Those hard wax oils (e.g. Osmo Polyx; Rubio Monocoat) aren't just for flooring anymore. They have become quite popular with furniture makers. I am wondering if any of the turners in this community have had much experience with any of these products? I'd be particularly interested to hear how you applied it to small curved handheld pieces as opposed to flat panels?
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Experience With Hard Wax Oils?
- Thread starter Mark Jundanian
- Start date
I have a few dozen bowls that were finished with Rubio Monocoat 2C Oil. I turned them but I didn’t personally put the finish on. I have a friend that builds custom furniture and uses Rubio on almost everything he builds. Once mixed you have a limited time to use it so any left over is waste for him. After he told me this I took him a bunch of bowls and now when he has leftover he uses it on my bowls. It’s very easy to apply, just brush on a very generous coat and let it sit about ten minutes and wipe off the excess. I have a few cereal bowls we have been using almost daily for maybe six months and they still bead water well. It seems to be a very durable finish. It smells great, kinda dessert like. I like it a lot better than the osmo because it has zero VOCs or solvent. It is pricy but it goes a long way. You can get a 20ml sample bottle without the accelerator for $14, they say it does about 5sf. The accelerator just speeds drying time.
https://www.monocoat.us/color-samples/
https://www.monocoat.us/color-samples/
Rubio does contain isocyolates though. Read the fine print. Some people can not use a product with these in. It is in the accelerator you add to a Rubio C.
Isocyanates are horrible (I have painted several cars using urethane two part paints that contain this). Sensitive or not - you must have a proper mask and ventilation.
The problem with all these new low voc or no voc products everyone thinks they safe as they don’t smell. They could not be more wrong. A lot of these water base products which are the old products with more chemicals in them to suspend them in water instead of a solvent are more deadly to our health. Read the spec sheets people please!
Forgot about that thread.
I don’t think it’s safe because it doesn’t smell. I know it’s safe because of the testing that’s been done and the certifications received. The EU toy standard greatly exceeds the US FDA food safe requirements.
Many leading finishing industry experts like Bob Flexner tell us that once properly cure all finishes are inert and therefore food safe.
You are correct, when these cure they are food safe.
BUT
It’s before and while they are curing the bad stuff is evaporating off that the Woodturners forget about and breath in, etc. I use food safe finishes all the time, but the manufacturer in the msds sheets warns you repeatedly to suit up, respirator etc while spraying or apply that said finish . The woodturner does not realize that during the application process it is dangerous as the manufacturer advertises how safe the finish is and how it has no voc’s etc. even Rubio has isocyanates in it, which evaporate out while curing! The old school stuff was xylene as the carrier, the new stuff is isocyanates among other things. And they are food safe when they evaporate out.