I researched quite a bit about oiling, and tried a couple of methods on some Paulsons I have. Not at all disappointed with the results, but it was a bit time consuming. I’m a fan of “working smarter, not harder” so I tried something on the new CPCs I got in the mail yesterday (still uber-giddy about getting my hands on them after what seemed like the longest wait ever : ) .
Anyway, the factory dust was pretty heavy on the edges so I decided to dampen a paper towel with water and wipe them down. Not wet, just damp - like run a 4”x4” piece of the paper towel under water, then ball it up a couple times to transfer the moisture across the entire thing. Then I simply held the paper towel in one hand, and rolled each barrel to kno the dust off. Worked ok but the colors didn’t pop, so I decided to oil.
For this phase, all I did was put 3-5 drops of food grade mineral oil (or cutting board oil) in the palm of my hand and act like I was applying lotion to my hands - yes, you can use mineral oil as a lotion in case you were wondering. Then, I wiped my hands thoroughly with a paper towel, transferring the residual oil to the paper towel. After that, I used the same technique as cleaning - I held the “oiled” paper towel in one hand and rolled each barrel. I did have to reapply oil to the paper towel a couple of times to get through about 800 chips...but my hands are as soft as a baby’s behind today. : )
I wish I had done before and after pics, but they turned out great. i know this thread is a little dated, but I assume that someone, someday will be wondering about oiling and decide to peruse this forum for info. I hope this will help you.