Preserving old chess boards and sets

I have a wood chess set and board from Germany 43 years ago (gift from my fantastic wife) that I want to preserve and pass on. What can or should I rub on it to help it last forever?  Linseed oil, Miwax, what? I have no clue.  It is a heavy board with 2 inch squares. 

DO NOT use linseed oil under ANY circumstances!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olive oil.

Olive oil? For real?

Agreement anybody?

Olive oil has been used but I have never done it. 

I have a similar problem with a metal chess set that I have had forever. i tried using something on it a long time ago, I forget what, but it stained the board. Metal boards seem to be hard to replace.

Does anyone know how I can tell what type of metal my chess pieces are? 

Sure!

Had a beechblock "chopping-board" that used to soak in bath of olive oil which lasted countless years.

Could probably use simple beeswax on the chessboard mentioned above also. (depends if it has been previously laquered/varnished).

I'll try the olive oil...  Would that be what I should use on the pieces as well...  ? I don't want to muck up this set that means a lot to me...

Happy New Year!

Will do no harm to any of the wood pieces although will have to allow sufficient time to absorb or wipe off. May be some transferenece to fingertips etc until that is complete.

Olive oil will also add slight "colour" to bare wood so be wary of that.

Thanks, N.  Always appreciate your sage advice in the forums!  Stay around...

np.

Never tried it on a chess set myself but 100% confident will be okay! :)

Would/does vacuum sealing help? tyia

Would never try it on a chess set. I'd keep ALL oils away.

Maybe a good paste wax on the board if the finish is in good shape. If the pieces have a good finish, maybe an occasional wax. If no finish, I'd skip any treatment, especially any and all oils.

If you want to preserve it you need to know what finish is on it now (if any) Only then can you decide what is best to preserve it

You could always try a little on the underside of the board to see what effect any process or oil might have on the wood before you apply anything to the top of the board.

Olive oil is not a good treatment for wood--it's a product for cooking.  While it may not do any lasting harm, it is never going to "dry", you'll just have to wipe it off, and you probably will end up with sticky, oily pieces and board.

Is there anything wrong with leaving the pieces and board as they are?  Are they particularly dirty or stained?

If cleaning is the goal, I'd recommend Scott's Liquid Gold, which you can find in a spray form at almost any store.  It cleans well and leaves minimal residue.

It's also possible to clean chess pieces with a little Murphy's Oil Soap in water, using a toothbrush, but I'd approach this cautiously:  wood and water don't always mix well.  I've cleaned a couple of old chess sets by quickly dipping the pieces in the soap solution, scrubbing with the toothbrush, rinsing in clear water, then putting on a paper towel to dry.  No problems, but for one of the sets it did dull the finish a bit. 

If there's nothing wrong with the set now, though, best approach is just to leave it alone.

I dunno if this will be helpful, but maybe the you should look for the oils that bass and guitar players use on the fingerboards of their instruments, since fingerboard are made of expensive woods like ebony or rosewood it maybe useful to take a look.

I guess  what I worry about most is cracking of the wood from drying.  I did think about Murphy's Oil Soap, but I would feel better with some consensus.  How can I tell from looking at the board what sort of finish is on it?  I have no practical experience with wood finishes.  Right now I see no evidence of degradation.  Thanks, guys.

Place a magnet near it, if it attracts the magnet it is iron or steel. 

You may want to consider having the board and pieces professionally restored by Alan Dewey (chessspy.com)