Finishes for Wooden Toys

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Created on Tuesday, 29 March 2011 10:55

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 07:38

Written by Administrator

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There are several options for the sort of finishes used on wood toys, since toys can be treated in the same way as turned bowls, utensils and cutting boards.

1. No finishes. You can leave toys unfinished for indoor toys. Just give it a fine sanding.

2. Do not use vegetable oils since they let off a pungent smell after some time has passed.

3. Specially formulated salad bowl or cutting board finishes can also be used since they are food-friendly post-drying.

4. Walnut oil can also be used and is freely available at your regular grocery store and mail order supply stores. The great thing about walnut oil is its nature: it reacts with the air and hardens.

5. Pure Tung oil has neither solvents nor chemicals and is basically a vegetable oil that won't turn rancid and produces a solid finish.

6. Rockler's Toymaker's Finish

7. Watco's Oils are said to be food and baby-friendly provided they have been set to dry for 30 days or more since it allows for full polymerization.

8. Shellac is among the oldest oils for nontoxic coatings typically produced in Thailand or India, and has been used in confectioner's glaze formulation. This lengthens shelf life for coated candies, for instance chocolate covered almonds and is one of the safest, food-friendly oils. It is also used for pill coatings by pharmaceutical companies.

9. Latex paint while claimed to be nontoxic on drying, should probably be double checked via their labels whether this holds.

10. Water-based polyurethanes are normally nontoxic but again, labels should be checked to ensure this holds true.

Whichever finish you decide to go with, however, directly contacting its manufacturer and determining whether all information is correct, is useful. Alternatively, an MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) can also be requested for validity.

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