How to Make a beeswax polish to Restore Singer Bentwood case

The bentwood case that came with my Singer66 was in need of a little TLC as the wood was very dry. I researched online what was the best - easiest - cheapest method and came up with this recipe:
1 part beeswax to 4 parts olive oil

I tried it and it worked fine, but being a tinkerer I modified the recipe a tiny bit so that it would smell even better.
my polish recipe = 1 part beeswax, 1 part coconut oil, 5 parts olive oil.

Here is how I made my Beeswax Polish:

1) I chopped off about a teaspoon of wax (when balled together) from a pure beeswax candle I had.
2) In a heatproof glass, and using a double boiler, I slowly melted the wax.
NOTE: Beeswax is highly flammable - Do take care!
3) Removing the liquid wax from the heat, I poured it into a container with 4 teaspoons of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (I used tanning oil because that's what I had) and kept stirring with my wooden chopstick.
As the wax cooled it looked like whipped honey.
4) I applied a small blob onto a soft, clean cloth and smeared it on the side of my Singer sewing machine case. I then used the cloth to polish the wax into the wood.
The 5th picture shows the case, with the left side freshly polished, and the right side in it's original condition.

I was a bit concerned the case would feel sticky afterwards, but once applied it left the wood glossy with no apparent residue. I applied a few more coats over the next couple of days, and I'm very pleased with the result.

If you're going to try this, I suggest you apply a small amount at a time, always test on an out of the way patch of wood in case you don't like the results. And as I said before: Beeswax is highly flammable, make sure you use a double-boiler, keep away from open flames.

Have fun!

Homemade Beeswax Wood Polish

Is it possible to be addicted to Sewing Machines?

A recent conversation:

Me:           "I just bought a Singer sewing machine."
My Sister: "Another one!"
Me:           "Er...yes. But this one has a hand-crank. It has great control."
My Sister: "How many sewing machines have you got now?"
Me:          "Counting broken ones?"
Sister:       "Yes."
Me:          "Counting mum's rusty one she made me store?"
Sister:       "Yes, counting them all."
Me:          "Five..."

Barely a year ago I had zero sewing machines. How did I go from none to many? I'm glad you asked.

After I met and fell in love with Iron Beauty, a friend was moving away and wanted to sell her old Singer. I bought it sight unseen and learned something wonderful. You see, excuse my ignorance, but at that time I didn't realise Singer produced different models. They looked the same to me: ornate chrome face plate, curved body, black enamel.

But I had just bought a Singer 319, circa 1957. It didn't look standard. It looked awesome.


A little while later my mother-in-law wanted to give away her Singer 15. Built in 1937 it was pre-war! How could I say no?

I was happy, I was content. The 319 has a vast array of decorative stitches, but Iron Beauty remained my workhorse, having the most reliable zigzag stitch. Then I broke her.

Of the 2 remaining, the Singer 15 could only do straight stitch (no reverse either), but nothing bothers her, she can handle the thickest material - unlike the 319. The downside to the 15 is she was originally a treadle-powered machine converted to a motor, so her starting and stopping function lacks precision.

I started to think how good it would be if I could buy a hand-crank that I could attach to the Singer 15.

That's when a circa 1924 Singer 66 in working order with hand-crank came up for sale on Trade Me.

And I started to think, uh-oh, what have I become? Am I a collector? Or do I have a sickness?