Thread: Osmo PolyX/top coat

What's the washup - turps?

Yup Turps.

The Monarch Razorback (requires their frames) from Bunnings are good for PolyX & the coloured woodwax.
The ones CWS sell specifically for PolyX are considerably worse, and I could not get a consistent finish with those. Good for acrylic paints though.

For cleaning the OSMO or Monarch rollers, roll out as much as you can on a scrap of MDF, then turps then hot water/soap, then get an aircompressor or leaf blower and blow it out to dry.
ie https://www.instagram.com/p/BIvvnFDAJYn/

Norton beartex white pads. No need for roller unless you are doing floors

What's the difference between the finish you want on a floor and the finish you want on a table? If you're wiping off the excess after the white pad you're removing more oil than if you roll on a thin coat.

Originally Posted by 44Ronin

Norton beartex white pads. No need for roller unless you are doing floors

is it faster or less wasteful? Do you reuse the pads?

For flat surfaces, the rollers are much quicker, much less labour intensive, and clean just fine. For detailed surfaces (edge profiles) or interior corners, etc, the non-woven pads or bristle brushes work great too. Rags are no good.
I do a lot of finishing before glue up, roller is king there.

PolyX and other hardwax oils are pretty self leveling, if you're getting any issues with surface finish off a roller, its likely either too much product is applied (apply more pressure) or the roller is crap (nap too long, or just poor quality) IMO.

How does the Poly-X or Top Coat products stack up left in a sunny spot indoors? With Danish oil the UV tends to break it down over time, and the timber darkens quite dramatically, is it similar with Osmo?

Mind you, I'm not after a UV resistant finish as such, just wondered how it compared to Danish Oil.

cheers, Ian

Originally Posted by hurcorh

What's the difference between the finish you want on a floor and the finish you want on a table? If you're wiping off the excess after the white pad you're removing more oil than if you roll on a thin coat.

The difference is, a roller is a large and unwieldly instrument, unsuitable for small pieces and quite frankly overkill.

You spread around a very small amount with the beartex pad, the heat generated also activates the finish. There's no excess to wipe off. The pads do no really absorb

Originally Posted by aarggh

How does the Poly-X or Top Coat products stack up left in a sunny spot indoors? With Danish oil the UV tends to break it down over time, and the timber darkens quite dramatically, is it similar with Osmo?
Mind you, I'm not after a UV resistant finish as such, just wondered how it compared to Danish Oil.
cheers, Ian

Compared to which danish oil?
The "typical" DIY danish oil (AKA "wiping oil varnish blend") is something like tung+poly+turps, and the recipes from Rustins Danish oil or Feast Watson Scandinavian oil aren't wildly different. Then you've got something like Organoil "Danish Oil" which if you read the ingredients is basically just tung oil.
I haven't noticed any UV effects/ambering effects of Organoils Danish Oil, but it provides considerably less protection.
"Wiping oil varnish blend", DIY or commercial, and oil based polyurethanes typically contain no UV inhibitors, so they'll get more amber over time.

At least in the short term, I've seen no such issue with PolyX and I'd hazard a guess at no such issue with any of the various hardwax oil brands. The couple (OSMO PolyX, Fiddes, Rubio Monocoat) I've looked into have pictures in their catalogues showing how they stay the same colour so you can patch it if any damage does occur, rather than having to strip the whole floor back.

The first project I did with PolyX sits in the sun all day long (north facing window), it is a redgum coffee table, and its still just as vibrant as day 1.
By comparison there is noticeable yellowing on a dining table I made for my mum (minwax oil based poly), about the same time period.

I don't think I've been woodworking long enough to see the finish on any interior projects completely get destroyed by UV.

Applied PolyX for the first time last couple of days. I think I might have put too much, I used the a roller.

Anyone here buff it? I know its not in the instructions but I saw a youtube video of a guy doing it with a white non-abrasive pad. He didnt say how long after applying should it be buffed though

What grit do you guys sand to? I've read shouldnt go more than 180 for osmo, but it feels rough (unless its just the dust that settled on it after I applied it - was super windy last night)

Osmo does not like thick. It likes thin. Thick is likely to feel gluggy and rough. Apply thin. See my post #10 above. Finish is very smooth.

Originally Posted by homey

I apply a thinnish coat, wait 20 minutes (less if the weather is warm), wipe off before it becomes sticky. Leave overnight, repeat the next day.

Here’s a walnut box finished with PolyX.

Attachment 431632

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.

Originally Posted by qwertyu

What grit do you guys sand to? I've read shouldn't go more than 180 for osmo, but it feels rough (unless its just the dust that settled on it after I applied it - was super windy last night)

Mate, given half a chance I'll sand to 3000+ for things that are for myself - for other people that don't "get it" it'll be 500 top whack. Not necessarily because of the gloss it brings (although it does) but because of the insane grain character that comes out of the wood.

As I understand it (and I will stand well corrected by those who know better) they recommend 180-240grit limit so that the oil will penetrate the timber surface better.

I get that - timber needs nourishment (particularly the old fence palings that I often work with....). BUT....

....the finer you sand the better the character of the grain - absolutely no question, and I've proved it too many times to be wrong (don't mean to sound arrogant there). The grain starts to show slightly better at 320, then 500 is pretty nice, 800 is looking REALLY good, and by the time I get to 3000 or 4000 I have a bulge in my apron!

So...what if I can satisfy the timber's hunger and thirst for oil by doing a preliminary oiling at 180-240 (call it a flood coat if needed), let it dry for whatever the particular oil takes (noting that the timber has now been fed as deeply as possible at 180-240 grit). Then continue sanding up to whatever I like (500 or 600 for others, 3000 for me) and then do another oiling, or two as the case may be.

As far as I can make out the two arguments are now satisfied. The oil has been allowed to penetrate the timber at the lower grit (180-240) and the grain of the timber has been brought out by the finer sanding (or polishing, in fact). I have read many times that sanding to a fine grit such as 1500+ just burnishes and polishes the timber so that the oil can't penetrate properly.

I actually would dispute that because timber is a porous material, and if sanding alone could prevent moisture ingress then......., but surely the above method can satisfy both arguments?

Here is a piece of non-descript Eucalyptus that I sanded to 3000, and have not applied any finish whatsoever:




Note that I have deliberately focussed the camera on the reflections rather than the timber grain to show the gloss. The stripey reflection on the left is an extruded aluminium extension table for my jointer, and the black and lime green reflections in the middle and right are my mitre saw, and you can see the light bulb reflected in the middle.

That's the gloss level that can be achieved by anyone, without any finish so far - and that maximises the grain. What I want to feel after that is the sensuousness of an oil finish, which really means a satin to matt finish, so I wonder if I can have both.....


I aim to find out if I can.....

Any tips on how I can save it if I did put too much? Use 0000 steel wool to knock it back?