Care & Maintenance of Your Crokinole Board
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Your new crokinole board has been finished with multiple layers of high-quality, furniture-grade lacquer (5-8 coats depending on the model and type of playing surface), and several applications of commercial paste-wax polishes (except models in the CB-70 series, which are finished with hand-rubbed oil preparations). Your game board will continue to get ‘faster’ over coming months as it is used.
About every 3rd or 4th crokinole session (or perhaps once every 2-4 weeks), apply a VERY small amount of household, spray-type, furniture polish (e.g. Pledge, Formbys™, or a similar product). Immediately rub dry and buff with a soft cotton cloth. Then apply a small amount (ONE small spray) of the automotive detailing product, Armor-All™, and, likewise, rub dry and buff with a separate soft, cotton cloth. (Armor-All™ is an automotive product generally used to treat and maintain rubber, leather, vinyl, and other surfaces. It is readily available at most hardware and automotive shops throughout North America and Europe. This secret final step in the care of your crokinole board will dramatically raise the ‘speed’ of the playing surface.)
NOTE: The commercial paste wax applied to our “Eagle”, “Wellington”, sun-burst walnut, and the playing surfaces of some of our other specialty models occasionally requires a brief period of time to ‘cure’. This means that the final or top coat of paste wax may remain slightly soft for several weeks or even a month; during which time even the light brush of a player’s fingernail across the playing surface may leave what appears to be a scratch. This may only be observed when viewed from certain angles or under certain lighting conditions and should not be a source of concern. A light polishing with your soft, cotton cloth will remove the mark. As the board is used and polished and as the paste wax ages and cures during coming weeks, this factor will gradually diminish.
“Why don’t we use a wax product that does not allow this to happen?” Well, in our research, when looking at the long-term speed and maintenance of the playing surface, we have simply found nothing better than the products we are currently using. This said, unless a person deliberately looks for this condition, it may generally go unnoticed.
Care of an older, Vintage or Antique CROKINOLE BOARD.
If your crokinole board is old, has not been maintained well, or has a significant number of scratches or rough areas that impede the fast movement of discs, you may consider another step prior to the ones mentioned above. Remove the posts (if practical) and apply a good-quality, furniture-grade paste wax, doing so with a soft cotton cloth, applying the wax with small, circular motions. Allow that to dry to a haze (perhaps for 5-7 minutes), then buff it vigorously with a soft cotton cloth. Then follow the steps previously outlined above.
From time to time apply similar polishes to the playing discs. They tend to absorb perspiration and oils from the hands of the players. Treating them once every 3-4 months should suffice. Should any food or beverages be spilled on your board, wipe immediately with a soft cloth moistened with a mild soapy (dish soap), warm water solution and dry. Occasionally rubbing the latex, vinyl or rubber cladding that may exist on the posts with a small amount of Armor-All™ will also assist in keeping them soft, supple and more resilient, thus providing better ‘bounce’ and contributing to the overall speed of your crokinole board.
Publication# P-71. © 1998, 2008, Mr. Crokinole™ All Rights Reserved.