My Friend Skip and His Knowledge

Skip is also known as "Glenn" on the quilting board.  This is a man of MANY talents!  (Sorry Girls, he's married to the lovely Miz Pat, and quite happily, I might add! ~wink~)

Skip can sew.  He's a quilter.  Skip can crochet.  He makes the cutest little "thread pin doilies" to decorate the old sewing machines that he loves. (I have some that he made for me, they're GREAT!!)  And Skip knows wood and finishes.  Skip is also probably one of the most helpful and willing to share person on the quilting board!  (Ok...that's not necessarily true, there are lots there that are willing to help and share, but not all of them know how to do woodworking and rejuvenate a sewing machine finish! LOL)  Suffice it to say that Skip knows his stuff, and he gave me permission to use his tutorials/instructions here to help others.   Trust me, if you like old machines and old cabinets/wood furniture, these tips are going to help you make the best of them!  He spent many years working with woods and restoring antiques.  Can I get a round of applause for our friend?  YAY!! THANKS SKIPPER, FOR PERMITTING ME TO SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE HERE!!  :)

So.  Without further ado, this is Skip's advice on cleaning an old wood finish.  All of the following words are Skip's own.  If you have missing shellac, stop at the end of Step #2, I'll be posting more of Skip's knowledge in another post.  All of the ingredients needed can be found at your local hardware or "big box" store.

Cleaning solutions needed:
Solution One--4parts white venegar, 4parts boiled linseed oil, 4parts mineral spirits, 1part denatured alcohol and 3-4 drops of household ammonia.

Solution Two--4parts mineral spirits, 1part boiled linseed oil

Stept 1-- with a course lint free cloth(blue jeans is good) charge the cloth with Solution one and rub in a circular motion, turning a recharging the rag with solution one. Replace rag as it gets dirty. Continue until the whole is cleaned. Hard to clean areas use 0000steel wool with the solution. The final wipe down should be with the grain of the wood. This finish will be cloudy and dry looking at this point.

Step 2--with a lint free cloth charged with Solution Two rub in a circular motion turning rag and recharging with solution two. Replace rag as it gets dirty. Continue until the whole is cleaned and the finish is not cloudy and dry looking. Finish by wiping the whole with only minaral spirits.

Step 3-- Apply a good coat of wax( such as a tinted briwax or any of the antique paste waxes that can be found in antique stores) according to the directions on the can. Apply thinly and buff like crazy to a nice clean shine. The looks of the piece can be maintained by waxing once a year and regular dusting and buff to shine. Nothing else needs to be done. I do not recommend endust or pledge. No need for lemon oil or anything.

This is the accepted method of proff antique restorers. After you can say I did not refinish the piece I restored the finish. Happy cleaning