not-so-lazy morning

Ok - so for a change, I slept in till 8.30 (woozah!). I got up and made breakfast (eggs benedict, just for a little treat - usually I eat meagerly at b-fast time), then set about my autumn cleaning.

I do clean in spring too, but once a year is not enough in my place for a rip-apart decent clean, as the house I am in has issues with damp and my wooden furniture suffers from molds and mildews as the weather this time of year is cool and damp, and I have limited light in some parts of the house.

So, to help combat this, I protect and treat the wood with a home-made beeswax polish that is killer-bee, so to speak.

This type of wax is intended for natural wood finishes - not for lacquer surfaces, painted/distressed surfaces or varnished woods. On this kind of surface I don't recommend beeswax polish, as it containes turpentine which is a strong solvent. Also don't use this on gilt surfaces. If you have antiques with inlay and or gilding consult a conservation specialist for advice.

You can make this easily but have all the windows open in the house/apt, as it's quite a fumy stinker of an experience for the first few hours.

What you will need:

pure beeswax, I prefer chips but you can get lumps of the stuff and bash it up
pure gum turpentine - not the synthetic stuff
essential oils (up to one teaspoon) - you might like to use bergamot, lavender, etc but avoid eucalyptus and orange as these have interesting properties that can damage some surfaces
a jar or tin to use for double boiling, not to be used for food service
a pot for the boiling
some safety commonsense and a few towels to grasp the jar or tin
a spatula that is not for food service (a wooden paint stick or such is good)

OK - here's an important point - this is something not to do if you are absent-minded, if there are children about, or if you are excessively clumbsy. You're going to be double-boiling a very flammable substance and if you don't pay attention you could cause yourself some injury. Follow the instructions very carefully because I'm not going to be responsible for you melting your skin off.

You will need to use a jar or tin suitable for boiling, I use a jam jar and find this is quite adequate. However it's a little tricky to pull out of the water safely, so you might want to use silicone oven mits or something like that.

Put a bunch of chopped wax or wax chips into the jar, and cover with turpentine. Ensure you add more turpentine than required to cover, maybe a centimeter higher than wax. Add any essential oils you like (apart from those that have paint-removing properties! lavender is safe).

NOTE: you may also, if you wish, add some pigment powder to refresh wood color. However, if you don't use pigments on a regular basis I do not recommend this. They are very dangerous if inhaled. Also, if you have a mixture of wood types in the house, it won't serve well to tint as you must tint specifically for types of wood. Nuff said.

Place into a pot of water and bring to a simmer, not a full boil. Stir the contents until all are melted to a clear liquid and remove from the double boiler. Place on an insulated surface (wooden chopping board, or maybe on a dry cloth) and allow to firm - it will form a soft paste. This is then ready to use.

The wax polish is highly concentrated, and not much is required to polish wood. You will need a clean soft cloth to apply the wax with, and then another one to buff the waxed surface with.

Place a small amount of wax on the cleaned wooden surface. Wipe with soft cloth along the grain. A little bit will go a long way so don't overdo it. Allow the surface to sit for half an hour or so to allow the turpentine to evaporate off. Buff the surface with a dry soft cloth, you will have a soft shine and a great tactile surface. This kind of wax only needs to be done annually or bi-annually, or more often on frequently used surfaces such as dining tables or coffee tables, which may require repeat treatments twice a year. The finish will be water resistant, and inbetween waxing you should be able to keep the finish looking good simply by dusting and buffing with a clean soft cloth.

I have to stress again this is a very fume-heavy treatment so please don't do in confined spaces, places with inadequate ventilation, around pets or children or the frail/invalid. The process of making the polish is very heavy on the fumes and so is application. Take care but enjoy the process.

FYI: this recipe is also the base for encaustic paint making - if you wish to make encaustic paint base, dissolve damar resin into the turpentine for a few weeks before making, and do not add essential oils but instead, a teaspoon of refined linseed oil. If you require a very fine quailty encaustic wax, I suggest you consider artisan grade beeswax - this is a little harder to find but any good paint supply store will carry it. I would also encourage experimentation with the proportions as encaustic can take a very long time to dry if the mix is not right. I do have my secret recipe, but ha ha it's a secret!!

Have fun and all that jazz...