Surfix

Waka

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Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
132
Been looking at the Surfix oil bottles and pads for a while now, not sure what the difference is between, them does anyone have them and what are their views?
 
Me also.  Pity there wasn't a smaller pad for doing mouldings, trim ect.  To me it seems it could get a bit messy & wastefull with the big pad.  Is the furniture oil just the same as hard wax oil ?

Woodguy.
 
I got the SURFIX set - but I only grabbed it because I thought it was a bargain  [big grin]

There's three different 0.3 litre bottles in it - tell me what I should know by looking at it and I'll tell you what I can.
 
Well I know there is an exterior oil, a hard oil for worktops & such but I think the furniture one is like "hard wax oil" ?
Have you used it on mouldings like facings or trim around a doer or window ?  Probably needs to be flat surfaces only because of the sanding with the viles !
 
theres "heavy use" well for heavy use and it's food safe. Contains linseed oil and waxes if i remember right.
requires polishing.
theres "one step" for ligt duty use, i think the name comes from the fact that it leaves a nice enough finish with one coat, doesn't really require any polishing IMO, just wipe it on and youre done.
And theres "outdoor use" have not yet used that one.
The vlies pads are to be recommended, they work rather well, though they tend to tear when removing them from the pad.
The applicator sponge is a bit of crappy IMO, i stopped using it and use a rag instead. Uses less oil and can be disposed after each use. The sponge will harden within 24 hours if left in the tin box and become unusable, if kept in an airtight plastic bag it holds a couple more days.
 
Timtool

Having looked on various website the sponges seem to be rather expensive if they only last a while, or am I having a senior moment and reading this all wrong?

At the moment my finishes comprise of Chestnut finishing oil, shallac, or tung oil. Finishing and tung oil applicator is a cloth, shellac is lambs wool in  a lint free cloth, can be a bit messy, that's why I'm interested in the surfix.

Another question, are the bottles refillable?

Thanks
 
No, you're spot on. 15 quid for a sponge is nuts, especially when I have heard they go hard and unusable after a while. You can refill the bottles, and I suppose there is no reason why you couldn't refill them with an oil of your own choosing.

I wonder if you could fill the bottle with shellac, and wrap the sponge in a lint-free cloth. Then you would be able to pad it on and to recharge the sponge you could just put a few drops of alcohol onto it.
 
Richard Leon said:
No, you're spot on. 15 quid for a sponge is nuts, especially when I have heard they go hard and unusable after a while. You can refill the bottles, and I suppose there is no reason why you couldn't refill them with an oil of your own choosing.

I wonder if you could fill the bottle with shellac, and wrap the sponge in a lint-free cloth. Then you would be able to pad it on and to recharge the sponge you could just put a few drops of alcohol onto it.

That's for a pack of 5 sponges according to the Festool UK website. But still !!

5 litres of oil is 123 quid.

There's mention of a Natural Oil ... hmmm.

 
I'm a dummy - they're all called "natural" oils  [embarassed]
 
As a hobbyist I'm not sure this system is cost effective to me (but when has Festool been) so I think I'll continue with my initial mode of application.

Thanks for the response guys.
 
I'm a dummy too. I saw a picture if one sponge and thought it was 15 quid for one!
But hey it's Festool, would it be so unbelievable?!
 
Richard Leon said:
I'm a dummy too. I saw a picture if one sponge and thought it was 15 quid for one!
But hey it's Festool, would it be so unbelievable?!

Richard

Your right being Festool it could have been that price.

I don't normally complain about Festool prices because I know I'm getting the Rolls Royce of power tools, but even for 5 sponges I think thats a little steep.
 
carefully back up,  or turn around...    and p [tongue]roceed all the way back to the main road.  you've all got off on the wrong side road,  and you're heading into a bad neighborhood.  [scared]

what have you ever used (Festool) that was an overpriced ripoff?  -right...  nothing!

next,  what Festool products do you know of which are only average, run of the mill?

and finally,  are there any Festool consumables that are best replaced with __________ just as soon as the original supply is depleted  ???

ok, enough of the rhetorical questions [tongue]

I'll take a wild guess at this (as I am not sure ???)  but I'll just bet there's a good chance that:
A] a local dealer will be happy to demonstrate these products for you,  and B]  after you buy the SURFIX system, if you're not happy with it, the 30 day buy&try would still be honored as with all other Festool products  ::) ::)

I found a few videos on the Festool UK site,  and after watching these and reading the accompanying literature, I'm not only sold on the SURFIX system,  but I'm confident it is the right choice for several applications I regularly finish with typical lacquer base finishes.

clickity-clique:
http://www.festool.co.uk/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=498063&name=SURFIX-SYS3-SET-oil-dispenser-OS-SYS3-Set
and check out the .pdf's and the video

I'd like to use the HD formula on stair rails,  and what cant be worked into with the applicator will be easily reached with a strip or small piece of a spare applicator sponge.
(which can then live in the storage tin with the applicator after usage.)

 
Why just 150mm?

What I miss is a similar set with 125mm and 90mm for us who might not have a tool with 150mm pad. Wouldn't it be great with a 150 polishing pad for the RO125 and RO90. I don't see why that wouldn't work. Or maybe there is someone out there who have tried to make a conversion pad eg. butching a 150pad and glue/stick it to a 125pad?

Festoolviking
 
stairman said:
I'll take a wild guess at this (as I am not sure ???)  but I'll just bet there's a good chance that:
A] a local dealer will be happy to demonstrate these products for you,  and B]  after you buy the SURFIX system, if you're not happy with it, the 30 day buy&try would still be honored as with all other Festool products   ::) ::)

The surfix systainer is not a tool, it's a systainer filled with consumables. They wont take it back if you used it!
Are you saying you can reuse your sponges when storing them just in the tin box? Mine barely stayed good enough for the 12 hours between first and second coat. After that they became like rubber, with the dimples of the tin box bottom imprinted in them.

You can refill the applicator bottle, but probably not more than a couple times. After all you use it by squeezing the bottle and the plastic doesn't seem to like that because it turns white if you press harder at the end to get the last bit out. Not sure if it would hold 1 refill without tearing. Thats why i held back from buying the oil jerrycan!
 
You can refill the applicator bottle, but probably not more than a couple times. After all you use it by squeezing the bottle and the plastic doesn't seem to like that because it turns white if you press harder at the end to get the last bit out. Not sure if it would hold 1 refill without tearing. Thats why i held back from buying the oil jerrycan!
[/quote]

huh? when you buy the jerrycan, you don't have to squeeze to get the last bit out, because you can just refill it..

my 2 cents is that the applicator bottle isn't made for squeezing.. but that's just me..

 
A quid is a dollar, in this case an Australian dollar, the US quid has a different value but is still dollar. The tricky part is when you get to the UK where a quid is a pound and has a totally different value.  [wink] , Have a nice weekend!
 
Not sure if there are different incarnations of this, but the kit we have works by pressing down on it, not so much squeezing. I think its a nice little kit for small projects.
 
Went into my Festool local to have a look at a sample piece some of the guys had a play with. Rod (the proprietor) wasn't exactly certain of the treatments, but the end result on some fine grained hardwood was excellent.

Hard to tell much difference where ithe sections were sanded to different grits prior to application then polishing.

Wasn't till I was half way home when I had the "Doh moment" ... should have snapped some pics  [blink]

So, I was impressed with the result - but I wasn't there to observe "the doing".

Kev.
 
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