Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 06:54
I think you are right - no longer available.
I did see an interesting article while searching for polish info,
plenty of elbow grease looks the go with this solution -
For wood furniture, when do I use polish, when wax, etc?
A: I've always used wax and never oil
But here's what the pros have to say about it:
Oil or wax? If you're looking for quick and easy, there's not a good answer. Sure, putting a little oil polish on a rag and giving the furniture a quick once-over is fast, but you'll wind up needing to dust twice as often. Oils attract dust rather than repelling it, so while the furniture will sparkle and look wonderful right after it's been polished, it will quickly look dusty again and some of that dust will mix in with the oil, making the furniture increasingly difficult to clean and easier to scratch. Why, then, do most museums oil their furniture? The answer is both simple and complicated. Oil does help the finish – not the wood – of your furniture. Over time, finishes tend to lose moisture and "evaporate" from the wood, causing cracks and crumbles in the finish. However, this process happens over a long, long time and chances are that normal day-to-day use of the furniture will wear more of the finish off the piece than what will "evaporate" from the finish drying out. Instead, you're better off using a wax to help protect the wood itself and to help minimize dust rather than being overly concerned with the moisture level in the finish.
Liquid waxes are somewhat better than oils – they do create a surface coating on the wood that will help the dust slide off the furniture instead of sticking to it, but the protection doesn't last as long as paste wax.
The best protection for your wood furniture is a good paste wax, one with less paraffin and more carnauba wax. These waxes are quite hard – it's a good idea to scrape out a small amount (think a ball the size of a quarter) put it in the cloth you're going to use and then begin kneading it back and forth for a few minutes until it's soft enough to work with. Begin waxing the furniture, using small circular motions and really rub it into the surface of the wood. And remember, the harder the wax is, the more it will protect your furniture. Be sure to take breaks regularly if working on a larger piece of furniture – waxing is hard work and in order to do a good job, you want to make sure you're fresh while you're doing it.
Once you've applied a good wax coat, it should last for about a year to two years depending on how much use the piece sees. If, after five to ten years, the finish appears cloudy or as if it might be darker, rub the wood down with mineral oil to strip off all the old applications of wax and then apply a fresh coat of wax – some purists swear by mineral spirits instead of mineral oil. However, mineral spirits can be very dangerous to use. Read the directions and warnings carefully if you use mineral spirits.
If you use furniture oil instead of wax, you'll also see the finish begin to darken in a few years. Unfortunately, the oil actually rubs dirt and grime into the wood finish and there's no way to strip that off the wood without completely stripping the finish off as well.
If you're looking for a duller coat or an antique "glow" on your wood, try beeswax instead of a carnauba wax.
AnswerID:
580504
