Beeswax and Polish

I love proper beeswax polish, especially when it has been liberally popped onto my welsh dressers and then polished off with a bit of elbow grease.  It smells good and wholesome and gives the furniture a lovely shine.  I first decided to make some myself just after they bought out the Turpentine substitute and in the process was not able to get any proper Turpentine. 

I have been browsing through my books again and I have come across the recipe that originally inspired me to have a go in the first place.  A recipe from the Sloe Gin and Beeswax Book by Jane Newdick.  It is a lovely book.  If I remember correctly she also did a series on TV - I did not manage to see it all and was showing people how to do these things at home.

I am getting myself organised again on the different crafting front.  This evening I have ordered some beeswax sticks, primarily for my embroidery. 

I am one of these people who are a bit "cack-handed" and end up in a terrible mess with my embroidery threads splitting the thread or getting it into a knot when trying to separate the strands out.  I hit on the idea of using beeswax from an old embroidery book; apparently embroiderers used to use it to help separate the threads and split them down individually but it also stops the thread knotting up when you use it.  All you do is rub the beeswax block down one side of the embroidery thread and then the other.  It helps me anyway.

Whilst on the Internet I decided to try and see if I could locate some proper Turpentine but I did not want to pay an arm and a leg for it.  Buying polish is expensive anyway but I want the satisfaction this time round of making my own.  I have located some on Ebay which is not too extortionate however Amazon was far too expensive.  So an Order has been placed and I may one day next week be able to make my own at long last.  I have some natural essential oils to add as well.  This 1 litre tin costs £6.95 but with postage charges  works out at £10.  Remember you have to be extremely careful with Turpentine as it is highly inflammable.

My double boiler for the soap and the candle making has arrived also; so I am gradually gathering things together so that I am ready and able to get on when I need to.  I need to source some tins or maybe I can use a jar I have plenty of them to hand and then a pretty fabric topper to make it look nice.

So things are starting to come together nicely.  That's another project lined up to do. 

Catch you soon. 

Pattypan xx