Cleaning
and Waxing a Piece of Furniture
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The
very first stage of the repair process is to decide on two things. First,
is the piece in need of cleaning in order to see its real condition or
does it just need waxing to bring its natural patina and lustre back to
life.
Let’s
assume that you have decided to clean your piece of furniture. Here’s
how it’s done:
First take the
inca Timberwax and the inca
0000 Steelwool and dab some of the wax onto the pad. Take the pad
in the palm of your hand and keep your palm as flat as possible, Begin
with a light circular sanding motion to rub the piece being cleaned. Take
care not to rub too hard in one spot for too long! NEVER use your fingertips
to hold the pad when you are rubbing. Before the wax dries, use the
polishing cloth and wipe the area that you have rubbed.
(If
the built up wax and dirt is very thick, a soft cotton rag that is slightly
dampened with mineral turpentine can be used to wipe over the surface.
This will remove years of dirt and wax. Then follow up with another clean
cloth to pick up the softened old wax, grime and dirt). Allow the surface
to dry and then proceed to re-wax the surface.
STEP
2: WAXING AND BUFFING
Once
again we take the inca
Timberwax and the inca
Polishing Cloth, and rub in a small amount of wax using the circular
motion, finishing with the grain. Keep rubbing the wax over the surface
to make sure that it has spread in a thin even layer. The motto is “two
thin layers are better than one thick layer,” then wait until the wax
has dried. It will make a squeaking sound when you rub your finger on
the surface. Do sections at a time and work all the surface legs, sides,
tops and doors before you start to buff using a clean wax free cotton
cloth. By cross grain buffing you will create a lovely lustre to the finished
surface.
Please
refer to the diagrams on how to make a bun and how to do leg and turned
areas.
Diagram
1:
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Diagram
2:
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Making
the cloth into a bun.
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How
to use a cloth around turned and leg areas.
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Fold
the ends into the centre to form a pad.
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Rap
the cloth around the turner piece of wood. Cross the cloth
over, pull each end and slide the cloth around the turned piece.
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