Applied OSMO hard wax oil too thickly and didn't burnish between coats - Help Please!

Hi Everyone,

New here and very much a beginner. I have an oak table which I sanded down and have applied 3 coats of OSMO Top Oil (Natural 3068 with a small amount of white pigment in).

I was too hesitant with my wiping off excess/burnishing after applying each coat and I'm worried that my finish is uneven and has white patches where too much was applied and is drying. There is even a small patch where it has gummed up a little. Any thoughts on what to do? My ideas were:

1. Sand lightly with a high grit (800? 1200?) and apply another coat.
2. Swift wipe with a small amount of white spirit and apply another coat.

Any tips greatly appreciated!

I should also add that I've been applying with a lint free cloth so I believe 3-4 coats are expected

No experience with Osmo however I use Livos Kunos 244 regularly on larger woodturnings. I find that if I've been distracted and not buffed in the excess that I can wipe it with another wet coat of the 244 to soften the previous coat then buff vigorously. For Kunos they recommend apply 1st coat buff after 10 minutes wait 12 hrs; 2nd coat buff after 10min wait 24 hrs, 3rd coat buff immediately after application wait 24 hrs to harden.

Keep in mind that the oils go through a polymerization process and that it is not reversible. So, the success of the rectification process depends very much on how long the previous coat/s have been left to dry.

The application process for OSMO is similar. Once you go past that 8-10 hour window to dry / polymerize there aren't any easy fixes. Having a tint in the OSMO also means that you could end up with an uneven coat / finish as the open grain of the oak will take up the oil and may polymerize at different rates due to the varying depth / thickness of the oil coat..

Maybe follow the manufacturers recommendation ?
Why is the surface still sticky after application? - Osmo UK

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Remedy: Allow for extra ventilation and remove excess application immediately with a clean and dry cloth. If the excess has already dried, the use of methylated spirit helps to degrease the surface from the excess. Depending on the amount of excess, sanding may be necessary.

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Originally Posted by droog

Maybe follow the manufacturers recommendation ?
Why is the surface still sticky after application? - Osmo UK

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Good advice, however, sanding uncured finish can become quite onerous with blocked sandpaper. Wet sanding with oil is better but that affects the finish. Our Kiwi friends wet sand the highly resinous Ancient Kauri very effectively.

I would sand with something like 120/150. You wont need to sand to raw timber, just enough so it looks pretty even and smooth to touch. Then reapply, might need 1 coat or might need 2 but make sure its applied thinly. I never buffed it off for table tops, but applied thinly with 4 or 5mm nap micro fibre roller.

Another option is to get Fiddes HWO which I think is a UK product which is more durable

Thank you everyone for your responses! In the end I applied another coat within 24hrs which I think smoothed things out a bit, perhaps due to the solvent in the new coat. I'll see how it wears over the next 6 months and consider a light sand and reapplication then

Osmo sells a product that dissolves the polyx for repairs; it might be something to inquire about with the tech support.