I wouldn't like mineral oil because it never dries, and it might 
interfere with gluing. I wouldn't like linseed for the reasons that 
Scott mentions, also because it does dry, and builds up in thickness 
with multiple applications. So that leaves me with wax.

I prefer paraffin over bees wax because it's cheaper, doesn't accumulate 
dust etc, and because I always find beeswax kinda sticky. Who needs 
sticky on the bottom of a plane or a sawplate? Maybe I just got the 
wrong kind of beeswax? Anyway, I put a slab of paraffin in a leather 
pocket rescued from a discarded purse, which it fits nicely, and leave 
it sitting on top of the sheepskin sdcrap which is on my bench stool, 
where I rarely sit in any case.

Sure would be nice to know what Kingshott was thinking...
FWIW
Don

On 4/17/2014 12:59 PM, scott grandstaff wrote:
> Hate to argue with Kingshott, but I'm a wax guy.
> Oil is just as good, maybe better. But an open damp container of any 
> kind of oil?
> In my shop?
> Its either going to get knocked onto the floor all the time,
>  or "skin over" with a heavy crust of regular gray household dust.
>
>  A little piece of paraffin I can lose easy enough, so I just break up 
> a standard slab and spread it around in the places I am likely to 
> look, whenever I can't find any.
>   I keep a couple of backup boxes from yard sales, on the shelf.
>
>  Candles would be just as good, but they don't store so compactly as a 
> box of paraffin.
>
> Candles I usually just drop into an old steel coffee can to melt for 
> sealing fresh wood I am going to try and cure. Either that or waxing 
> concrete molds.
>    yours Scott
>