Sycamore finish

[Harry581010]

I use osmo polyx oil clear satin and get along very well with it but one thing I've noticed is gives light colours, in particular sycamore which I like to work with, a bit of an orange tint. I want the sycamore to be the whitest version of itself (adding a white tint isn't my first choice). I saw a brief clip of a video I can't find again that said water based finishes tend to help keep lighter colours lighter than oil finishes. Has anyone found this to be the case or have any similar problems they have come up against and fixed?
Thank you

 

[Chris West]

I think you are right. I haven't done a lot of work with sycamore but in similar light colored woods, I find tha oil base does tend to yellow more than water base although I miss the durability of oil based finishes.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Oil finishes do result in a colour change with Sycamore. If I want to retain the original colour I use either just hard wax or cellulose sanding sealer and hard wax.

 

[Doug B]

Osmo do their Raw oil for light timbers, it has a white pigment in it to help reduce yellowing, (the pigment doesn’t affect the colour of the timber)
I now use 2 coats of raw then a coat or two of hardwax oil on Ash & Sycamore if I want a tough finish,it works well.
That said I’ve never found a finish that completely stops the yellowing process & that includes water based lacquers or oils etc, but the Raw does seem to slow the progress.

 

[johnnyb]

Water based finishes are based on a water clear acrylic resin. They impart hardly any colour and if there matt little sheen(unless handled a lot) they can also be really durable (2 pack water bssed are at least as durable as acid cat lacquer)
I found osmo imparts the least yellowing of those finishes. Linseed the most. But water based is a bit better than osmo. Osmo seems to be favoured over water based amongst woodies,Being trad yet new, but ive always favoured water based tbh as i like the dry time and the lack of colour. Incidentally ive always thought water based exterior stain produces a much more even colour than oil based products despite an inferior durability.