Thread: Osmo PolyX/top coat

I dont think I should reapply any more coats - Ive done 2 already and that is what the recommendation is

FF,

”Brian, the finish on the box looks very good (as does the box, btw - seems to have the chatoyance of a gloss finish with the "visibility" of a matt finish. I've been fooling around with some home made WOP lately which I am really liking - mainly because of the sensuous feel of the matt finish it is producing.”

Thanks - the box is Osmo Polyx Satin. The finish has a good lustre without being glossy. Took me a while to get used to PolyX - I was putting it on too thickly which is a big mistake. I mainly put it on and wipe it off with a soft cloth, although Peter Parfitt (New Brit Workshop) has a couple of YouTube videos recommending usin white non-woven pads, e.g. Beartex.

i’m interested in your home made WOP - can you tell us more?

Qwertyu - if you’ve put the PolyX on too thick you could try these:

Use a card scraper VERY lightly to remove the excess, or,

Try a hair dryer to soften the wax so you can wipe off the excess, or

If all else fails, try Liberon wax and oil remover - just a little to remove the excess with a cloth.

I will try Livos Kunos soon as I hear good things about this too.

Cheers,

Brian

Originally Posted by homey

i’m interested in your home made WOP - can you tell us more?

It was an idea I got from NCArcher, who pointed out that by mixing your own you are not restricted to the gloss levels on offer. My blend ended up being
30% Satin PolyU (oil based, Wattyl Estapol Interior)
20% Gloss PolyU
25% Pale BLO
25% Mineral Turps

In my son's Blackwood table (i.e. cabinet grade timber in very good condition) it yielded a satin finish. I used it the the same as WOP - clothed on and then a finish stroke after 5 mins or so. However, I've been using mainly on the fence paling projects of late, and because they are so damn thirsty I've taken to brushing on a flood coat and clothing off after about 15 mins (and there is usually very little to cloth off).

I've been leaving these at just one coat (mostly) because it results in a virtual matt finish even though they've been sanded to 500 or 800. The lustre is very pleasant indeed and feels great. The red timbers seem to be the thirstiest.

6. Box I - 1.JPG

7. Box I - 2.JPG

I made a new batch on Saturday which is
50% Satin PolyU (seems to be no point adding gloss)
25% BLO
25% Gum Turps (on the recommendation of a cabinet maker)

I haven't used that yet but I don't expect it to be much different. I actually wanted to use Tung oil instead of BLO for this batch, but when I got the tin home I couldn't get the lid off (or any others in the shop) so had to return it. It might be an altitude thing.

I made a couple of sleds for my table saw last week, and the BOWOP (Brush On Wipe OFF Poly) even makes MDF look and feel good!

I tried the steel wool and it helped, when i get more time I will do it some more.

I think it could also be saw dust on the surface of the table when I applied it floating to the top. What do you guys do between sanding and applying finish? (All I did was blow it down with compressed air)

Originally Posted by qwertyu

I think it could also be saw dust on the surface of the table when I applied it floating to the top. What do you guys do between sanding and applying finish? (All I did was blow it down with compressed air)

There's a problem right there! Dust particles can stay airborne for a long time before they settle - on the job. Better to vacuum the dust off (and hope that your vac doesn't chomp up the coarser particles into finer particles that get through the filter....).

Ultimately we would sand in a different room to the room that we apply the finish, and with all sorts of filtration and so on. But the reality is that we do it all in the same room.

Ah its something I will need to take more care of in the future. When making picture frames it was easy to step outside with one hand holding the frame and one hand holding the air hose to blow it out, with this table I just did it on the work bench. Learn from my mistakes I suppose. The steel wool is helping though, feels great now just a really slow process!