Thread: Howard’s Restore a finish

There are quite a few DIY alternatives for cleaning back old furniture. I can't find any current references to it as such, but 40 years ago I was told about "Bristol Museum Mix" . It it made up of three main components in equal parts. 1 part boiled linseed oil, one part cheap brown vinegar, and one part turps (I was told to use so-called natural turps/wood turpentine, which smells lovely but MUST be used in well-ventilated places because apparently is dangerous to health, however, I suspect that mineral turps or the low-odour turps would work as well.) Because oil and water do not mix well you have to shake the bottle hard to form an emulsion. For light cleaning of polished surfaces (not bare timber) that mix helps to remove wax and dirt build-up, rub on and off with a coarse cloth or 0000 steel wool. Remember to leave some dark in the cracks etc for antiques so they don't end up looking brand new.

If you need some more aggressive cleaning - say a dark lacquer or similar has been put over an old French Polished surface - add some metho to the mix. The metho softens the lacquer and helps to remove it. Start with very small amounts of the metho or you will find it strips off the underlying shellac and you are back at bare timber - then the oil in the mix will soak into the bare timber and you will have a problem.

For surfaces that are just a bit dull I have found the best treatment is UBeaut EEE wax. It contains a fine abrasive and a good wax so rub in well, let dry and buff off - a nicely cleaned, waxed surface.

Hope this helps.

David

Thanks Dave I’ll give it a go. Have a nice day


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