Osmo LED Smart Oil

[SitkaZach]

As woodferret above said, the non-abrasive white woven pads are generally the best way to buff the finish in, with a wipe to get off the excess. I'm using the Vestings atm, which looks a little less viscous than the Osmo, but buffing it in with the white pad, letting sit for around 45min, and then gently wiping off excess and curing I get a fantastic finish.

One thing I found really effective to get rid of any tiny "fuzzies" or to just give a super smooth finish, is a foam nail sanding block my wife had, one of the sides has a super fine grit that I guess is at least around the 1000-2000grit range, and a few wipes along the grain result in an incredibly smooth result and it leaves no marks of any kind.

Overall, as I perfect my technique, I'm increasingly happy with the results. This is such a game changer!

Thanks. I'll look into the non-abrasive woven pads.

Yes, I forgot to mention a final quick hand sanding. I tried 1000 and felt that it was a bit coarse, but 2000 was perfect. Agreed that it left no visible marks, just smoothed what was there, if I already had a pretty smooth surface.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Thanks. I'll look into the non-abrasive woven pads.

Yes, I forgot to mention a final quick hand sanding. I tried 1000 and felt that it was a bit coarse, but 2000 was perfect. Agreed that it left no visible marks, just smoothed what was there, if I already had a pretty smooth surface.

I just had a look and the foam nail block is less abrasive than my 4000g Mirka Abralon pad, so it really takes extremely little to really smooth the UV cured surface.

This is identical to the 4 sided foam pad I use, and it will pretty much last for years of usage: https://www.temu.com/ul/kuiper/un9....894&_x_vst_scene=adg&goods_id=601099726964905

 

[woodferret]

Thanks for the application tips. I used a 3M white abrasive pad (don't have the Osmo), and the ridges left behind were substantial, and would need a lot of wiping down. Just to be clear...you were able to wipe off the Osmo UV Oil with blue shop towels?

It crossed my mind that I might have a couple cans of very thick finish. The consistency is reminded me of watered down wood glue. Blue shop towels quickly disintegrated wiping off the UV Oil in my tests.

Basic Scotts blue shop towels. And any scratches I've had were from sanding, not really the white pad. I've noticed some brands are softer than others. But either way, make sure you wipe down the surface to remove any sand paper grit.

If you end up with puddles still from buffing with the white pad, take a clean one and use that for a second to redistribute the oil. It'll pick up some of the excess before the towel wipe. You can also use a lint free cloth apparently for the final wipe, IIRC.

 

[SitkaZach]

Thank you @woodferret & @luvmytoolz! I'll dig deeper, and report back here.

 

[luvmytoolz]

So I've been trying to get my hands on some Osmo LED SMart oil for a while now but it seems it's not launching here in Oz until June or July or so, and distributors haven't even heard of it. But the company was kind enough to send me out a tin to try, and I must say early results look really good.

I've been testing the Vestings the last couple weeks which is a really nice UV cured oil, and gives a finish that feels tough enough but is nothing like a traditional film finish in that you can actually still feel the wood.

And while the Vestings is a great finish, the Osmo is next level. Two quick coats buffed on with a white non-scratching pad and it feels really tough, and is definitely a thicker coat without looking or feeling like a traditional film finish. A quick wipe with a foam nail sanding block gives an unbelievably smooth result. I got the Natural which I believe is more or less the clear but with a little white pigment to stop yellowing, but at first I thought I'd been sent the whitening oil by mistake.

I'm still not 100% sure if that isn't the case though! ;-)

The Vestings and Osmo are both about the same viscosity, with the vestings being a clear liquid and the Osmo being a beige-cream colour for the Clear or the whitish-cream as below for the Natural.

So at this stage I'm really impressed with the Osmo and will be trying it on some coasters soon. The Vestings takes at least several coats to build up to a level I'm comfortable with as a finished product, while still feeling like a "barely there" finish.

With the Osmo however it seems as though 2 coats are going to be more than adequate for most uses. Its also very obvious just from the feel which finish is Vestings or Osmo.

 

[hdv]

If you mean Osmo 3041 (Hardwax Effect Natural), then yes I can confirm there is a little amount of whitening pigment in there.

 

[luvmytoolz]

If you mean Osmo 3041 (Hardwax Effect Natural), then yes I can confirm there is a little amount of whitening pigment in there.

Thanks, this is the Smart LED UV Oil number 5984 I'm talking about, which seems to be the UV cured equivalent of the standard 3041 hardwax oil.

Very surprisingly high amount of white though, on Oak you can see the white pigment in the pores.

 

[hdv]

Ah, of course. I should have realised, as this was all about the UV curing hardwax. My brain must have needed some sugar... Sorry for the noise.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Ah, of course. I should have realised, as this was all about the UV curing hardwax. My brain must have needed some sugar... Sorry for the noise.

No it's all helpful, I've only ever bought the clear Osmo PolyX, so upon seeing the thick white of the UV Natural really had me thinking they sent the wrong one. So your confirmation the standard oil has the same pigment is good.