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Thread: Rubio Monocoat - The answer to your finishing prayers?

  1. #31
    Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread. This product sounds like a miracle.

    I am a big fan of matte finishes lately because they hide many sins of use.

    I would be very curious to see how this product performs on wood sanded to 150 vs 220 vs 400 vs (as you and I like to do) 600 or 1000... I think we have both found that while high grit sanding is discouraged for other finishes as well, it has never adversely affected the finish for me.

  2. #32
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    Prashun, I briefly looked into that in another post: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....n-Modification

    Read RM's use recommendations. They do not recommend going about 150 grit. However, some users have reported good results after sanding to 180 grit. I think you'll find really high grits limit absorption of the finish and, therefore, durability. Also, check out the FWW article I referenced about Osmo Polyox where the author wet sands to fill the grain.

    John

  3. #33
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    I just found a step that helped me...

    After I applied the mineral spirits, I used my Terry cloth bonnet buffer on the wood and it made everything super smooth before applying RM.

    I found the shop rag was bringing up grains (walnut) and this solved that issue

  4. #34
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    So, what exactly is this finish? Oil, varnish, wax, a mix? I cant untangle what makes it different, and the website doesnt really help..
    Last edited by Stan Calow; 12-23-2021 at 9:42 PM.
    < insert spurious quote here >

  5. #35
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    It's in a class of finishes called hard-wax oils. They have started to become more popular, although are not new to the global market.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #36
    Armchair interpretation:

    The copy on the Rubio website about “What is a hard wax oil” is not clear at all.

    It appears to be an oxidating oil and wax mixture. But not all vegetable oils actually polymerize to a hard surface. Further, the wax will never harden and will in fact inhibit some polymerization.

    My best guess is that these finishes are soft, moderately polymerizing films that are midway way between Oil and wax and varnish in both application and durability.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    Armchair interpretation:

    The copy on the Rubio website about “What is a hard wax oil” is not clear at all.

    It appears to be an oxidating oil and wax mixture. But not all vegetable oils actually polymerize to a hard surface. Further, the wax will never harden and will in fact inhibit some polymerization.

    My best guess is that these finishes are soft, moderately polymerizing films that are midway way between Oil and wax and varnish in both application and durability.
    Thank you Prashun, that was my confusion. The new-to-me term "hard wax" seems like an oxymoron. And I didn't think any oil would be tough enough to provide a protective film (unless cooked with a resin to make a varnish).

    Not quibbling with anyones' actual results or opinions, just like to know what Im dealing with.
    < insert spurious quote here >

  8. #38
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    RM is an in the wood finish, like traditional oil finishes. But it's harder and offers far better protection than any traditional oil finish and most film finishes, too. It doesn't really matter what's in it. You can't tell what's in most traditional finishes these days either since the SDS got dumbed down. Try it, test it, see if you like it. I can predict you will amazed at how easy and invisible it is to repair should the need arise, unlike most any other finish that has similar durability.
    John

  9. #39
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    For further clarification, I just finished a cabinet exposed panel.. For some reason gunk showed up on the inside of the panel that already had one coat of RM. I wasn't sure how it got there, obviously I wasn't as careful as I thought I was.

    Regardless, I did a light sanding with 400 grit on the damanged areas and just applied a 2nd coat and the entire panel looks perfect again. Not only that, but honestly this was the coolest application process ever. One 6 inch buffer, one 5 inch ROS, a quick wipe down with lint less cloth.. done. I applied the extra coat of protection.. that's 2 coats and it's completely finished in 48 hours. Each coat takes no brain power and less than 10 minutes. I'm sold.

    (this comes from someone that doesn't have plans to invest in spraying equipment for the near future)

  10. #40
    That’s high praise John. I am sold in trying this for my next project.

  11. #41
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    You'll like it Prashun. Just be sure to follow the guidelines relative to sanding or base your decision on how fine to sand on test samples. I know you like to sand to high grits which is why I'm pointing that out.
    John

  12. #42
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    This is for a wet bar I'm working on.. the show pieces:

    - Floating shelf (pre veneer walnut mdf + walnut lumber)
    - Exposed side (raw veneer by me on BB + walnut lumber)
    - kick plate (pre veneer walnut mdf)

    All of these came out great. I know that I generally sloppily type words on this forum, but I really do care about quality work and quality results and I'm very happy with this finish. The only other finish I've had this much good luck with was Tung Oil in it's various forms (from cheap to nearly pure) and those took several coats (but also fairly brainless to apply).. they were also much more chemical like than RM. I will have to figure out a finish for gloss / eggshell / semi gloss / etc that I like, but for flat / low sheen this stuff would be hard to beat. The cost of the oil is a non-issue; I used table spoons to measure out the oil I used for these pieces. However, the Festool white pads for the sander and the terry cloth bonnets are going to add up so I definitely recommend doing as much as you can in the allotted 15 minutes or so.

    Today I will start the finishing process on the Face Frame, which will use a standard application process with a t-shirt cloth and that will inevitably take more oil (you spread RM with a plastic spreader before buffing it in on flat surfaces).

    I was extra careful and switched out the pads / cloth when I had to jump between RM finish and RM maintenance oil. Maybe that was unnecessary?



    Rubio photo_small.jpg

  13. #43
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    Andrew, if you need higher sheen take a look at Osmo Polyox. It comes in satin and gloss. Maybe not as durable as RM but still very good and just as easy to apply and repair if needed.
    John

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