When I got it home, it was clear that it needed a good wood cleaning, restoring, and waxing. That was also a terrific way to figure out what might be broken or missing. Here she is now:
Aaaah. All that appears to be missing from this 1936 Bergman loom is a dowel on the cloth beam, two dowels on the castle, and the nut on the warp brake pedal. The tie-ups need some work too, I am looking forward to a test warp to get that all sorted!
So, what did I use?
First, I used a furniture wipe to get the dust, bug dirts, and cobwebs off. Then, I used Howard's Restor-a-Finish to clean her up properly. I finished off with the Howard Feed-N-Wax, thicker than my lemon oils and thinner than my Howard Paste.
If I'm just re-waxing a good friend like my Jensen Tina II, I'm likely to use the Kotton Lemon Oil.
If it's bare wood like The Bellwether Spindle, I use a paste, like the Howard Paste or another favorite, Wood Beams from Goodies Unlimited
It's always a good idea to talk to the maker if you can before applying a finish, as they know what looks the best on their products. Also, if the wood has a polyurethane coating on it, it doesn't need any wood finish, just a dusting.
If you have a favorite wood finish, let me know - I love trying new things.
This article © 2013 Amelia Garripoli, Ask The Bellwether.
