I know this is not a high ticket number, so please give me a pass on
telling me so--but I am curious. Is there any real difference between
Camellia oil for tools and garden variety vegetable oil, or Canola?
Sometimes I feel like catalog fodder. Thanks

LDR wrote:
I know this is not a high ticket number, so please give me a pass on
telling me so--but I am curious. Is there any real difference between
Camellia oil for tools and garden variety vegetable oil, or Canola?

According to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_oil

It's specific stuff.

On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:21:33 -0800, LDR
wrote:

Is there any real difference between
Camellia oil for tools and garden variety vegetable oil, or Canola?

Yes! Typical food oils are either too hygroscopic / permeable to water
to be a safe rust-preventative. Some are also too heavy and leave an
oily residue that's likely to mark light timber by contact afterwards.
Some (olive is one culprit) are also prone to failure by oxidation and
going rancid.

Camellia oil doesn't suffer from these problems. It works, it's worth
having around. I also use it as a finishing oil on light-coloured
kitchenware, such as sushi platters and bento boxes (Darker timber
gets grapeseed or walnut oil instead)

Most Japanese camellia oil from toolshops is actually fish oil, with a
scent added. It works fine as a preservative oil though. For hot-oil
bluing of fine parts it's excellent too.

If you want camellia oil from camellias instead of fish, then buy
hairdressing-grade oil, all the Chinese camellia oils I've seen, or
high-end Japanese camellia oils. If you're in Europe or the UK,
http://dick.biz in Germany sell a good grade at a good price.


--
Cats have nine lives, which is why they rarely post to Usenet.

In article ,
says...
On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:21:33 -0800, LDR
wrote:

Is there any real difference between
Camellia oil for tools and garden variety vegetable oil, or Canola?

Yes! Typical food oils are either too hygroscopic / permeable to water
to be a safe rust-preventative. Some are also too heavy and leave an
oily residue that's likely to mark light timber by contact afterwards.
Some (olive is one culprit) are also prone to failure by oxidation and
going rancid.

Camellia oil doesn't suffer from these problems. It works, it's worth
having around. I also use it as a finishing oil on light-coloured
kitchenware, such as sushi platters and bento boxes (Darker timber
gets grapeseed or walnut oil instead)

Most Japanese camellia oil from toolshops is actually fish oil, with a
scent added. It works fine as a preservative oil though. For hot-oil
bluing of fine parts it's excellent too.

If you want camellia oil from camellias instead of fish, then buy
hairdressing-grade oil, all the Chinese camellia oils I've seen, or
high-end Japanese camellia oils. If you're in Europe or the UK,
http://dick.biz in Germany sell a good grade at a good price.

I did, in fact, buy a bottle of the stuff from Lie-Nielsen at a recent
ww show here in Portland, or, and then, typical of me, wondered if it
waw worth it. Thanks to you and the other poster I wonder no more;
thanks again.