What is the Purpose of Mineral Oil and Why Would I Want to Use it...

OneCent

on copper? What does it remove...verdigris and dirt?

Does it work without harming the surfaces or changing the color of the coin?

DwaineO

Good question, something I have always wondered. Is this the same use for using olive oil?

micmt

I think its more fine. I like a super fine instrument oil that can only be gotten from certain labs for certain projects

ClosedLoop

I saw this in the "copper for the weekend" thread. I was wondering the same thing.

holeinone1972

From the righthealth.com website:

Mineral oil or liquid petrolatum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. It is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes (typically 15 to 40 carbons) [1] and cyclic paraffins, related to white petrolatum. Mineral oil is a substance of relatively low value, and it is produced in very large quantities. Mineral oil is available in light and heavy grades, and can often be found in drug stores.


[edit] Applications
Refined mineral oil is used as transformer oil.
Alkali metals are often submerged in mineral oil for storage or transportation. The oil prevents the metals from reacting with atmospheric moisture.
Mineral oil is sometimes taken orally as a laxative. It lubricates feces and intestinal mucous membranes, and limits the amount of water removed from feces. Typically, mineral oil is effective within six hours. While it has been reported that mineral oil may be absorbed when emulsified, most information shows that it passes harmlessly through the gastrointestinal system.
If used at all, mineral oil should never be given internally to small children, pets, or anyone with a cough, hiatus hernia, or nocturnal reflux, and should be swallowed with care. Due to its low density, it is easily aspirated into the lungs, where it cannot be removed by the body and can cause serious complications such as lipoid pneumonia.[2] While popular as a folk remedy, there are many safer alternatives available.
Mineral oil with added fragrance is marketed as baby oil in the US, UK and Canada.
Used as an ingredient in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and other pharmaceuticals and low-grade cosmetics.
Certain mineral oils are used in livestock vaccines, as an adjuvant to stimulate a cell-medicated immune response to the vaccinating agent.
Used on eyelashes to prevent brittleness and/or breaking.
Used in small quantities (2 3 drops daily) to clean ears. Over a couple of weeks, the mineral oil softens dried or hardened earwax so that a gentle flush of water can remove it. In the case of a damaged or perforated eardrum, however, mineral oil should not be used, as oil in the middle ear can lead to ear infections.
Lubrication
Fuel, for items such as oil lamps.
Electric mineral-oil filled space heaters
Coolant
Fog machines
Used in some guitar string cleaners
Automotive and aviation brake fluid that does not absorb water molecules by osmosis
Low viscosity mineral oil is sold as a preservative for wooden cutting boards and utensils.
A coating of mineral oil protects metal surfaces from moisture and oxidation.
Food-preparation butcher block surfaces are often conditioned periodically with mineral oil.
Light mineral oil is used in textile industries and used as a jute batching oil.
Mineral oil is used to darken soapstone countertops for aesthetic purposes.
It works (albeit poorly) as a release agent for molds, especially in fiberglass casting.
It is used as a release agent for baking pans and trays.
It is occasionally used in the food industry (particularly for candy). Some studies suggest that prolonged use might be unhealthy because of low accumulation levels in organs. It has been discouraged for use in children's foods, though it is still occasionally found in candies in China and Canada.
Used as a cleaner and solvent for inks in fine art printmaking as well as in oil painting, though turpentine is more often used.
In the poultry industry, plain mineral oil can be swabbed onto the feet of chickens infected with scaly mites on the shank, toes, and webs. Mineral oil suffocates these tiny parasites.
Some people have found success using mineral oil to remove henna used as a hair dye.
Using mineral oil or baby oil to reduce a grease, oil, or asphalt stain on clothing may be counter-intuitive, but is often effective, as the mineral oil dilutes and liquefies some of the stain thereby making it easier to clean out of the clothing.
Some people have used mineral oil as a cooling system for a computer, by completely submerging the computer's motherboard and system components into an aquarium tank filled with mineral oil. The oil does not have any long term effect on the components. A video and instructions on building a mineral oil cooled computer can be found here.
It is commonly used to create a "wear" effect on new clay poker chips, which, without the use of mineral oil, can only be accomplished through prolonged use of the poker chips. The chips are either placed in mineral oil (and left there for a short amount of time), or the oil is applied to each chip individually, and is then rubbed off, removing any chalky residue from the new chips, also improving the look and "feel" of the chips.
Used to cover gummy worms for the glossy effect it produces.

[edit] Other names for mineral oil
adepsine oil
alboline
baby oil
bayol 55
cable oil
bayol f
blandlube
blandol white mineral oil
carnea 21
clearteck
crystol 325
crystosol
Diala-X, AX
drakeol
electrical insulating oil
ervol
filtrawhite
fonoline
frigol
glymol
Heat-treating oil
hevyteck
hydraulic oil
hydrocarbon oils
jute batching oil
kaydol
kondremul
kremol
LHM
lignite oil
liquid paraffin
lubricating oil
master Shimmer
mineral oil (saturated parrafin oil)
mineral oil hydrocarbon solvent (petroleum)
mineral oil mist
mineral oil, aromatic
mineral oil, paraffinic
mineral Seal Oil
molol
neo-cultol
nujol
oil mist
oil mist, mineral, severely refined
Oil mist, refined mineral
oil, petroleum
paraffin oil (class)
paraffin oil
parol
paroleine
peneteck
penreco
perfecta
petrogalar
petrolatum
petroleum hydrocarbons
petroleum, liquid
primol
primol 355
primol d
protopet
saxol
tech pet
f triona b
uvasol
univolt N60, 80
voltesso 35
white mineral oil
white oil


I have a few double die reverse lincoln cents soaking in it now, to stop the corrosion from spreading.

Raybo

<< <i>on copper? What does it remove...verdigris and dirt?

Does it work without harming the surfaces or changing the color of the coin?

>>



I'll let you know.....................I have an 1850 Lg. cent and an 1871 2 cent piece soaking in mineral oil for about 6 months now.

Meh!


Ray

JRocco

See THIS thread OneCent

adamlaneus

I think the main reason it works is that it is a neutral solvent. It does not damage or attack the metal. In fact, it displaces things that do attack the metal.

When corrosion happens, some very micro and "nano" structures develop with impurities deep within the cracks. It can take quite some time to soak the oil deeply into the coin and thus get the corrosion causing impurities out. They tend to be in the very bottom of those cracks!

[edit] Uh. so to speak.

Raybo

1850 cent........I think the problem is obvious.



1871 2 cent piece, a little roughness on the reverse around 4 to 5 o'clock.



Ray

curly

Brothers, if she were here, curly's dear departed mother would tell you what the real purpose of mineral oil is and why you would want to use it.

OneCent

<< <i>See THIS thread OneCent >>




Good read. Most definitely did wonders for your One Penny Model. Think that I understand the purpose now...basically to remove crud, verdigris and stop corrosion. Seems like it can be a very long process, though.

Raybo

<< <i>Brothers, if she were here, curly's dear departed mother would tell you what the real purpose of mineral oil is and why you would want to use it. >>



Regularity?

Ray

PerryHall

<< <i>Good question, something I have always wondered. Is this the same use for using olive oil? >>



Yes. Same use as olive oil. Since olive oil can turn rancid, some prefer to use mineral oil.

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>

<< <i>Brothers, if she were here, curly's dear departed mother would tell you what the real purpose of mineral oil is and why you would want to use it. >>



Regularity?

Ray >>



AstroGlide or JY Kelly.

curly

<< <i>

<< <i>Brothers, if she were here, curly's dear departed mother would tell you what the real purpose of mineral oil is and why you would want to use it. >>



Regularity?

Ray >>



When curly and sister curly were youngins', we stood in line for a spoonful on a regular basis.

TwoSides2aCoin

There is nothing immoral or unethical about putting your coins in mineral oil.
However, when it comes to Virgin Olive Oil ...

Happy Labor Day !

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Brothers, if she were here, curly's dear departed mother would tell you what the real purpose of mineral oil is and why you would want to use it. >>



Regularity?

Ray >>



When curly and sister curly were youngins', we stood in line for a spoonful on a regular basis. >>



I thought that maybe you got your start in life from a bottle of the stuff.

TwoSides2aCoin

Nice one, Rob. PM me if you want to part ways with it. Please

NHSBaseball

When I was a kid we used to slather the stuff on in order to tan- baking ourselves out by the pool. We thought it accelerated the tanning process. Man, how times have changed- now we know it just accelerated the skin cancer process...