How to clean grandmother woodwork

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 11:25 am     Post subject: How to clean grandmother woodwork

I have a grandmother clock made around 1935 the wood has been coated with either varnish or shellac . Can anyone tell me the best way to clean it. It is quite dirty.

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 7:32 pm     Post subject:

If you wish to clean the wood surface, you could try Murphy's Oil Soap. It is sold just about anywhere in the cleaning supplies section. As a general rule of thumb, I always like to test cleaners (etc) in an inconspicuous area of the assembly before applying to the visible surfaces. This way, you will be able to tell immediately if the cleaner (etc) might have a negative reaction with the finish.

As a side note - being that the clock is from 1935, I would guess that the finish is probably shellac. To confirm, you could wipe denatured alcohol in an inconspicuous area to see if it removes the finish. If it does, then the finish is shellac. If not, then the finish is most likely varnish (or any other type of finish that was traditionally used during that time period). It is always a good rule of thumb to know what type of finish you are working with before you clean or re-finish.

Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:08 pm     Post subject: thanks Chris

The information you gave is very much appreciated I intend to polish the wood with a polish called Bald's Original Furniture Balm i have used this several times on different woods and found it to be very good.

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:55 pm     Post subject:

I have never used the product, but will have to give it a try

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 5:27 pm     Post subject: not shellac

I tried the denatured alcohol and it is not shellac, thanks for the tip Chris