There are many things that I’ve learnt about Howard Products that are not mentioned on the label. For instance did you know that FEED-N-WAX can be used on a variety of surfaces apart from wood? Old sewing machines with ornate metal legs, old shoe lasts, old metal tools, vintage matchbox cars, rifle stocks, collectable items made of Bakelite, old enamel advertising signs, dried out oil paintings, dull plaster of Paris and dried out leather. All these items and many more respond to the restorative qualities of this amazing liquid, carnauba-based wax. See these items take on a new significance as they glow with renewed depth of character.  After polishing your copper, brass, stainless steel or bronze with the appropriate Howard metal polish, finish off with a touch of Feed-N-Wax and you can remove any residual “white stuff” that results when excess polish is not wiped away immediately.  Adds depth and lustre and prevents further tarnishing for months. Also a wonderful cleaner and restorer for Spelter, Pewter and worn Brittania metal:  Fine china and porcelain also respond wonderfully to Feed-N-Wax. Instead of that six monthly wash in warm soapy water, give your old china and porcelain a thorough wipe over with Feed-N-Wax.

Marble and Terrazzo also respond magnificently to Feed-N-Wax.  Wipe-on and wipe-off. No hard work.  The many ways to use Feed-N-Wax are almost too numerous to list and they keep coming in.

OUTDOORS: Feed-N-Wax is good for outdoors furniture and decking when several coats are applied. The carnauba component in the blend makes it very resistant to the elements, especially if several coats are applied. However the very best product we supply for outdoors areas exposed to direct sunlight for long periods is SUNWAX which is very similar to Feed-N-Wax but has the added advantage of being blended with a high quality UV ray inhibitor which is the same product used in many leading skin block products for human consumption. For a nice oiled surface on raw wood, either on furniture or floors there is nothing better than our 100% pure and non-toxic Howard ORANGE OIL. It is also good for a natural look with protection on wooden floors when mixed in equal proportion with Howard Feed-N-Wax and it’s so easy to apply. Pour your mixture into a tray then dip in your sponge mop. Apply a thin, even coating of the mixture to your floor, then allow ten minutes or so drying time. Buff the finish using an electric buffer or a string mop tied into a ball. HOWARD ORANGE OIL, by freak of nature, contains many of the same trace elements found in wood, so it’s the most effective way of replacing lost essential oils in your wooden furniture , utensils and ornamental ware. It’s also food prep area safe. Howard Orange Oil has long been recognised by antique dealers and enthusiasts as a superb polishing and cleaning oil on French Polished surfaces. There is nothing safer on these beautiful but precious surfaces than Howard Orange Oil and take note, many of the products out there claiming to be as good and as safe as the Howard brand are simply not; and that is a fact.

When it comes to exterior decking and interior flooring 100% PURE TUNG OIL is a popular product for a really hard and strong finish on flooring. But as you may know, Tung Oil can be very problematic if you’re not a professional. However a mixture of pure tung oil and pure orange oil is an excellent alternative and ORANGE TUNG WOOD OIL is the easy and safe way to go. Pure Tung Oil leaves an amazingly resistant finish but it can take 3 to 4 days to dry, in which time ripples can form and dust can fall. By introducing Orange Oil the drying time takes hours not days. The Orange Tung blend is 70% tung oil and 30% orange oil. Three coats are the minimum requirement for a floor with normal domestic traffic and excess oil must be wiped away between each coat. The idea is to watch the surface after putting it down and when you see the surface become gummy or sticky you begin to wipe the surface dry. Allow 4-5 hours for touch dry status and a total of approximately 24 hours for a completely dry surface before applying the next coat. Allow extra drying time if it is raining or cold or if it is very hot and humid. Please note: maintenance on a regular basis is critical, especially in the first year after coverage.  Just about any author on the subject will state that maintenance with beeswax is very important. Beeswax, however, is hard to apply and hard to buff. Therefore we recommend either Feed-N-Wax for indoors or Sunwax for outdoors surfaces. They are really simple and economical to apply. About a teaspoonful of either of these products will thinly cover one square metre of flooring. Important note: As the old saying goes; Oils Aint Oils! Many of the big brand tung oil based preparations around, usually sold in big chain hardware stores, are NOT pure tung oil. Generally they contain about 30% tung oil and the rest is solvents and artificial dryers. Ours is pure, not mixed with urethanes and solvents like others. By the way, we do supply 100% pure and unadulterated Chinese tung oil to people who still prefer that method, or who want to blend it with orange oil to their own specifications. Some treated or ‘bug proofed’ wood does not react perfectly to this mixture.

For best results wood should be free from these chemicals. It must also be said that some exotic woods or native woods high in natural oils should be matured after being laid down as decking or flooring for at least two weeks prior to oiling. It is also highly recommended, not just by us but by many authors on the subject, that oily woods such as Merbau need to be washed down with a product containing oxalic acid or similar before applying any oil product or for that matter, coating of any kind. We can supply Powerlift, a product designed to bring excess oil to the surface which can then be washed away leaving clean timber which will accept an oil based coating. 

RESTOR-A-FINISH is a wipe-on, wipe-off preparation which was originally developed in the 60’s for restoring FRENCH POLISH and it quickly became a staple requirement in the repair kit of many furniture restorers, antique dealers and upholsters. The way it works is simple and a bit akin to magic. When applied with a cloth to a reasonably good surface or with #0000 grade steel wool for really neglected surfaces, it amalgamates with the existing finish and in this way can blends away minor scratches, heat rings, water marks and many other annoying and stubborn surface flaws. In most cases this process results in an “as new” finish without affecting the patination of the piece in any way. Restor-A-Finish is designed to return a better looking original finish. If you require a much shinier, or a glossier finish than was there originally you can achieve a HIGH GLOSS finish with RESTOR-A-SHINE which comes in Polishing compound or Burnishing cream form.

Dull, lifeless antique furniture that has lost its shine first needs an application of Restor-A-Finish to ascertain just how much of the original shine will return and then, if required, follow this up with an application of Restor-A-Shine polishing compound followed by the finishing touch given by burnishing cream. Furniture, whether coated with a modern polyurethane finish or coated with varnish or shellac will respond to Restor-A-Shine without the need for a total Restor-A-Finish job. Restor-A-Shine can be described as car polish for furniture. The effect is similar to a dull car finish after it’s been polished. Restor-A-shine is the only way I know to replace the shine on dulled polyurethane or Estapol finishes. If you’re finding a bit of residue getting in the way, a light spray with Orange Oil will remove it. Orange Oil is the way to maintain the glossy finish in the long term.

CITRUS SHIELD is the alternative we offer to our easy to apply and buff liquid waxes Feed-N-Wax and Sunwax. Citrus Shield is a pure paste wax designed to give a high shine when buffed hard. It comes in most wood colours and they are fantastic!  For faded finishes or just to add a new depth, try a tinted Citrus Shield. I have discovered a method which really delivers a French polished look. First you put a thin, even coat of Citrus Shield down and let it dry for a couple of hours, then without buffing the first surface, apply a second and then, in the same way, apply a third coat. When this is dry buff all three coats together with a power buffer and you will see a wonderful depth and lustre emerge. To fill cracks or holes, scoop a little out of the tin and place in an open container. After a week or more it will start to “putty up”. Use the puttied wax to fill the problem. It will dry hard after a few more days. Lightly blend coloured Citrus Shield with neutral for a natural wood look.

FIX-STIX are the best method that I know of for filling nail holes and covering deep marks in wood and most furniture finishes.
They are made of a new breed of wax known as microcrystalline wax and once filled you can wax, shellac or paint right over the fill immediately without waiting for it to set, cure or dry. A similar product is used by car body shops for filling small problems and spray painting over. We can supply any of about 70 colours, however we have put together a set of six basic colours including neutral, which enable you to blend colours together to achieve a streaky wood grain look.

LEATHER: Howard Sofas’N’Saddles is an accredited product that you can use safely on a vast range of leatherware. The quality of this product exceeds most other leathercare products on the market. It is made to our exclusive formularisation by the world famous Australian company Oakwood and contains Emu Oil, Orange Oil and carnauba wax. No cheap fillers are used in Sofas-N-Saddles; you get the high quality that you expect from any Howard Product.  

There are lots of wood-care and furniture care products out there, some are actually copycat products of ours and claim to be as good… the fact is they’re not.

For more detailed information and pricing email us on info@howardproducts.com.au or ring 1 800 672 646.

HOWARD PRODUCTS ARE THE ORIGINAL
AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST, WE GUARANTEE IT!