I use almost exactly what Bob Vilmur uses which is the old "barracks soldiering" formula. Linseed may be permeable; it may rot the wood for all I know but I'm still using it. The only thing I changed in the last babyfood jar-full I made is to go a bit heavier on the turps to keep it a bit softer longer. I also add some red-brown shoe polish. Slight cleaning and polishing action but I stay off the checkering to avoid shiny points and off the tangs and latch escutcheons. I add a dab of Simichrome to the waxy rag for a bit of cleaning and polishing action and usually add a thin coat and let it set and cure for 24 and then buff it off. I recently got a Flues 4E which looked quite nice at a distance but closeup someone had used either an orbital sander or polishing buff to cut down the finish on the major faces of stock and left contamination scratches or whorls. I got these out by liberal rubbing with rottenstone and the thinned oil-wax mix on a cork-backed felt rubber. I was thru the finish in one major area and I had it back up to a nice sheen and matching color with two application and curing cycles which took about 48 hrs.
jack
