# Gel varnish, Gel Poly, wipe-on poly



## Anonymous (21 Jan 2008)

Hi all

Yes, I regularly see all of these mentioned in American mags and decided to try some out. BUT, I can't find any in England for a reasonable price and that i have seen mentioned in the mags etc.

I am looking for a tough finish for a American Cherry coffee table that is nearly completed and thought this might fit the bill. I want a satin finish and no 'film' on the wood, but it needs to be hard wearing and water resistant. I like wipe on finishes and would use Patina, but it is marked by water in my experience

I did find one that looked interesting, only to see that it is classed as a 'hazardous substance' and as such levied with a £10 charge on top of postage.

So, £8 for 1/2L of finish, £6.50 for postage, £10 for pipper all else! I didn't order it :roll: 

So, any advice, tails of woe, help, links to UK suppliers gratefully received

Please feel free to tell me that in England this is the same as..............

Ta


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## beejay (21 Jan 2008)

Hi Tony,
Try this: 
http://www.generalfinishes.co.uk/index.cfm?page=home

Seem to remember the product tested quite favourably.
regards, beejay


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## woodbloke (21 Jan 2008)

Try some satin Osmo Poly X from these people ...great stuff and you can buy a little 'taster' pot from them as well. Last time I bought some, free del. as well. You won't be disapointed as Osmo is a flooring product and pretty hardwearing. I've put on 4 thin brush coats on the side panels of my Elm Cabinet and there's no 'build' at all, I'm *very* impressed with it - Rob


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## Aled Dafis (21 Jan 2008)

Another vote for Osmo Polyx.

I laid 70m2 of oak flooring in our new house last year and gave it 3 thin coats of this oil. Hard waring is an understatement, as my 2 year old regularly rides around on his plastic yellow car at breakneck speed on the floor, and it hasn't complained one bit - the floor that is, the car complains fairly regularly. It's waterproof as well, I wont go into detail, but trust me, it is 

Osmo Polyx goes a long way too, as I only used two 2.5l tins to do the whole job.

I'm going to use it soon on a dining table that should have been ready for Christmas lunch - don't ask!

John Lloyd who writes for Furniture and Cabinetmaking also uses it, so it must have something going for it.

Try a sample pot to see if it's to your taste - I doubt that yoy will be dissappointed.

Regards
Aled


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## jasonB (21 Jan 2008)

Behlen are doing a lot of the American finishes

Jason


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## Pete.inbox (21 Jan 2008)

Hi Tony,
is this what you're after?

http://www.classichandtools.com/acatalo ... e-USA.html

regards,

Pete


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## Oryxdesign (21 Jan 2008)

I like the Osmo finishes too, Polyx is very hard wearing and can be patch repaired.


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## andrewm (21 Jan 2008)

I've used Polyx for floors and like it precisely because it can be patched. Never thought to use it on furniture though. I may give it a try.

Andrew


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## Corset (21 Jan 2008)

They sell sell polyx in the floor shops, Fitchetts in Nottingham do it at a very reasonable price.
Owen


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## Oryxdesign (21 Jan 2008)

andrewm":3a2mms6c said:


> I've used Polyx for floors and like it precisely because it can be patched. Never thought to use it on furniture though. I may give it a try.
> 
> Andrew



It's brill you won't be disapointed.


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## DaveL (21 Jan 2008)

Hi Pete

Welcome to the forum.

You link has been caught by our spam trap, this will stop after you have a few more posts to your name.
Here is your link:
http://www.classichandtools.com/acatalo ... e-USA.html


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## Anonymous (21 Jan 2008)

beejay":17chd966 said:


> Hi Tony,
> Try this:
> http://www.generalfinishes.co.uk/index.cfm?page=home
> 
> ...



Sadly these are the idiots who charge a £10 (once only :roll: ) charge on top of normal carriage as it is a 'hazardous substance'.


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## Anonymous (21 Jan 2008)

woodbloke":wnxes8e2 said:


> Try some satin Osmo Poly X from these people ...great stuff and you can buy a little 'taster' pot from them as well. Last time I bought some, free del. as well. You won't be disapointed as Osmo is a flooring product and pretty hardwearing. I've put on 4 thin brush coats on the side panels of my Elm Cabinet and there's no 'build' at all, I'm *very* impressed with it - Rob



Sounds like this is just the stuff I am after 

Thanks Rob and all the others who recommended this!


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## PowerTool (21 Jan 2008)

Tony":3hji9jn6 said:


> Sadly these are the idiots who charge a £10 (once only :roll: ) charge on top of normal carriage as it is a 'hazardous substance'.



Don't know how they normally deliver,but believe Royal Mail won't deliver hazardous goods (with the exception of certain class 6.2 substances) so has to go by parcel carrier instead.
Still seems steep,though.

Andrew


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## Jake (21 Jan 2008)

Tony":3lh5wh8c said:


> Sounds like this is just the stuff I am after
> 
> Thanks Rob and all the others who recommended this!



It is great stuff, i don't think you'll be disappointed. Dead easy to apply as well. I think I recall giving Rob a helping hand along the route to PolyX disciple-hood.


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## kafkaian (21 Jan 2008)

Oryxdesign":2y2b45d3 said:


> andrewm":2y2b45d3 said:
> 
> 
> > I've used Polyx for floors and like it precisely because it can be patched. Never thought to use it on furniture though. I may give it a try.
> ...



Which PolyX are you using? 3032 or 5125?

I've made an Ash coffee table for my niece and have been agonising over the finish which she wants trouble free. This sounds ideal. I really want to enhance and not alter the character of the wood.

Any yellowing on the clear?


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## Jake (21 Jan 2008)

Yes, it darkens and yellows. It is a modified oil finish, so nothing like as neutral as a lacquer finish or a water-bourne acrylic.


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## kafkaian (21 Jan 2008)

Jake":3qcclzpl said:


> Yes, it darkens and yellows. It is a modified oil finish, so nothing like as neutral as a lacquer finish or a water-bourne acrylic.



Many thanks - back to water based clear floor varnish again


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## Anonymous (22 Jan 2008)

A little update

I placed an order with the company Rob Woodbloke recommended around 11.30pm yesterday (on web).

Today I received an email at 8.30am confirming the order was dispatched free of charge.

Now THAT is great service!!


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## p111dom (22 Jan 2008)

Another vote for Osmo Polyx-oil here. I have used 3032 clear satin in the past. Its a combination oil/wax product and as said before you can patch and blend in a repair which is great. Its easy to apply too. The only problem I had with it was that I failed to get a uniform sheen which was visible when viewed side on to the light. I remedied this by applying 2 coats of black bison clear wax. The results were very good and the wax smells better than the Polyx. I would recommend this finish and I personally would use it again. That said I have also bought General Finishes products in the past. Both the wipe on ploy and the danish oils are good products although if I were buying again I would go for the oil with the slightly darker tint as opposed to the natural one.


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## andrewm (22 Jan 2008)

Jake":2dy1cexk said:


> Yes, it darkens and yellows. It is a modified oil finish, so nothing like as neutral as a lacquer finish or a water-bourne acrylic.



Jake, that's interesting. Might this explain why my lounge floor that was done about three years ago is now looking a little orange compared to the hall which was done at the end of last year? Both floors are solid walnut and finished in the matt Polyx.

Andrew


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## Jake (22 Jan 2008)

If the hall was done in water-bourne acrylic, it may well be, but whenever I test the two against each other the difference is quite marked from the outset - it depends on the circumstances which is preferable (colour-wise, the surface finish is always much more plasticky with acrylic). 

Otherwise, it could just be a difference in UV exposure.


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## andrewm (22 Jan 2008)

Jake":3cklsgsp said:


> If the hall was done in water-bourne acrylic, it may well be, but whenever I test the two against each other the difference is quite marked from the outset - it depends on the circumstances which is preferable (colour-wise, the surface finish is always much more plasticky with acrylic).
> 
> Otherwise, it could just be a difference in UV exposure.



Both are the same Polyx finish. It's just the age that is different. I am wondering whether rubbing down and refinishing - which I will do anyway once all the decorating is finished - will get me the deep walnut colour back or whether I need to be resigned to the more orange tint. In the longer time scale the lounge will get more light than the hall because it has windows at both ends.

Andrew


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## Jake (22 Jan 2008)

andrewm":2zvf6uq4 said:


> It's just the age that is different.



Doh, I missed the point completely.

Difficult one to answer, it could be the wood or the finish, and most likely it is both to some extent. As it is an oil finish, I would expect it to darken and orange over time, but I haven't got any good comparators to tell whether that's true or not. I suspect your only answer will be to try refinishing to see what difference it makes.


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## Steve Maskery (22 Jan 2008)

I've been following this with interest. I've never used wipe-ons, at least, not for about 12 years when I did a few pieces with a Danish Oil / polyurethane / turps mixture - Sam Maloof's IIRC, and although the finish was good, it didn't last, going dull quite quickly and very much yellowing the ash pieces in particular.

So for the last few years I've sprayed Chestnut and Mellor's. But as I don't have a proper spray booth I'm dependent on the weather.

I've recently done a pine office unit for SWMBO and as yet it is unfinished, I was expecting to have to wait until the weather improves, but this might be the answer. As I espect to stain it an Antique Pine colout anyway, perhaps any yellowing won't be a problem.

And Fitchett's is just down the road too!
S


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## Jake (22 Jan 2008)

I don't want to give a misleading impression that it is very yellowing - it's much more neutral than a long oil yacht varnish or something, and my instinct is that it is probably more neutral than Danish oil (but I haven't tested that). It is just noticeably less neutral than lacquer or WBA.

It is designed to be brushed on, left, and the excess wiped off after ten minutes or so, rather than wipe-on per se.


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## woodbloke (22 Jan 2008)

Jake wrote


> It is designed to be brushed on


...thinnly  - Rob


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## Anonymous (23 Jan 2008)

Tony":2zcq1max said:


> A little update
> 
> I placed an order with the company Rob Woodbloke recommended around 11.30pm yesterday (on web).
> 
> ...



Received 8.15am today.

Excellent company

Got to wait until this evenig to try the finish though


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## staffie (23 Jan 2008)

my 2p worth, placed an order for the Polyx yesterday morning after reading this post. Beyond belief it arrived this morning. will be playing tonight.

Thanks to all for contributing.

jock


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## SeanG (23 Jan 2008)

Would this PolyX stuff be suitable an an exterior finish for white pine? I'm about to get some water based preserative and stain for my garage doors.


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## Jake (23 Jan 2008)

No, but Osmo do make some exterior finishes including stains. I haven't tried the stains, but their exterior paint is excellent (but limited in colour range).


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## Anonymous (23 Jan 2008)

Finally tried it and it bought up the American Cherry test piece very nicely and the finsh is nice and mattish (satin finish).

Chuffed to bits so far -thanks to all


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## Pete W (23 Jan 2008)

Tony, any pics? There may be a cherry coffee table in my future and I'd love to see yours.


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## woodbloke (23 Jan 2008)

Pete W":21asukcn said:


> Tony, any pics? There may be a cherry coffee table in my future and I'd love to see yours.



Here's a couple of shots of my Elm Cabinet II that I glued this afternoon. Finish is four coats of matt Osmo-PolyX *very* thinly applied with a good quality fine haired brush. There is no build at all and I didn't even have to rub down between coats (each one left overnight) The final coat has been waxed with some Teak Wax using 0000 grade wire wool and then buffed with several dusters. First shot is of the exterior panels and base:







Second shot is the interior:






The Osmo has managed to fill some of the voids in that bit of interesting grain. The oval slot is going to house a Krenovian style spring loaded door stop, countesunk holes are for screwing the cabinet to the stand - Rob


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## Anonymous (23 Jan 2008)

Pete W":3v5z005q said:


> Tony, any pics? There may be a cherry coffee table in my future and I'd love to see yours.



Yep
Will be posting a few when it is finished - probably a week or so until it is completed and ready for the finish

I tried the polyx on an offcut of Cherry today


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## PlaneMike (23 Jan 2008)

My supplier of Osmo Poly recommended using it just slightly warmed so that the coat is even and easy to apply. Also makes it go even further.


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