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OSMO for salad bowls

T

Tim Thor

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Jan 18, 2012
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Concord, Ca
I am wondering if anyone has had experience using any of the OSMO finishes on salad bowls. They are reportedly good safe. I am wondering about ease of application and durability. Always looking for a good food safe finish that will hold up under use.
Thank me for any advice.

Tim
 
I've experimented with Osmo Poly-X, which I understand is basically the same ingredients as their Top-Oil (haven't tried that), just a different mix. Last I looked the Top Oil was certified as food safe (in the EU) and Poly-X certified (EU again) for child toys.

I don't use it per instructions. I have better luck wiping it on, then wiping it off after just a few minutes (I think the instructions say re-apply after a bit and wipe after half hour - that didn't work so well IMO).

As it's originally developed as a wood floor finish, I expect it to be pretty durable.

I think it is worth getting a small can to try. The small 4 oz cans go an awful long way - doesn't take much of the stuff at all. I usually stir the can with a popsicle stick and wipe that on the rag, which is enough to do most of a small bowl.

I still lean towards walnut oil, but that's just me.

@Dennis J Gooding - Osmo Oil (link goes to woodcraft)
 
I’ve used Osmo oil (reputedly mostly plant based finishing oil) on several pieces for the last couple of years for kitchen ware - mostly salad bowls - and mostly used in our own household to see how it holds up. In all, it has held up well to frequent use. I like the softer sheen. It Also retains the color of the wood pretty well with minimal darkening. I use two coats with a full day to cure for each. Buffing the surface (no abrasives or wax) leaves a slightly glossier soft sheen.
Seems to hold up well to light washing. I did have one bowl that needed a refresh - a very light coat of the polyx oil - one out of six seems like a good average. At one point I tried both the deck oil to see if there were advantages on water resistance but didn’t see a marked difference. Both seemed to hold up well

All said and done, I enjoyed using it, appreciated its benefits, but didn’t enjoy the cost. for the most part I’ve gone back to a very light oil finish and wax for my kitchen ware - General Finishes Wood Bowl Finish cut slightly and waxed when dry. mostly because I’ve used it for decades and still have a good supply on hand.
 
As others have said, and according to Osmo's USA customer service, the only difference between Polyx-Oil and Top Oil is that the Top Oil has a greater proportion of solvent than Polyx, and that Top Oil was actually submitted for, and passed, testing for food safety by the European authorities. Testing is expensive and the company did not submit the Polyx-Oil product line for food safety testing.

After a trial with the "little can", I became a convert. So when my little can skinned over for the second time I bought a 750ml can, which I have transferred to a StopLoss Bag. Hopefully this will preserve the material indefinitely, as that's how long it's going to take me to use it all. It onlly requires a very small amount, maybe a tablespoon, to put a coat on a typical turned bowl.

My application method: Surface prep is sand to 800 or 1200 grit and clean off. I then dab (or drizzle from the stirring stick) a tiny amount of Polyx on the corner of a 1 or 2 inch square of a white non-woven pad. This is then used to spread the Polyx around. I make note of the time I start and the time I finish applying, wait ten minutes, then re-spread and wait another 5 minutes. Then wipe off and hand buff. Things I make aren't amenable to motorized buffing, but if I could I would give it a try, don't see that would hurt.
 
What I know is that it is a concoction of hard waxes and drying oils. It's been used in Europe for decades, but was originally a floor finish that's now been rediscovered for furniture and turning.
 
Food safe - depends on what camp you belong to, ie must have fda or other certified approval, or any finish is food safe once cured.

If the latter (where I camp), then there are many finishes that can qualify. It then becomes a question of what use does the finish need to hold up to?

I draw a distinction between metal utensil use or not. Metal utensils will scratch up any finish, and cause a film finish to fail and crack. A soft “in the wood” finish, like pre polymerized walnut oil, holds up fairly well and is easy to refurbish.

I’ve used Rubio monocoat, similar to Osmo. Easy to apply, durability about the same as other drying oils (did not use the catalyst). I’m not impressed when cost is considered.

The research I’ve done on these hard wax oils as floor treatments is not positive. They are not durable in a floor application - I won’t use them for that.

Pre polymerized tung or linseed oil are also available - one of the pre polymerized oils is the best choice IMO. One benefit is no VOC’s.
 
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