How to make bees wax furniture polish?

Answer

I’ve made my own beeswax furniture polish from a recipe I found in Robert McGuffin’s book Furniture Care and Conservation, published by AASLH Press. This recipe is similar to what many furniture conservators and museums recommend for hardwood furniture care. I’ve used this formula to help restore hardwood pieces that were in Katrina’s floodwaters. And I still use it today with excellent results. Please read the whole recipe before beginning.

Supplies

One wide-mouth Mason jar or other canning jar with two-part ring-seal lid

One cake of good-quality natural, non-bleached beeswax (It will be yellowish in color)

Pure distilled Turpentine (NO TURPENTINE SUBSTITUTES)

One piece of plastic wrap

One wood paint mixing stick or other non-food use stirring implement

Optional Additions

A dropper of Lemon Oil (approximately a teaspoon)

A dropper of Orange Oil

A dropper of Lavender Essential Oil

Assorted artist dry pigments for tinting and coloring polish for darker woods (Ochre and umbers work beautifully)

Method

Shave or shred enough beeswax into the Mason jar to fill it about two-thirds full. Then pour in enough turpentine to cover the beeswax, up to three-fourth full. At this point you can add either the lemon, orange or lavender oils for extra fragrance and/or the dry pigments for the degree of color need for the polish. Add color at about a half or an eight of a teaspoon at a time. I discovered that a mixture of one teaspoon of burnt umber with an eighth of a teaspoon of lamp black makes a great polish for darker woods such as aged oak or walnut. A teaspoon of yellow ochre is great for natural pine and other lighter-colored wood. Mix the contents well with a wood paint mixer or other non-food use stirring implement.

Cover the top of the jar with the plastic wrap. Then close the jar with the two-part, ring-seal lid. The plastic wrap will keep the ring-seal on the lid for breaking down from the turpentine fumes. Place the jar outside in the sun for several days. Make sure it’s a warm day. Or place the jar in a warm place in your house for several days. Stir or shake the jar each day to mix the contents even more. The process can be speeded up by placing the sealed jar in a pan of warm just simmering water (not boiling) until the wax melts and blends with the turpentine. When the wax has completely melted into the turpentine, a soft paste will be formed.

Application and Uses

The finished paste can be used in place of most commercial waxes on most hardwood furniture that does not already have an oil finish. The beauty of the beeswax polish is that a little goes along way and does not have to be applied every time you clean or dust your furniture. Start with a clean, dust free surface. Do not use any commercial preparations to clean or dust the surface. A clean lint-free rag will suffice. A cloth diaper is ideal if they can still be found. Dab a little paste onto a clean rag and apply in a circular motion then finish with strokes along the grain of the furniture. REMEMBER A LITTLE GOES ALONG WAY. Let dry for about a half an hour to let the turpentine evaporate. Then buff the surface well in the direction of the wood grain with another clean soft lint-free cloth. This will bring out a nice shine. To maintain a piece of furniture that has be treated with beeswax paste. Just dust and buff the surface with a clean soft rag. No commercial sprays or other cleaners are needed. And if something spills on the surface, the natural waterproof properties of the beeswax will help prevent damage caused by most spillage. Just wipe with a gentle soap (Ivory) on a damp rag and dry thoroughly. Most people who use beeswax –base polish only apply them once, maybe twice a year depending on the furniture. If you have a dining room table which is used every day, an application two maybe three times a year will work best. If you have a cabinet which is never used, an application of once every two years is fine. Just remember to dust and buff weekly if possible to revive the finish. If this method of cleaning is used, you do not ever have to worry about wax build up. It will never happen and is only something advertisers use to sell more expensive cleaning products.

Non uses

Do not use paste polish or any type of cleaning product on in-painted, gesso, flaking, gilt (gold) or metal leaf, furniture surfaces. Any cleaning method will cause more harm than good. Best advice is to consult a qualified furniture conservator if the piece is valuable. If not, then just leave it be and do not clean it at all.

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