or tung oil.
     
  4. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    My sword teacher warned me away from using Mineral Oil but I don't remember his exact reasoning. IIRC it was something along the lines of not using anything that was not vegetable-based. I've used linseed oil and more often I have used Olive Oil. I have not tried Sunflower or Canola Oil. The thing I seem to remember about Mineral Oil was that it didn't seem to be absorbed by the wood or the bamboo of the items I put it on.

    I suppose that a person could do a kind of experiment with some cheap dowls from a home-improvement store. Put each type of oil on a hardwood dowl and see which produces the result you like. Not hugely scientific but it might serve a purpose. FWIW.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  5. 6footgeek

    6footgeek Meow

    Okay... I can see the future of martial artists now...

    Here's the scenario.

    You're with your significant other at a superstore.
    "Honey, i can't decide which baby oil to buy for our son."

    "Oh just buy anything! its all just mineral oil anyways. You might as well rub turpentine on him! Now let me know when you find the delux scratch proof linseed wood oil i need for my bo staffs."

    Just Sayin =P
     
  6. 6footgeek

    6footgeek Meow

    Okay... I can see the future of martial artists now...

    Here's the scenario.

    You're with your significant other at a superstore.
    "Honey, i can't decide which baby oil to buy for our son."

    "Oh just buy anything! its all just mineral oil anyways. You might as well rub turpentine on him! Now let me know when you find the delux scratch proof linseed wood oil i need for my bo staffs."

    Just Sayin =P
     
  7. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    according to other aikidoka at the gyms i've gone to, danish oil is your best bet for a wood training weapon--what i also used and seemed to do the trick. looks to be the right combination of finish and penetration that you're looking for. watco seems to be a respected brand.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_oil
     
  8. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    The thing is, though, Danish Oil, like Tung Oil and a few others are drying oils ---that is, they dry to a finish of one sort or another. I don't think it would be exactly like Shellac or varnish but it would still dry to a finish and I wonder if that is really what a person would want on their wooden item. I'm thinking that if a person is using a wooden item and anticipates that contact---maybe even hard contact--- will be made the idea would be to "season" the wood in some fashion so that it takes the abuse better (IE reduced splintering; "dimples" rather than "cratering"). I also think that it makes a big difference what sort of item the OTHER guy has. Cocobola against Red Oak, the Cocobola is going to win-out ever day. I remember a guy who brought a new Red Oak MOK GUEM to class and it didn't even make it through one class against the Maple items. I don't think it would have mattered WHAT kind of oil a person used. We had an instructor that had a sword made out of some synthetic material and that little sweetie could eat anything it wanted to!!

    FWIW.

    BTW: Here are some non-drying oils.

    Almond oil
    Babassu oil
    Coconut oil
    Cocoa butter
    Macadamia oil
    Olive oil
    Peanut oil
    Nahar Seed oil


    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2012
  9. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Wooden weapons should be polished by your powerful and calloused hands as they use the weapon for 10 hours a day.
    Or like...some oil or something. :)
     
  10. ITaikido

    ITaikido Valued Member

  11. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    that all makes sense bruce. i had a bokken for about a year and a half. i actually used it quite a bit in the dojo and at home. because the movements of aikido are so sword oriented, i actually did a lot of training at home. the danish oil finish does indeed put on a finish, but it also penetrates. i found that i didn't have any problems with contact or blistering. worked well for me, but everyone, and more experienced people, have their own thoughts.
     
  12. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned


    I read the BUJIN Customer Service note above and smiled to read that BUJIN makes their items from Hickory. I have often thought about just how durable a training item might be if I could find one made from this wood.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  13. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    I know you don't study JSA but Mr Taylor's website may be of use, he makes more than just bokuto.

    http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/cat_bokuto.htm
     
  14. Sketco

    Sketco Banned Banned

    Here you go Bruce...
    http://www.little-raven.com/RS/MA/Japanese.html#anchor399260

    Oh and +1 for linseed oil.
     
  15. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

  16. ninjedi

    ninjedi Valued Member

    I use linseed oil and have no complaints.
     
  17. pgsmith

    pgsmith Valued dismemberer

    It will work if you are not going to be using your weapon for contact. It has been my experience that non-drying oils (such as mineral oil) will tend to separate the wood grain over time, and make your weapon more prone to contact damage. This is why over-oiling a Japanese sword will end up ruining the saya over time. Drying oils (such as linseed or tung oil) will penetrate the grain, and then dry to help hold the grain together. This is what you want for a weapon used in contact drills.
     
  18. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Maybe thats why my teacher was against the use of certain oils. Mineral Oil is a refined petroleum distillate and I didn't get the impression that it was particularly nourishing to woods.

    I like the reasoning behind using drying oils that penetrate and "hold the grain together". Has anyone done anything with "lemon oil". Its popular in furniture polishes and I also note that there are polishes and soaps that use oil extracts from oranges. Thoughts?

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  19. blindside

    blindside Valued Member

    If you use linseed oil, be careful about your rags afterwards. These oils don't dry through evaporation but oxidation, fast oxidation is what you call "fire." :D While very unusual, rags left soaked with these sorts oils have been known to spontaneously combust. I have a metal bucket that I dry my wood oils, and I try to dry them flat so that heat cannot accumulate.
     
  20. ScottUK

    ScottUK More human than human...

    Another word of warning - raw linseed oil takes an age to dry to a nice feel and it can spoil the grain/looks of the weapon if used before reasonably dry and allowed to gunk up with sweat off hands etc. Boiled linseed oil is much better IMHO.

    Then again, I avoid completely and use teak oil. ;)
     

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