Cuckoo Clock FaceI have been looking into how to clean the wooden cases for my cuckoo clocks.  Sometimes I feel they need more than just oiling.  Some of the clocks I’ve purchased have dull wood and have perhaps been improperly cleaned in the past before I bought them.

Anyway, I found a website with an interesting recipe … 50 parts linseed oil, 48 parts of vinegar, and 2 parts of methylated spirits.  I didn’t know what methylated spirits were, so I did some further investigating.  Apparently, this formula (95% ethyl alchol and 5% methyl alcohol) is called methylated spirits in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.  But, in the US and Canada it’s called denatured alcohol. 

So, what you do is put the linseed oil into a small bottle only filling it a quarter of the way.  Add the methylated spirits and shake well.  Add the vinegar a little at a time, shaking well after each addition.  This will form an emulsion the consistency of cream.  Make sure to label the bottle clearly, so no one uses it in their cofee by mistake.  lol

This is supposed to be a great polish restorer that will clean off old wax and surface dirt.  Using this is supposed to leave a little shine, which can be followed with either some teak oil or some other type of penetrating furniture oil.

If you try this out, please come back and let me know how it worked out.  I’ll come back here and let you all know how it worked out.