# Festool Surfix - sort of



## promhandicam (22 Jul 2011)

I ordered a Surfix Kit after the good reviews on the other side and some spare pads with the intention of trying it with a tinted Omso wood wax - claret in case you were wondering. The pads arrived but thanks to UPS the kit hasn't - yet. As I needed to start finishing 6 large tables and 10 benches it was necessary to improvise.

Not having the applicator I decided to use a 4" foam roller which worked very well and I was able to put on a thin even coat very quickly - more quickly than with the Surfix applicator I would imagine.







After allowing the oil to dry for about 20 minutes, I then used the green festool pad (to work the oil into the surface with my Mirka Ceros sander (not attached to the extractor), as I don't own a Rotex. This also worked well - the Festool pad sticks without any problem to the Mirka and I slowed the speed down to about half speed. According to the Surfix instructions, you are then supposed to wipe off the excess oil from the wood. However I noticed that as the oil was nearly dry in places, the pad produced a good even finish and so I found that it was easier to blot the pad rather than rag off the table tops. 






Monday I will denib, and put the second coat on - using the roller again. I plan on finishing with the white festool pad on the sander. So far I'm very happy with the result, and I'm wondering if the other items in the Surfix kit are really necessary, although I do want to try out the heavy duty finish that Festool sell.

To be continued . . .


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## Ed Bray (3 Feb 2015)

Did you ever get around to finishing (pun intended) this review?


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## promhandicam (3 Feb 2015)

Ed Bray":a0kqyjgx said:


> Did you ever get around to finishing (pun intended) this review?



Apparently not  

I did eventually get the surfix and tried it out and shortly afterwards sold it as I didn't get on with it. I have reverted to using osmo with a roller (on big areas) or a brush (on edges and smaller areas) and ragging off with paper towel. The problem with the sufix was that it was ok on large flat areas but useless trying to do edges or into corners or mouldings. The pads dried out quickly and the seal in the cap of the bottle ruptured causing oil to go everywhere. I really couldn't see the advantage of using the different pads - Festool claim it helps the oil penetrate but I'm not convinced. 

Does that help?


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## Ed Bray (3 Feb 2015)

It's interesting.

My Surfix kit arrived today and I bought it to use with my recently acquired Rotex 125 (that arrived today too) particularly on a garden bench I am making out of my reclaimed Iroko planks. I bought a set of old Cast Iron bench ends and over the last few weeks have stripped them back to base metal and then painted them with black hammerite. This will hopefully be completed in time for my FIL's birthday in March, but there is a lot of sanding and finishing to be done by then.


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