A few years back AT posted about how to make furniture polish with just baby oil and lemon extract, but we're more apt to concoct this homemade recipe shared by the Australian edition of Better Homes and Gardens since the mixture can keep for years and includes many traditional wood treatment ingredients (now if we can only find a great old timey bottle like the one on the left to keep it in):
Heat water in an old frying pan on an electric hotplate, or use an electric frypan.
Place a smaller old saucepan in the water so the 2 pans act as a double saucepan. For safety's sake don't do this on a gas burner; both the linseed oil and the gum turpentine are flammable and the mixture will catch alight if splashed onto the gas flame.
In the saucepan, place 250g of beeswax, 250ml of gum turpentine (not mineral turpentine) and a splash of boiled linseed oil. Stir the mixture with a clean wooden stick until the ingredients are combined and form a clear liquid.
I think I'll stick to Howard's Feed & Wax from my local Ace Hardware Store - It's really not that expensive and I won't set the apartment on fire...
view bepsf's profile
funny. i was thinking the exact same thing (howard's feed and wax)... right down to the apartment on fire bit.
view redneckmodern's profile
Aww come on...ya set a little bit of the apartment on fire and you've got a few more DIY projects to tackle. I'll check out the Howard's Feed & Wax too on both of your recommendations.
view gregory's profile
I prefer the products from Sutherland Wells; or why not just melt the beeswax in the double boiler and just use that?
view SydneyBristow's profile
Gregory--
I think you'll like it when you try it - it comes in a nice squeeze bottle, it's uber-simple to use and leaves the place smelling like oranges.
http://www.howardproducts.com/feednwax.htm
(I think it's a California-Made product too - The company is located in Paso Robles)
view bepsf's profile
Oh, No! make your own using all natural ingredients that will not set your house on fire. You need to make a double boiler with 2 pots (one that can fit inside the other and just sit on the water that inside of the larger one)
use:
beeswax
jojoba oil
olive oil
lemon oil
thats all!
If you want more of a creamy polish wait until the mixture is not so hot and cooling down slowly add room temp. water and mix really well until you like the mixture.
I have been making this for years and it is FABULOUS.
Sandra
view Botany's profile
I'm a professional woodworker and make a lot of my own finishes.
Any 50/50 oil/wax combo will make a good polish. Some of the best combos are:
Boiled Linseed Oil & Beeswax for furniture. Depending on the brand, some "boiled" linseed oils are actually boiled, and others have additives to make them behave like boiled oil. For a more natural finish, check the ingredient list and avoid oils that contain anything other than 100% linseed oil. Typically petroleum based solvents or heavy metal dryers are added to mimic boiled oil. Do not use raw linseed oil, it will turn rancid before it cures. Ace Hardware has a good, 100% boiled linseed oil that is quite affordable, and I get my wax from a local honey farm.
You can also throw in some carnauba wax flakes (no more than 25% of the total wax content) which will produce a much harder, more durable finish. If you add the carnauba, you'll have to heat it to a higher temp to melt it.
Because the linseed oil has a slightly yellow color, it may darken your wood slightly.
Walnut Oil & Beeswax if you have time. This is one of my favorite finishes if you have a long time to let it cure. The walnut oil is slow to dry, but very clear. I use this for breadboards and butcher blocks, but have to let them cure for a couple of weeks before use.
Mineral Oil & Paraffin Wax for a food-safe finish. (countertops, butcher blocks, breadboards, salad bowls, etc.) The linseed/beeswax/carnauba combo is food safe too, but can impart bitter flavors on foods that come in contact with the finish. This is a crystal clear, tasteless, and odorless formula, but both ingredients are petroleum based.
It's always best to use an electric-element burner -- not a gas burner -- on its lowest setting.
Happy buffing!
view kennjamin's profile
oops I did also forget to add carnauba wax flaxes. If you do add this add it in very very small amounts because it make the blend hard as a rock.
view Botany's profile
Could you use this polish on wooden floors?
view Timr's profile
Whoa XD Until my brain caught up with me, I was thinking that the old polish was ACTUALLY radioactive XD Of course it isn't - old companies used to put the words 'radium' on things to... I dunno, try and convince people of it having a nice healthy glow (radium is one of the very few radioactive sources that actually glows - uranium is a dull grey metal, radium GLEAMS - it's the stuff they used to use on luminous watch hands, for instance). It's like saying 'titanium' to try and convince you something's strong, even if it doesn't have any actual titanium in it. Still, that bottle is cool XD
(...And even if it WAS radioactive, radium is only an alpha emitter. That's essentially a helium nucleus wandering around on its own, can't go any further than a few centimetres, and is blocked by paper and skin. Wouldn't want to lick it, but I'd be perfectly happy poking it.)
view ryttu3k's profile