Best polish for a chess set?

Hi everyone!

I've got a $70 tournament size set of chess pieces, and I've used lemon oil on it in the past. The lemon oil had a dulling effect on the light pieces which I wasn't totally happy with. Then when I saw Orange Oil in the store, I thought that maybe it'd would cut through the dull buildup caused by the lemon oil.

Wrong!!! The orange oil was about 20 times worse than the lemon oil. I only tried it on one piece (fortunately) but now I've got a nice orange colored knight.

So I thought I'd search the internet a bit to see if I could find anything about taking care of wood pieces. I found a little bit on the House of Staunton web-site, but they didn't go into much detail, so I thought I'd pose the question here.

So what's good to use on a nice set of wood pieces? Are there any hi-quality wood polishes or waxes that anyone would reccomend? Is there any good info on the internet about taking care of wood pieces or wood in general?
And also, is there anything I that will help the dullness caused by the lemon/orange oil?

Thanks!
Bryan Pierce (twotowers)

Check out a woodworking store.Most woodworkers finish polish with a
carnnuba paste wax. There are several manufacturers, see what's
available in your area.

You might also check out House of Staunton's website. They sell very high-quality wood sets, and I seem to recall there was a section on caring for the pieces.

http://www.houseofstaunton.com

Here's a direct link:

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/faq.html#003

Thanks for that link. It was useful, as I just bought a set from there and was wondering the same thing.

Magnublm

Originally posted by magnublm
Thanks for that link. It was useful, as I just bought a set from there and was wondering the same thing.

Magnublm

Might be a little tough finding something to help your discolored piece. Unlike wax, which can be applied and removed, oil usually penetrates wood surface pores. You may be able to restain the piece if you can match it up close enough, possibly having to strip it first. For future reference...regular old household furniture polish like Pledge works great for providing a new like finish, and it smells great, too 🙂