To keep furniture at a high polish, go over it once a week on cleaning day with tt clean cloth moistened in clear turpentine. This keeps the paint soft so that it will not crack, and it is not sticky after it has been pol ished.
Or use equal quantities of turpen tine and linseed oil, or equal quanti ties of turpentine, linseed oil, and vin egar.
To improve the appearance of lin seed oil, add 1 or 2 ounces of alkanet root to 1 pint of oil, boil gently, and strain through cheese cloth.
Or mix equal quantities of linseed oil and turpentine, and to each pint of the mixture add 1 teaspoonful of ammonia.
Or dissolve 1 ounce of hard white soap in 1 pint of water, and add 6 ounces of white wax dissolved in 1 pint of turpentine. Dissolve all with gentle heat, mix, and bottle for use.
Or melt 1 ounce of alkanet root with 8 ounces of beeswax, and simmer with gentle heat. Strain through cheese cloth and add 4 ounces each of linseed oil and spirits of turpentine.
Or melt 4 ounces of beeswax with gentle heat, and add while warm 8 ounces of spirits of turpentine. Stir until the mixture cools.
Or dissolve 1 ounce of beeswax and ounce of castile soap in 1 pint of turpentine. Put in a quart bottle and let stand for a day or two, shaking occasionally. Fill the bottle with water, shake, and let stand for an other day, when it should be of the consistency of cream. Apply with a flannel cloth or damp chamois.
Or dissolve 1 ounce each of pulver ized rosin and gum shellac in 1 pint of pure alcohol. Add 1 pint of lin seed oil, mix, and apply with a soft brush, a sponge, or a piece of flannel. Polish with moistened chamois or a bunch of tissue paper or soft news paper.
Or add 1 pint of spirits of turpen tine to the above.
Or dissolve 2 ounces of gum shellac in 1 pint of alcohol. Add 1 pint of linseed oil and j pint of spirits of turpentine. Mix and add 2 ounces of ammonia water and 2 ounces of sul phuric ether. Shake before using. Apply with a brush, sponge, or soft, cloth.
Or mix equal quantities of gum shellac, kerosene, linseed oil, and tur pentine. Shake before using, and ap ply with a sponge or brush. After wards polish.
Or dissolve in 1 pint of alcohol 1 ounce each of gum copal, gum arabic, and shellac. Apply with a sponge or
brush. This is known as French polish.
Or paint the surface with a liberal application of olive oil, and let stand to soften the varnish. Then follow with a solution of 2 ounces of gum arabic dissolved in 1 pint of alcohol. Apply while warm. This is known as Italian polish.
Or mix 1 pound of linseed oil, 2 ounces of wax, 4 ounces of shellac varnish, and 1 ounce of alkanet root to color. Dissolve with gentle heat and stir while dissolving. Take off the fire after 15 or N minutes, strain through cheese cloth, and add 2 ounces of turpentine, mix, and let stand a few days, stirring occasion ally. Shake well before using.
Or dissolve with gentle heat in 1 pound of boiled linseed oil 4 ounces of beeswax and 1 ounce of alkanet root. Strain through cheese cloth, and add 4 ounces of turpentine.
Or mix 4 ounces each of linseed oil and vinegar, add 1 ounce of alcohol, 1 ounce of butter of antimony, and I ounce of muriatic acid. Apply with a sponge, rag, or brush, wipe dry, and polish. Shake well before using. Ap ply this mixture to clean stained, greasy, or waxed substances.
Or mix 8 ounces of linseed oil, 4 ounces of vinegar, 2 ounces of black rosin, 2 ounces of spirits of niter, 1 ounce of spirits of salts, and 9 ounces of butter of antimony. First sponge the furniture with clear water or cold tea. Apply this mixture with a sponge or cloth. Oil, polish, and let dry. Then follow with a cloth slight ly moistened in cold vinegar.
To Prepare Furniture Polish. White wax, beeswax, gum copal, shel lac, and other solid resinous sub stances may be cut or dissolved in turpentine, alcohol, or other spirits. This process may require several days if the ingredients are cold, but is much hastened by the use of heat, and also by pulverizing or shaving the solids as finely as possible. Hence, to prepare furniture polish contain ing these ingredients, shave or polish them as fine as possible, and pour over them turpentine, alcohol, or other spirits as required. Use for this purpose a glass fruit jar or a wide-mouthed glass bottle. Cork tightly and set the bottle in a warm spot until the solids are dissolved.