I never did get any food grade lubricant, but at least now I know that it exists. I don't have the problem blender anymore, but I do have the Black & Decker blender that I bought 14 years ago. I store it in the garage and use it only for making hot sauce when I have chocolate Habanero chilies. I have a Vitamix blender in the kitchen and use that the rest of the time, although I more frequently use a stick blender.

Thanks to everyone here for all the great advise! Here's a company called Woodworker's Supply (woodworkers.com) website I found to purchase three types food-safe finishes. I also checked the John Boos Company which manufactures both residential and commercial butcher block and wood countertops and cutting boards for prices on their Mystery Oil and Boos Cream which combines mineral oil and beeswax, which is rather expensive, but the website has a lot of helpful information in their FAQ section. GENERAL FINISHES AND BEHLEN Salad Bowl Finish are formulated to create a non-toxic, food safe finish coating. Apply to raw wood, allow 6 hours dry time before recoating, then wait 72 hours prior to use. Pint, quart or gallon cans. Preserve™ contains a blend of oils from the meats of exotic nuts. Immediately safe upon application (made without toxic driers or solvents). 8 oz. squeeze bottle. Clapham's Beeswax Salad Bowl Finish is made with natural beeswax with oil and is perfect for use on cutting boards, cheese boards, fruit or salad bowls, toys, utensils and more. Ready for use immediately after application. Buffs to an elegant shine once it dries. 8 oz. container. http://woodworker.com/gen-fin-salad-bowl-finish-mssu-107-279.asp

On the oil pulling, one thing I once saw mentioned somewhere is that some people may want to consider how they are disposing of the oil. Since it solidifies in cooler temperatures, it could potentially cause a rather nasty clog if you are spitting it down the drain. Personally, I could not imagine swishing anything in my mouth for 20 minutes. Linelle, coconut oil has been a "thing" for a while and how one reacts to the nutrition/health claims probably depends on one's point of view. My take on it, is that I like the taste and I do strive for variety so coconut oil is just one of achieving variety. It is quite useful as a moisturizer, as many noted above but I think as far as all the other possible claims, there is not enough information yet to say one way or the other. I did laugh the other day when in Trader Joe's looking at all of the coconut oil that was liquid. A true sign of summer.

Wow this is an old thread. Some guy said exactly what I would have said. LOL One thing I missed: The solvents in store-bought wood preservative products (and other oil based paints) are specially formulated for low toxicity. Mineral spirits aka paint thinner is actually in the diesel range in terms of boiling point and length of the hydrocarbon chains. However, the aromatic hydrocarbons have been reduced to very low levels compared to diesel. Compounds like alkylbenzenes and alkylnaphthalenes, anthracene, etc. These have benzene rings which basically make them more toxic than straight-chain hydrocarbons with the same number of carbons. Diesel has a lot of that stuff - 25-35%. Removing those actually reduces the odor a lot, and the best grades of mineral spirit are 'odorless'. So diesel is NOT the same thing. We've already discussed what's found in used motor oil - carcinogenic PAHs are the main thing. There's those pesky benzene rings again. Is it an environmental disaster for your yard? Not really. Is it a significant health risk? If you had kids or pets who spend a lot of time in the yard, I wouldn't recommend it. Less of a problem otherwise, although whether it leaches into the groundwater or into waterways depends on your soil and climate. As for me, I wouldn't use this smelly and more toxic brew on a fence or deck. I'll stick to formulated wood preservatives.