Replies

1. 
   _mj_ | Nov 26, 2020 09:52am | #1

   Never heard of it. Post the names of the products you're seeing the ads for...I'd like to have a look.

2. 
   lat_axe | Nov 26, 2020 11:44am | #2

   As is often the case, those clever Cherman's have been prominent amongst those who have developed "hard wax" finishes. See Osmo.

   They're a mixture of naturally occurring oils & waxes, with mineral-derived pigments but also with a minimum of solvent to aid in their application. They even have some finishing products without any solvents at all. This is in contrast to many brands of finish that are up to 80% solvent, often of the cheapest and tastiest kind.

   Here is the Osmo blurb describing the content of their goo:

   "Osmo wood finishes have been manufactured for over 30 years in Germany. The ingredients are produced from purified and refined natural resources such as sunflower oil, carnuba and candelilla waxes, linseed, soya and thistle oils. The inorganic pigments used for Osmo Color are created from natural mineral ores. .......

   Osmo has been working for many years with "High Solid Products" which contain only a small amount of solvent. For years now Osmo has also been working to develop products which are completely free from solvents (VOC's)".

   *******

   I can tell you from personal experience that their sales blurb and the claims it makes about durability, resistance to liquid spills and repairability are all true. Many are sceptical or even cynical about the stuff .... but they ain't tried it. :-)

   Lataxe

3. 
   stantheman | Nov 26, 2020 11:45am | #3

   MJ Osmo Oil is the one I keep hearing about. Its hard to figure out what makes them different, although I suspect its another mix of BLO (a vegetable oil) and varnish, with some wax added?

4. 
   mikaol | Nov 26, 2020 07:12pm | #4

   'Tools for woodworking' website explains what hard wax oil is all about. It's what Lat described.

5. 
   ramblingroad | Nov 27, 2020 07:38am | #5

   I just applied Briwax water based hard wax oil to my old wood floors after thoroughly cleaning them and stripping off as much of the old finish as I could without sanding them down. I restored the color in the heavily worn areas with General Finishes water based stain first. The results were not as good as a full refinish job, but did a good job to clean up a worn and uneven color and sheen. It has a nice patina and hopefully will hold up well to wear. All fast drying, low odor and easy to apply.

6. 
   _mj_ | Nov 27, 2020 07:59am | #6

   "Water based oil"? Now it's getting weird.

7. 
   nordichomey | Nov 27, 2020 08:45am | #7

   Rubio Monocoat is one I keep seeing on social media with folks troweling it on a floor or a lot of walnut furniture. The manufacture says it is not a film product but a penetrating hard wax which attaches to the upper fibers and is easily repairable. I am not a film product fan and looking to apply this to walnut live edge side table. That said long-term I think some varnish in the mix may be prudent.

8. 
   DannySnyder | Nov 27, 2020 10:12pm | #8

   Does Odie's Wax fall into this category? It seems to make similar claims of one coat and moisture protection. I used it on a recent project and loved the odor and ease of applying. But I'm also skeptical for those same reasons LOL. Looking for others out there to validate this because I don't trust myself to know better.