In this presentation I am demonstrating how I was taught to make a French Polisher's rubber. If you are just starting out and looking at french polishing for the first time then this is the correct way to start.

Gilboy's MD, Simon explains how and why Gilboy's Gold was developed and we list the 10 reasons why it is incontestably the best beeswax wood polish that money can buy.

Most people are emotionally attached to a grandfather or longcase clock, far more than that of a chair or table. There's always a story behind a grandfather clock. So naturally you'll want to take the best care of it to ensure it will remain in the best possible condition as it passes through the generations. It's quite common for us to hear that an old grandfather clock has "been in the family for donkey’s years".

In this article we're only going to talk about our area of expertise, wood preservation and the outer case, as opposed to the interior workings which is entirely the domain of the horologist.

Our first piece of advice is always, before applying polish, to make sure the clock is secured to the wall it is resting up against. We recommend attaching a small baton to the wall behind and screw through the back of the clock case to secure to the baton. This is because when the clock is fully wound the counter-weight is at the top of it's chain and the whole clock can be very top heavy and unstable. When it is secured to the wall the clock unlikely to fall over through vigorous buffing or when children are being adventurous!

Because a clock is rarely moved about and is not actively used (except by the eyes), it can be a bit of a dust collector. This problem is accentuated if you use wet-finish spray polishes or oils. That being said, the greatest risk with spray polishes is getting micro-particles of sticky polish in the workings of the clock and attracting more dust and dirt than necessary. What is needed is a beeswax polish that is formulated to produce a hard dry finish that does not attract or capture dust and it will be easier to remove with the simple swipe with a feather duster. This is what Gilboy's Gold beeswax polishes are designed for.

Here's our step-by-step guide on How to Polish Your Grandfather Clock with Gilboy's Gold:

Cleaning:

1. Remove dust - use a ½ inch clean paint brush to remove all the dust from crevices and hard to reach places.
2. Clean any dirt and grime from all the surfaces by putting a little splash of detergent in a bowl of warm water and lightly dampening a cotton cloth with the solution.
3. Dry after cleaning and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to completely dry.
4. Look out for loose veneer joints moldings which may need attention by a professional restorer or french. polisher. If any are loose and fall off it is essential to keep them. Put them in a clear plastic bag or envelope and put them inside the clock for safe keeping.

Preservation:

1. Check all over for any dinks, dents, cracks or deep scratches. These can be easily repaired using a pure beeswax filler block. We have an instructional video on how to repair scratches with beeswax filler on Youtube.
2. With a trimmed 1” paint brush apply the polish to high relief and carved areas that can be hard to reach with a cloth.
3. Cover the rest of the grandfather clock case with a thin film of beeswax using very soft ‘0000’ wire wool or a cotton polishing cloth. Careful not to over-apply. The surface should just appear to be dull when done. 
4. Leave to dry for around 20 minutes, half an hour or a few hours, preferably overnight. The longer you leave it, the easier it will be to buff.
5. Buff to a deep lustrous shine using a cotton polishing cloth.

How often should I polish my grandfather clock?

Once every 4 or 5 years should be sufficient if you use Gilboy’s Gold.

What polish should I use?

Rose Gold or Antique gold will bring out the natural colour of the common timbers used such as mahogany, oak or walnut.

Beeswax Polish in Jars	Complete Polishing Kits	Tins for Professionals	Leather Balsam

 

Musicians are extremely wary of any substances they put on their wooden musical instruments such as guitars, violins, cellos and double basses etc. And rightly so. The biggest concerns always seem to relate to either affecting the resonant properties of the wood or causing long-term damage to the finish. It can be a bit of a minefield as the internet is so full of misinformation that many musicians resort to a 'do nothing at all' ethos.

This stems from a misunderstanding of the general function and purpose of a wax polish. Its purpose is to protect the 'finish', the lacquer, varnish, nitrocellulose or polyurethane protective layer that the luthier applies to the instrument to protect the wood for the long term. In polishing we seek to protect this finish from daily wear and tear with a thin layer of wax that acts as a kind of sacrificial layer that is easily replaced.

Most instrument makers use layers of lacquer, varnish or nitrocellulose to protect the wood of an instrument, and varnishes have been used to coat string instruments like violas, cellos and violins for hundreds of years. It started life as a closely guarded secret substance. Different formulae were concocted by the luthiers, a trade secret never to be revealed. Those varnishes were made of plant resins combined with oils like linseed, honeybee propolis, gums and other oils. The usage of beeswax was commonly added to the mix to decrease the brittleness of the resin and protect the resonant qualities of the wooden structure. This type of varnish had a higher proportion of resins, and a hard, shiny surface.

The great violin Master, Antonio Stradivari knew these secret blends of resins, beeswax and propolis. He used them in a way that only he knew the correct proportion of each natural product creating the secret varnish formula for his high quality stringed instruments. [1]

 

"The lacquer protects the wood, but what protects the lacquer?" ~ Simon Gilboy

What to look for in an instrument polish

1. No Silicone: The reason that silicone is held in such poor esteem is that it is a colossal pain if you need to refinish a surface. A single molecule of silicone will cause a "fish-eye" in the lacquer. This is an area where the lacquer will not flow or attach. If you need to make a repair and there is silicone in an area where you want to use glue, it will act like a lubricant and give you a less than optimal joint.
2. No Spray: Spray polishes are alcohol cleaners that contain a fair amount of water. The mist of micro-droplets get everywhere, including the unprotected fingerboard or fretboard. The alcohol will dry out the fingerboard.
3. No Abrasives: Automotive waxes contain abrasives. You don't want to reduce the lacquer layer, you just want to add a protective layer of 100% wax. 
4. No Oils or Petroleum Distillates: Many polishes usually contain some kind of oil. Oil can penetrate small fissures in the varnish and end up in the wood, damping the sound or making future gluing and repair more difficult. Some oil will remain on the surface and catch dirt, essentially turning your instrument into an air filter. If the oil is a vegetable base, it may harden over time, forming a new 'varnish' layer incorporating dirt from the air, perspiration and rosin (in the case of bowed instruments). This can be very difficult to remove and would require expert restoration. ‘White spirit’ or 'mineral spirit' is petroleum-based, whereas turpentine on the other hand is vegetable-based, non-hydrocarbon, most often distilled from the resin of pine trees. Naphtha is a petroleum solvent similar to mineral spirits but with a greater volatility; it is used chiefly as a paint thinner or a cleaning agent. Naphtha can also penetrate through and seep under veneer. There it will dissolve the glue, causing the veneer to loosen.
5. Preserves Resonance Properties: Carnauba wax is very hard, being among the hardest of natural waxes. Although it creates a very deep shine, its rigidity may affect an instrument's resonance properties if not blended with softer waxes such as beeswax. Stradivari clearly understood the benefits of beeswax in preserving the flexibility of the wood.

Why Gilboys Pure Gold is the Perfect Instrument Polish

Gilboys Gold has been specifically designed to protect all types of wood finishes. It was designed by antique furniture restorers with over 25 years experience using traditional methods of restoration learned from long apprenticeships.

1. No Silicone: Gilboy's Gold is made with the best interests of preserving antique wood. We understand very clearly the problems silicone can cause in the restoration of lacquered finishes. Gilboy's Gold is made in a silicone-free environment.
2. No Spray: Gilboy's Gold comes in a kiln-jar with a leather seal and is applied with a cloth. At no point is any water added or required.
3. No Abrasives: Gilboy's Gold beeswax polish contains nothing but waxes and pure pine turpentine. And definitely no abrasives.
4. No Oils or Petroleum Distillates: Gilboy's Gold is made with nothing but 100% natural waxes and pure pine turpentine.
5. Preserves Resonance Properties: Gilboy's Gold is a beeswax polish with the finest beeswax from Buckfast Abbey, just a little carnauba wax to provide a deep shine, UV protection and resilience and enough softer myrica wax to retain flexibility and support the inherent resonance of the instrument.

"A hard-wearing yet flexible wax finish that retains the resonant properties of the instrument"

Beeswax Polish in Jars	Complete Polishing Kits	Tins for Professionals	Leather Balsam

---

[1] Stradivarius in the Jungle, Human Ecology, April 2008 A.M. Stearman

We were approached earlier this year by one of the fastest growing creative agencies, Original Concept Productions who had been commissioned by the Discovery network to make a series of 'idents' for their Fine Living channel. We met in January and discussed a number of concepts. Their remit was to film a number of different restoration projects from start to finish such as a piece of broken fine china and even an old tapestry. Ours would be the complete restoration of a piece of antique furniture. Fortunately we had a victorian walnut spoon-back open-arm chair that was in very poor condition and was in need of a comprehensive restoration. As the whole process would take about six weeks to complete, the film company would visit at critical stages and film the each step in the process.

We thought it would make an interesting story for you to find out about each step in the process too:

Strip-down

The chair was completely stripped down with the upholstery being removed first while taking care to retain as much of the original upholstery (horsehair, springs, wadding etc) as feasible so that it could be reinstated by our upholsterer to preserve as much of the original chair as possible.

All the joints were steamed apart. This involved melting the old traditional hot-melt or hide glue with nothing more than steam. The snapped or broken dowels were carefully drilled out and new hardwood dowels made to replace the softer pine ones found in place.

During this process it became apparent that one of the legs was so rotten with woodworm that it was beyond restoration and would need to be replaced. In fact it was so bad that even pressing lightly in places would cause the structure to collapse to dust!

Luckily we have a wood store full of old reclaimed wood from just about every period of furniture-making history, so our head restorer went to find a piece of wood of similar age and type to that used in the chair. A new leg was then fashioned from this wood using the original leg as a template.

Rebuild

Once all the parts had all the old glue cleaned off, all the joints were 'keyed' by lightly sanding them down. A dry-run reassembly was then carried out without glue to ensure everything fitted perfectly together again. The joints were then glued using traditional hot-melt glue, also known as hide or pearl glue. This is to ensure that any future repairs can be carried out using the same 'steaming' method to unglue the joints with minimum stress to the wood. All the joints were then clamped and left to dry for 24 hours.

Preparing the wood for finishing

The existing finish was sympathetically stripped back to the bear wood using a mild solvent stripper, with great care being taken not to remove any of the character, marks, dents and dinks (patina). The timber was then neutralised with an alcohol-based solvent to halt the chemical reaction of the stripper and prepare the surface for finishing. All the timber was then cleaned evenly with light grade sandpaper (240 or 320 grit) going with the direction of the grain. Normally at this point the wood may be stained with an oil or spirit stain if required for a desired colour, but in this case we wanted the natural colour of the walnut to shine through.

Traditional Processes of French Polishing

First the timber was sealed lightly with a shellac-based sealant (made from the excretions of the shellac beetle), with head restorer Will being careful not apply it too quick or too heavy and allowing it to completely dry between coats. Before each coat the surface was lightly sanded with silver finishing paper (320 grit), removing any nibs (bits from the cloth or other foreign objects).

This piece was only sealed twice to allow the grain to show through, but for a full piano finish with no grain showing we might apply four or five or more coats depending on how grainy the wood is.

A special pale french polish was then applied all over the frame and then very fine ('0000' grade) wire wool was used very lightly to ensure the surface was completely smooth. Then using a french polishing rubber (essentially a fad with a square piece of cotton wrapped over it) more french polish was applied to the surfaces in a much more controlled manner. This is then left for a few days or up to a week or longer to harden. 

Protecting the French Polished Finish

Once the french polish has hardened, Gilboys rose gold beeswax furniture polish was applied using very fine '0000' grade wire wool to polish and protect the finish. This was left overnight to dry and harden. The next day it is all buffed to the desired soft antique sheen with a restorers' cotton buffing cloth.

The chair was then ready for the upholsterer.

Final Touches

Once back in the workshop the chair is closely inspected and given a final polish with Gilboys rose gold before being presented to the customer.

 Here's the finished 'ident' video for Fine Living TV:

 

 

If you have a British £2 coin in your person right now, check out the inscription around the edge. It might read "STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS" and is taken from a letter by Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke, in which he describes how his work was built on the knowledge of those that had gone before him. "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Newton was Warden and later Master of the Royal Mint. 

You might be asking what this has to do with Myrica wax and the picture of some strange berry. Well, in our line of work (antique furniture restoration), Newton's giants would be the ancient luthiers and furniture makers who discovered the amazing preservation properties of beeswax and pine sap and created lacquers, varnishes and polishes to protect wood and present a deep shine. When we stand on the shoulders of our giants we understand the importance of using ingredients that nature provides, that natural selection has endowed with properties that work in harmony with the environment. Standing on the shoulders of our giants allows us to see as far as the South American Andes mountains and, sharing the same thirst for knowledge and improvement as our forebears, investigate the properties of the waxy covering that protects the berries of a shrub named Morella pubescens. 

Morella pubescens is a member of the wax laurel family of trees and shrubs and was originally classified as Myrica pubescens until 2002. It is known locally as "Laurel de cera" or Wax Laurel. It is easily confused with the Myrica cerifera (Wax Myrtle or Bayberry) that is found on the east coast of the Americas from the caribbean to New York. Morella pubescens however, grows at high altitudes (above 1,800m/6,000ft) in the Andes and can only be found in Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The wax covers the small, greyish berries to protect them against the moisture loss and extreme environmental stresses that life at such altitudes demands.

A fast and resistant tree

Wax Laurel is a fast growing, resistant and adaptable tree that colonises areas with poor and eroded soils. This makes it an ideal species for environmental restoration in places that have been degraded. In fact it has been used by humans for centuries:

• Very suitable for forming live fences. 
• The wood is used as firewood. 
• Trunks used to make fence posts. 
• The tree is well suited for the restoration of eroded areas and for planting on steep slopes.
• Myrica wax is also used by rural communities settled in the southern region of Colombia in the process of manufacturing panela (unrefined whole cane sugar) to prevent it from sticking to the walls of the paila (a large shallow metal pan or earthenware bowl).
• The wax that covers its fruits is extracted and used to make candles, soaps, varnishes and bitumen among other products.

Protective properties

Of course our interest is in its properties for the protection and preservation of wood and wood finishes. Myrica wax is very unique as it has no double bounds and is a rather naturally hydrogenated solid. Due to its chemical structure it is very stable against oxidation. Very untypical is the low melting point while having an exceptional hardness. This combination leads to an outstanding spreadability that means Gilboy's Gold beeswax furniture polish will be even easier to apply.

Testing in the workshop on our own furniture, we found that it improves the ease of application and depth of shine with a slightly harder resistance to dust and atmospheric conditions. The wax protects the berry from the increased UV exposures at high altitude and this property should afford your wood finish similar protection from the sun. UV light has the most impact on colour change of the actual wood. Wood is extremely photosensitive – which means it reacts to sunlight. You only have to put a piece of unfinished wood out in direct sunlight for a short time with part of it covered to see how the sun’s ultraviolet rays affect it. How fast a timber reacts to UV light depends on the species.
For example many tropical, exotic woods like Brazilian Cherry or Tigerwood, react to UV exposure very fast and they turn a much darker shade. On the other hand woods like Red Oak, Maple and Hickory generally bleach out and become lighter at a slower rate.

And it’s not only the wood itself that is subject to discolouration. The type of finish can also play a big part in how the wood will react. Infrared light, combined with UV light and visible light, reacts with the finish and can slowly it darker or yellowish. 

Anyone with a hardwood floor knows the effect the sun can have on colour

What if my furniture is already faded?

We formulated Gilboy's Rose Gold and Antique Gold to enhance and protect period furniture. These polishes will help revive the faded colour on natural period finishes.

When applied to more modern, hard lacquers it will struggle to penetrate past the finish and will be less likely to be an effective colour restorer.   

Ethical Harvesting & Sustainability

Myrica wax is harvested and produced through sustainable methods by local farmers in a process monitored by the Union for Ethical BioTrade. The UEBT promotes sustainable use of biodiversity in Colombia, fair and equitable sharing of benefits, regulatory compliance and social and environmental responsibility. The myrica wax is extracted via boiling and then skimming the surface, and is processed without the use of solvents or additives.

OUR RANGE OF RESTORATIVE BEESWAX POLISHES

Beeswax Polish in Jars	Complete Polishing Kits	Tins for Professionals	Leather Balsam

Who am I?

My name is Simon Gilboy and in 1987 at the age of 16 I was one of the last apprentices at Staverton Joinery in Totnes, South Devon. Staverton Joinery was owned by Dartington Trust at the time and employed up to 100 full time craftsmen, the majority of which had also been apprenticed by the Trust. Staverton Joinery attained a huge amount of respect within its field and was known throughout the country for decades as being one of the best joineries in the country producing furniture for the wealthiest of clients worldwide.

In March 1994 I opened the doors to my own furniture restoration business with the help of The Prince’s Trust. By 2015 Gilboy's was the largest furniture restoration company in the South West of the UK. 

Wax Furniture Polishes

Over the decades we have probably used all of the wax furniture polishes available on the market and we feel that this very rewarding process has been largely overlooked and undersold on its importance in the preservation and protection of furniture. The best wax polishes for antique and vintage furniture contain a high proportion of triple-filtered beeswax.

What a good beeswax polish should do:

These are the two reasons we use furniture polish:

1. To enhance the natural beauty of the wood
2. To act as an easily renewable sacrificial protective layer

Yes, it can also be nourishing to sun damaged, worn and dull finishes, but perhaps not in the way that many believe it to be. I have heard so many times that a good beeswax polish should nourish the wood itself but this really isn't the case when dealing with the majority of antiques.  

If the original finish has broken down so much that the surface is exposed then it needs the services of a professional restorer. Dull, tired and scratched finishes can be revived to very good effect with the application of a good wax polish and this is also where using a coloured wax polish will help rejuvenate the surface polish. I would say that we would use coloured wax polishes 90% of the time in the workshop.

The statement of ‘nourishing wood’ is very true when dealing with 17th Century and earlier oak, elm and walnut furniture. A good quality beeswax polish will revive much of this period furniture. 

 

"When properly applied a single application of the best beeswax furniture polish will last for years and years"