Kid Safe Finishes ???

[j_b_fischer]

In addition to pens, I'm thinking of making things for grandkids ... maybe even to sell at craft shows.

Can someone help me out with a pointer to a discussion on which finishes are OK for little kids (who like to put things like rattles in their mouths).

I have a bottle of finish that says to 'keep away from children', but I don't know if that means the bottle of finish, of the things the get finished!

I'm sure I can't be the first person to ask this .. so a quick pointer would be great and then I'll go do some reading.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gary Max]

Read the back of a gallon can of Deft

 

[ldb2000]

I use salad bowl finish on the toys I make . It holds up well and after it has cured it's food safe so kid safe as well . For colors , use Food coloring to dye the wood then finish with some salad bowl finish .
Walnut Oil works good too , just takes more coats and longer to cure .
Hope that helps .

 

[workinforwood]

Most finishes are safe for kids. No lead...you are pretty much good to go. Deft is not safe for kids if they drink the can. Once it is applied and cured, it is inert, and then it is completely safe....er well as safe as any plastic toy or wood toy can be. We all know that kids can injure themselves in a padded room.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I wouldn't worry too much about our modern finishes, my worry would be the wood. For kids toys I would only use maple, beech or birch. A lot of exotic woods can cause very strong allergies. A kid can bite easily through a finish and kids often chew on things for a long time, they could get something out of the wood that might be worse than the finish.

 

[jaywood1207]

I would be careful with any nut wood or nut oil due to allergies as well.

 

[Chasper]

I would get familiar with the details of CPSIA before selling anything that is intended for kids.

http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/cpsia.HTML

 

[RussFairfield]

You can always make them the same way that Fisher-Price made their toys before everything became plastic. The kid could eat the toy. The wood was pine, and the coloring was vegetable dye. Anything painted was turpentine and vegetable oils, with vegetable pigments. Everything was 100% edible.

There is an article about food-safe on my website

http://www.woodturner-russ.com/FSOriginal3a.html

 

[j_b_fischer]

Good Info !!!

Thanks a bunch to all. The information is great. I'll chase down the pointers and do some reading ... and then make some toys for my family and friends (I'll skip the 'sell at craft show' part for now).

Thanks again ...