Finish for childrens puzzles & toys

[whatknot]

Hi all

I am wondering what is the best finish to apply to the likes of simple puzzles and toys for children

I am doing a show soon and want to make sure I am not using a finish that isn't child friendly

 

[sunnybob]

https://woodworking.stackexchange.com/q ... -by-a-youn

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Osmo PolyX is food safe, quick and easy to use.

 

[marcros]

it depends a bit on what you are producing. do you want a natural wood finish or a paint?

 

[whatknot]

Thanks for that (I think ;-)

I confess I found that as clear as mud :-(

I was particularly intrigued as to why a parent would let their child chew a nativity ;-)

Then I realised they were talking about a cot

https://woodworking.stackexchange.com/questions/132/what-are-some-safe-finishes-for-indoor-projects-likely-to-be-chewed-on-by-a-youn

 

[whatknot]

Thanks for that, I did look at this a little while back for something else

Its just so expensive

Osmo PolyX is food safe, quick and easy to use.

 

[whatknot]

Natural wood in the main

What if I just left them as plain wood ?

Are there are drawbacks to that

it depends a bit on what you are producing. do you want a natural wood finish or a paint?

 

[marcros]

the chestnut finishes webpage lists the following Chestnut products as toy safe

Q. Are the Chestnut Products’ Spirit Stains safe for use on toys?

A. We have not had the Spirit Stains toy-tested as we have been advised that provided they are completely enclosed within a toy-tested finish it is not necessary for them to comply with these regulations. The following products from our range have been independently tested and passed the relevant part of the EN-71 Regulations:

Acrylic Lacquer
Acrylic Sanding Sealer (both types)
Cellulose Sanding Sealer (both types)
Melamine Lacquer (both types)
Finishing Oil
WoodWax 22 Clear
Microcrystalline Wax
Shellac Sanding Sealer
Hard Wax Oil
Acrylic Gloss Lacquer
Acrylic Satin Lacquer

you could leave them unfinished but they would look shabby quite quickly with grubby sticky hands touching them.

 

[whatknot]

Many thanks for that, looks like lacquer might be the easiest

Fogive my ignorance but what do they mean by "finishing oil" ?

the chestnut finishes webpage lists the following Chestnut products as toy safe

Q. Are the Chestnut Products’ Spirit Stains safe for use on toys?

A. We have not had the Spirit Stains toy-tested as we have been advised that provided they are completely enclosed within a toy-tested finish it is not necessary for them to comply with these regulations. The following products from our range have been independently tested and passed the relevant part of the EN-71 Regulations:

Acrylic Lacquer
Acrylic Sanding Sealer (both types)
Cellulose Sanding Sealer (both types)
Melamine Lacquer (both types)
Finishing Oil
WoodWax 22 Clear
Microcrystalline Wax
Shellac Sanding Sealer
Hard Wax Oil
Acrylic Gloss Lacquer
Acrylic Satin Lacquer

you could leave them unfinished but they would look shabby quite quickly with grubby sticky hands touching them.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The product is called "Finishing Oil". It's a bit like a lighter grade of Danish Oil.

 

[CHJ]

.....Fogive my ignorance but what do they mean by "finishing oil" ?

It is my understanding that the Chestnut Finishing Oil is a blend akin to the oft referred to 'Danish oil', I believe when first marketed by Chestnuts the nomenclature 'Danish Oil' was not used in deference to the original developer of such a blend.

Danish oil blends can vary considerably between suppliers, I suspect not all necessarily having passed the appropriate clearance test for Child Safe.

 

[whatknot]

Thank you

Thats odd I have never come across a tin named just finishing oil

I just thought it was a generic name for several different ones

I should have googled it and found just as you say, such as Liberon Finishing Oil

Many thanks

The product is called "Finishing Oil". It's a bit like a lighter grade of Danish Oil.

 

[whatknot]

Many thanks

These minor subjects do seem to be a minefield once you start exploring them don't they

.....Fogive my ignorance but what do they mean by "finishing oil" ?

It is my understanding that the Chestnut Finishing Oil is a blend akin to the oft referred to 'Danish oil', I believe when first marketed by Chestnuts the nomenclature 'Danish Oil' was not used in deference to the original developer of such a blend.

Danish oil blends can vary considerably between suppliers, I suspect not all necessarily having passed the appropriate clearance test for Child Safe.

 

[CHJ]

Yes always check the specification of similar named products and check that they have been certified as child safe.

There is a description of the various characteristics of the Chestnut Oils on their web site.

I believe that another quirk of testing and certification is that Food Safe and Child Safe are different categories, one ascertaining that they won't contaminated food when cured but not necessarily safe if consumed by a small child.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Bestwood Danish Oil is child and food safe.

 

[redmoorphil]

Sorry to be the voice of doom! but:
Please be aware that making kids toys for a show is an absolute minefield. They must be safety tested and carry the CE mark to show that they have been. You can do it yourself but it just isn't worth the fuss and getting it done elsewhere costs an absolute fortune. Without doing this you are opening yourself up to legislative trouble (e.g. what if a child chokes on one of your puzzles or a piece that comes off a toy?) and trading standards can get involved if the items are not correctly labelled. You can't just say they are safe, you have to produce the paperwork showing what tests were performed and the results.
This is really unfortunate, as I am sure that most hand made toys are 1000% safer than some of the tat in the shops but the government have made it just too risky to produce them. I now only make puzzles/toys for adults and make sure that people are aware that this is the case by notices on my table and cards put in the bag with the items. It's a real shame but the only people that get my kids toys are my friends and family at xmas.

That being said, if you go ahead:
What about the beeswax paste recipe from toymakingplans.com ? If i remember correctly its 1 pint of mineral oil and 1/2 a cup (american measurements) of grated beeswax. It has a lovely feel and a piece of cake to make. You just have to make sure that the pieces still fit after finishing puzzles. This is where Danish Oil comes into its own - no raised grain. Toolstation do a great danish oil for about £25 for 5 litres which is fine for sealing natural wood but I have found that if you stain the wood first it tends to dissolve the stain somewhat. Cheap and cheerful Bird Brand works better on sealing woodstain - or even food colouring. Just dont use TESCO own food colouring - rubbish, get supercook if you want to go down that path - at least food colouring is safe for kids too. A lot of Danish Oils are not safe for kids until they are cured - about 30 days.

 

[CHJ]

http://www.childsafetyeurope.org/public ... -guide.pdf

 

[whatknot]

I hear what you say but every show abounds with puzzles and items clearly made for children

As found in recent photos in these very forums

I will have a look at that recipe just in case it might be useful

I notice there are oodles of toy plans on that site but of course the USA has no such need it seems for CE etc ;-)

I suppose it also depends on how you describe an item too

Sorry to be the voice of doom! but:
Please be aware that making kids toys for a show is an absolute minefield. They must be safety tested and carry the CE mark to show that they have been. You can do it yourself but it just isn't worth the fuss and getting it done elsewhere costs an absolute fortune. Without doing this you are opening yourself up to legislative trouble (e.g. what if a child chokes on one of your puzzles or a piece that comes off a toy?) and trading standards can get involved if the items are not correctly labelled. You can't just say they are safe, you have to produce the paperwork showing what tests were performed and the results.
This is really unfortunate, as I am sure that most hand made toys are 1000% safer than some of the tat in the shops but the government have made it just too risky to produce them. I now only make puzzles/toys for adults and make sure that people are aware that this is the case by notices on my table and cards put in the bag with the items. It's a real shame but the only people that get my kids toys are my friends and family at xmas.

That being said, if you go ahead:
What about the beeswax paste recipe from toymakingplans.com ? If i remember correctly its 1 pint of mineral oil and 1/2 a cup (american measurements) of grated beeswax. It has a lovely feel and a piece of cake to make. You just have to make sure that the pieces still fit after finishing puzzles. This is where Danish Oil comes into its own - no raised grain. Toolstation do a great danish oil for about £25 for 5 litres which is fine for sealing natural wood but I have found that if you stain the wood first it tends to dissolve the stain somewhat. Cheap and cheerful Bird Brand works better on sealing woodstain - or even food colouring. Just dont use TESCO own food colouring - rubbish, get supercook if you want to go down that path - at least food colouring is safe for kids too. A lot of Danish Oils are not safe for kids until they are cured - about 30 days.

 

[whatknot]

You lose the will after wading through that lot :-(

I know we need regulation but .............

http://www.childsafetyeurope.org/publications/info/product-safety-guide.pdf

 

[graduate_owner]

I wonder if you could sell toys in kit form with instructions for adults to assemble them. Would that bypass the stringent regulations, or at least some of them, by shifting the responsibility on to the adult who does the assembly?

K