How to clean these raw wood samples?

[GLFaria]

When my grandfather returned to Europe in 1933 after a time as general manager of a railroad company in western central Africa, he brought a number of samples of local woods. There are 20 of them in all. The interesting thing about them, and that is why I would like to preserve them, is that these samples are made under the shape of books, with the local native name of each wood inscribed on the spine.

I still did not manage to link most of the native names with the scientific or present names, but am working on it.

The samples have been neglected for 80 years, in the sense that they have been kept at home on a shelf, possibly (not sure) with the ocasional dusting but nothing else. Where they were exposed domestic dust has accumulated. I have cleaned them just by dusting with a soft tissue, but would like to revive them a little so they can show as close as possible their original appearance.

I thought of using 000 steel wool - that's the finest I have - but am a little wary of blundering. Would a good quality white furniture wax change the colour of some of the woods? Any knowledgeable advice would be much appreciated.

 

[RogerP]

I use this to clean antique furniture....
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm ... .php?id=18
There are mixtures you can make up yourself but this stuff is not expensive, lasts a long while and does the jobs well.

 

[nathandavies]

I can't help with how to safely clean them up (they look ok from your pictures) but

I love books and I love wood (and my identification of wood leaves a lot to be desired) so these are the coolest things I've seen in a long time.

I want a set, not sure whether to go to waterstones or lathams.

Nathan

 

[AndyT]

You could try an e-cloth used very slightly damp. (They are pretty easy to find in the cleaning section of a supermarket or at your local hardware shop.)

If that is not sufficient then I agree with Roger P. The main ingredients will probably include turps or white spirit and meths. The mixtures normally include linseed oil which you would not want in this case.

And I agree, a nice set to have! The spines will have changed colour because of exposure to light. You could reverse that by removing a layer of wood but that would spoil them. You would also lose the extra info on how these do change colour over time.

 

[bugbear]

I thought of using 000 steel wool - that's the finest I have - but am a little wary of blundering.

Please do not use steel wool; if any of the woods are tannic, you will get a chemical reaction, which will make near to irreversible dark spots.

(the famous English example is Oak, of course)

BugBear

 

[GLFaria]

Thank you, people.

I use this to clean antique furniture....
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm ... .php?id=18
There are mixtures you can make up yourself but this stuff is not expensive, lasts a long while and does the jobs well.

This product seems to be meant to be used on wood which already has a finish on it, not raw wood. Anyway, I will probably e-mail them and ask.

I have seen soapy water on a damp cloth mentioned somewhere. Any ideas?

 

[bugbear]

Thank you, people.

I use this to clean antique furniture....
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm ... .php?id=18
There are mixtures you can make up yourself but this stuff is not expensive, lasts a long while and does the jobs well.

This product seems to be meant to be used on wood which already has a finish on it, not raw wood. Anyway, I will probably e-mail them and ask.

I have seen soapy water on a damp cloth mentioned somewhere. Any ideas?

Water would raise the grain.

BugBear

 

[GLFaria]

Sorry for a second post, but I could not resist

The pictures here show a pair of grips I made for a handgun I owned in the early 1970's. I made them from a small piece of the root of Tacula V. (second sample on the right, and the "book" on top at right in the 2nd picture). Rather brittle wood, but it took polishing wonderfully. I am no longer sure, but I think I finished them in French polish (I was experimenting with wood finishes at the time).

Beautiful wood, isn't it?

 

[tekno.mage]

What a lovely set of wood samples.

I wouldn't use anyhing other than a rub over with a dry microfibre cloth which should remove the household dust (use a clean stiff paintbrush to remove dust from the lettering on the spines). If they are raw wood (ie no applied finish) anything water based will raise the grain, and anything solvent based may darken the samples or attack the red coloured lettering on the spines.

 

[Jacob]

If you must - I'd wash them carefully in warm soapy water but without letting them soak at all.
Possibly a waste of time - wood doesn't have specific colour. Whatever you do to it will change over time, depending on freshness of cut, exposure to sunlight/air and any other substances in the way of finishes.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

The most I would do is to vacuum clean them whilst brushing with a soft brush - anything else will alter / damage them. Keep them as is, they are a record of how the woods have changed over time / exposure. I have seen several other examples where the various woods are leaves kept in a closed box but these have had a chance to react to the years, I'm envious.

Regards Mick

 

[GLFaria]

Thank you all very much.
I would be pretty sure to blunder if it was not for your collective advice. I will take the cautious approach and just clean the samples carefully with a dry cloth and a vacuum cleaner, maybe a soft brush to clean inside the lettering (but first I shall make a very careful test to see how the paint stands to it, it is so old it must be as dry as a bone, although it doesn't show any signs of scaling).

 

[Soylent1]

They are really lovely things. I'd just give them a dust off and keep them out of direct sunlight as they look great as they are.

Tony