Polishes and wood treatments

Polishes typically are a mix of beeswax and turpentine. Use good quality turpentine, and never use white spirit. Turpentine has a strong smell so you can use linseed oil instead.

Basic polish

A basic polish can be used for both furniture and for leather. If you want a polish that can be buffed to a high shine, replace quarter to half the beeswax with carnauba wax.

Ingredients
  • 2 parts beeswax
  • 5 parts linseed oil
  • For example to make five 50ml tins of polish, use:
    • 80g beeswax
    • 200g  linseed oil
Method
  • Melt the wax
  • When fully melted, take off the heat and slowly add the oil, mixing well
  • Pour into clean wide-mouth tins or jars
  • When cooled, put on the lid
  • Label with the date and contents. 
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Furniture polish

​Furniture and other polishes need to have a shine. The addition of carnauba wax gives a harder finish with a good shine.

Ingredients
  • 40g Beeswax
  • 10g Carnauba wax
  • 250g turpentine
  • 100g linseed oil

​Method
  • Melt the waxes
  • When fully melted, take off the heat and slowly add the oil, mixing well
  • Pour into clean wide-mouth tins or jars
  • When cooled, put on the lid
  • Label with the date and contents.