I had a few calls today about cleaning up and making repairs to old timber furniture.
Here are some of the solutions and products recommended.
Make an antique furniture cleaning solutions (sometimes called a restorers
gums).
Mix equal quantities of methylated spirits, vinegar and gum (or pure) turpentine with
a generous dash of boiled linseed oil in a glass container and stir. Apply solution with
a soft cloth to remove years of built up grime and old furniture wax. Use superfine
'0000' grade steel wool soaked in the solution to remove stubborn grime.
Other antique cleaning solutions are available off-the-shelf. Look for products such
as Rotheraine's reviver, or antique cleaners from Gilly Stephenson's, Inca, Liberon or
U-Beat.
Once cleaned refresh surface with a fresh coat of beeswax furniture polish.
If you would like to make your own beeswax polish I have yet another recipe.
Homemade beeswax furniture polish.
In an old saucepan, over an electric heat source (not gas, this is flammable) dissolve
a 100gram block of pure beeswax and add 100ml of pure Gum Turps. Add 100ml of
boiled linseed oil and pour into a lidded shallow lidded container (such as an old
tobacco or boiled lolly tin). Once this solution sets it can be applied to furniture with
a soft cloth and buffed back to create a deep sheen and protective coating.
Howard's Orange oil.
A beaut natural cleaning solution ideal for old or new timber, cane and bamboo
furniture. Made from a blend of pure orange oil and paraffin oil this solution can be
used regularly to remove grime from timber and keep up a nourishing supply of
natural oil to the cellular structure of the timber. Not only is it totally non-toxic for
use on food service timbers such as chopping boards, fruit bowls and salad servers,
it leaves everything smelling like half time at the kids soccer match (fresh oranges).
Scratch-fix pens,
These nifty felt tip makers are loaded with timber stain (rather than ink) in five
common colours. Use them to colour in scratches on timber furniture before applying
a fresh coat of wax.