I just happened to have a copy of the Canadian Conservation Institute's technical bulletin number 8 the care of wooden objects at my desk. the following is what it has to say on "feeding wood" in their cleaning and polishing section: general surface dusting may be done with a soft cloth or feather duster, if the surface has a high finish a slightly damp cloth may be used - this should feel only slightly damp to the touch, bare wood should never be cleaned by any wet method. if the piece has an original finish (oil, varnish or shellac) and is in good condition, the surface may only need rubbing with a clean, dry cloth. if dirty, it may be cleaned with a mixture of warm water or warm water and ammonia, both in the proportion of 40-to-1, applied with a lightly damp cloth and quickly dried with another cloth. if the surface has a sticky was build-up remove it with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits (varsol, shellsol) and carefully dry. once a surface finish is clean and dry it can be polished by an application of a plain wax furniture polish applied sparingly and polished off well. Do not use any mixture which includes linseed oil as it apt to build up in corners, remain sticky, attract dust and eventually become darkened and insoluble. Many an object has been ruined by application of linseed oil formula even in cases where linseed was regularly applied during its working life - once the object becomes a museum piece this practice should be discontinued. any polish (particularly an aerosol can) containing silicones should be avoided. Lemon oil and other oils should not be used since they are not compatible with antique finishes. Hope this helps disuade your volunteer from feeding the furniture. Carol Reid Collections Manager, Archives Canadian War Museum 330 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0M8 www.warmuseum.ca tel: (819) 776-8661 fax: (819)776-8657 e-mail: [log in to unmask] On Mon, 17 May 2004 09:32:42 -0600, Erin Quinn <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >I have a volunteer who insists that we should be "feeding" our wood with linseed and/or orange oil. I know that this is not the correct thing to do but have yet to say anything that convinces him. Any suggestions for a tactful way to tell him this is not the best thing for the wood? > >Erin > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).