Accelerating OSMO
- Thread starter tvrgeek
- Start date
Scott,
I have used Osmo on several projects but have never tried to accelerate the drying time. I give it over night or at least several hours to cure before applying the next coat. I also do not do the "flood the surface and then wipe the excess off" that they recommend. I just put on a liberal coat and then look for dry and wet spots to even out. I like to put a small microfiber cloth in an empty osmo can and use it for each coat. I think it wastes a fair bit of finish to get another rag wet with the finish. Last, I should have ordered a bottle of nitrogen or something to squirt into the partially full Osmo finish can between projects. It is bad about curing in the can. As you know, it isn't cheap and I would prefer it not dry up on me.
I sand as I usually do. I almost always sand through 220. Seems to work fine. They recommend Osmo for a floor finish, however, I wonder if the 120 might be intended for floors. I did not realize it until I was having my oak floors redone but they seem to never sand to 150 or 220 on floors. I have to admit they look fine but then my eyes are nearly 6 feet away almost all the time.
Jim
I have used Osmo on several projects but have never tried to accelerate the drying time. I give it over night or at least several hours to cure before applying the next coat. I also do not do the "flood the surface and then wipe the excess off" that they recommend. I just put on a liberal coat and then look for dry and wet spots to even out. I like to put a small microfiber cloth in an empty osmo can and use it for each coat. I think it wastes a fair bit of finish to get another rag wet with the finish. Last, I should have ordered a bottle of nitrogen or something to squirt into the partially full Osmo finish can between projects. It is bad about curing in the can. As you know, it isn't cheap and I would prefer it not dry up on me.
I sand as I usually do. I almost always sand through 220. Seems to work fine. They recommend Osmo for a floor finish, however, I wonder if the 120 might be intended for floors. I did not realize it until I was having my oak floors redone but they seem to never sand to 150 or 220 on floors. I have to admit they look fine but then my eyes are nearly 6 feet away almost all the time.
Jim
After having half a can of waterlox cure in the can, I found out about stop loss bags. They are my go to now for any finish that can harden up in the can.
Another method (old school) is to drop marbles in the can to fill the void and bring the level of the fluid back to the top of the can. Dollar store sells the glass beads for flower arrangements that can be used for this.
You can get the stop loss bags for $10 at Woodcraft but if you have Prime the shipping would be free.
Another method (old school) is to drop marbles in the can to fill the void and bring the level of the fluid back to the top of the can. Dollar store sells the glass beads for flower arrangements that can be used for this.
You can get the stop loss bags for $10 at Woodcraft but if you have Prime the shipping would be free.
These oils cure via oxidation so just heating them up won't likely move the needle much on increasing the rate of curing. One way the coatings industry speeds up this process is using a Cobalt(II) 2-ethylhexanoate solution as a catalyst. Not sure this is readily available to the general public but I purchased some for some lab experiments and was able to pure food oils in just a few hours using a small amount of this catalyst. There are other ways to cure the oils but it depends on the oil type...if anyone wishes to chase that rabbit look at my forum article on "Wood Finishes Explained". Wood Finishes Explained | NCWoodworker.com
I've been using OSMO for a while now. For small, medium or intricate projects I use about a 1x2" piece of white Scotch-Brite and throw it away. I do apply relatively liberally, wait and go over dry spots and wipe off with blue paper towels after 10-15 mins. I feel like I could handle them immediately but wait overnight for the second and last coat and then can lightly handle them in a couple hours (70 degrees, low hum.) I use stop loss bags for waterlox but I don't think I could get OSMO into them. Bloxygen works fine and if I forget it, skimming doesn't hurt the rest of the product. As for price, if you have use for the whole can the price per application may be one of the cheapest as a little goes a loooong way!
I’ve only used Osmo once. I followed the directions, which does not say wipe off the exess. That didn’t sound right to mem so I called Osmo and was told to use a 1” brush, don’t wipe off. I later realized he was talking about trimming the bristles down to make the brush stiffer 
He said the trick is to use a lot of brush strokes and spread it out. Apply 2-3 coats.
Well I ended up applying way too much Osmo, probably b/c I didn’t get the 1” brush thing, but mostly b/c I didn’t wioe it off. A week later the chairs we still sticky. Took almost 2 weeks for them to dry enough to sit on. Admittedly this was in summer. I don’t see how you can get away with not wiping it off.
My overall take on Osmo is there are better less expensive products for furniture. But that’s me I know people who use Osmo a lot. AFAIK You can’t topcoat due to the wax. Buffing did not produce a sheen so the finish has a dull appearance. I’m sure it’s me not doing it right.
Which brings up another point - I want to apply a varnish. I’ve been told by Osmo to just sand it. I’ve been told by other people everything from “you can’t get it off” to “scrub it down with mineral oil 5 times and hope for the best.”
I’ve seen Rubio Monocoat used and that seems like one I might try. But $$$
He said the trick is to use a lot of brush strokes and spread it out. Apply 2-3 coats.Well I ended up applying way too much Osmo, probably b/c I didn’t get the 1” brush thing, but mostly b/c I didn’t wioe it off. A week later the chairs we still sticky. Took almost 2 weeks for them to dry enough to sit on. Admittedly this was in summer. I don’t see how you can get away with not wiping it off.
My overall take on Osmo is there are better less expensive products for furniture. But that’s me I know people who use Osmo a lot. AFAIK You can’t topcoat due to the wax. Buffing did not produce a sheen so the finish has a dull appearance. I’m sure it’s me not doing it right.
Which brings up another point - I want to apply a varnish. I’ve been told by Osmo to just sand it. I’ve been told by other people everything from “you can’t get it off” to “scrub it down with mineral oil 5 times and hope for the best.”
I’ve seen Rubio Monocoat used and that seems like one I might try. But $$$
Mono-coat is the other hard wax, catalyst based so I think it cures faster. ( for a price 
) For this table ( marble inset top) I think Osmo is a good choice over the more traditional BLO and bees wax. ( Or just plan unobtanium JPW) Guess I am used to the VOCs in JPW drying in a day.
It does buff up, at least on a test piece. I guess time is the key. Only tried a second coat. Will try one more as this is red oak and even using a filler, still has open grain spotty.
If I remember my Freshman chemistry, heat will speed up about any chemical reaction. One may run the risk of flashing off volatiles needed in the reaction. I have used heat lamps to speed up polyester fiberglass and epoxy resins that were a tad old and probably needed more than spec catalyst. I was also thinking heat will lower the viscosity allowing it to soak in deeper without just soaking in solvents.
) For this table ( marble inset top) I think Osmo is a good choice over the more traditional BLO and bees wax. ( Or just plan unobtanium JPW) Guess I am used to the VOCs in JPW drying in a day. It does buff up, at least on a test piece. I guess time is the key. Only tried a second coat. Will try one more as this is red oak and even using a filler, still has open grain spotty.
If I remember my Freshman chemistry, heat will speed up about any chemical reaction. One may run the risk of flashing off volatiles needed in the reaction. I have used heat lamps to speed up polyester fiberglass and epoxy resins that were a tad old and probably needed more than spec catalyst. I was also thinking heat will lower the viscosity allowing it to soak in deeper without just soaking in solvents.
I have always used the low sheen Osmo products but they do offer a semi-gloss and gloss product. I have touched up furniture finished with Osmo. Seems like I had to blend it out some so it matched the existing finish but it is certainly possible.
I also agree that "a little goes a long way". The finish is expensive per unit volume but a can of Osmo will finish a lot of furniture. My bedroom set, my dining room table and chairs and some other stuff is finished with Osmo. It is not as durable as poly but it is still pretty durable.
I also agree that "a little goes a long way". The finish is expensive per unit volume but a can of Osmo will finish a lot of furniture. My bedroom set, my dining room table and chairs and some other stuff is finished with Osmo. It is not as durable as poly but it is still pretty durable.
Did the dye job and first coat of Osmo on the table where I had the poly bonding failure. I am blown away. I actually got the oak dark enough ( 50-50 dye and alcohol). Second coat tomorrow. On my test board, it is a toss up if I do a third. Three does buff out with a tad more sheen. That "soy-something" stripper I got from Woodcraft did get the poly out of the grain. I see Klingspor carries it too. Forget build up finishes. If I ever use this can up, I may try Monocoat, but I maybe used an ounce.
Much thanks for those who steered me to dye over stain. Kind of a game changer. Much more even color with no surface build up.
Much thanks for those who steered me to dye over stain. Kind of a game changer. Much more even color with no surface build up.
