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
It's specific stuff.
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, 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.
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