What teak care tips do you have?
Alan Warner Comments on the Care of his Teak Mini-Magic Apparatus “The best advice I can give you in regard to care of the apparatus is this: If you can see a difference after carefully applying a small, lightly oiled ‘test patch’, then the wood has dried out and definitely needs attention. The frequency with which the apparatus should be oiled is a tricky one and very much depends on the atmosphere (natural or centrally heated) in which the pieces are kept. It will also make a difference if your collection is housed near a central heating radiator! This can have a quite marked ‘drying out’ effect on the teak.” “Be careful not to apply too much oil. A light rub over with an oily rag, followed by a polish with a soft cloth every now and again will ensure that the wood is kept in tiptop condition. I hope the above will be helpful.” “There are many schools of thought on the subject of which oil to use in the care of various types of wood; however, I have found that these opinions generally relate to furniture and not to small pieces of wooden magic apparatus with sliding parts! This is something to watch… If oil is applied too thickly, the movable parts will not slide smoothly and may even stick. I personally have always used teak oil, but even this needs watching as it can thicken if it is old, or if there is not much of it left in the tin. I make a practice of using only two-thirds of a tin and then I throw the rest away – it’s simply not worth trying to dilute it. Always apply the teak oil very sparingly, and then buff the apparatus with a soft cloth. You will find this is all you need to do to achieve the ‘Warner’ hand-polished finish!” (June 2002) “I am currently using Blackfriar teak oil. In the past I have also used Rustins and Cuprinol. Rustins was OK, but I wasn’t crazy about Cuprinol which, in my estimation, was too thin for new wood. I did find, though, that it worked satisfactorily on a previously oiled surface.” (August 2002)
Other teak care advice?
One of our friends who collects Warner Magic has had a problem with the wood splitting, etc. Warner uses Teakwood and Teak dries out and needs to be oiled once a year. Here is what you do. You can use light machine oil on the wood or an oil-based furniture polish (no lemon oil). Take a soft tooth brush and apply some of the oil to the bristles then go over the entire surface of the piece, lightly oiling it. Be careful not to get oil on the painted parts. Cover the entire surface and then carefully buff the excess of with a clean soft cloth. Use a soft dry brush to get into the corners and joints to remove the excess oil. Then wrap the piece in a paper towel over night. Now the piece is ready for another year or so. You can tell if Teak needs oil as the surface turns cloudy or grey. Do not place your Teakwood items near heat or near a window. Oil as needed; I don’t think you can over-oil a piece but don’t go crazy. By the way, a good product to oil and polish your Teak and most light wood props is Old English Scratch Remover Polish (yellow cap). For dark wood use Old English with a red cap (dark woods). Always remember to remove the excess oil as this is important. George Robinson Jr.
Recommended Teak Care Products?
George Guerra’s Current Choice of Teak Oil AMAZON’S Amazon LE850 QUART LITE N’ EASY TEAK OIL