Hello from Sunny Florida

[Kim]

Hi all, I am relatively new to scroll sawing, but am quickly becoming an addict. I started out a few months ago cutting simple shapes to paint as Christmas gifts. Now I'm hooked on puzzles. I am currently cutting out some animal puzzles to use in my first grade classroom.

I'm a bit perplexed as to how to finish them. Oil, salad bowl finish, polyurethane, it all seems so foreign to me. I've been searching the forums a couple of days, and it appears that when it comes to finishing it is a case of personal preference. Unfortunately for me, I don't have a personal preference yet.

I'm hoping to learn many new techniques from all of you here in the forums.

Kim

[Sandy Oaks]

Hi Kim,

Welcome to the forum. Lots of friendly people here. When I finished my Stacked Ring Bowls, I used Butcher Block Finish. This is food safe, so it should be fine for puzzles.

[Plaquerd]

Kim
Welcome to the group. Lots of friendly knowledgeable people here to help. I think Denny's advice will work well.

[minowevie]

Hi Kim, welcome to the forum . glad your hear. Evie from southern Calif

[Burdez]

Kim:
First welcome glad you joined the family
Now for the bad news I wish I could give you the best finish to use but when it comes to finishes I'm low man on the pole here but for the good news I'm sure that a lot of knowledgable folks will be around shortly to help you out
Erssel

[Messman]

Kim Welcome to the forums. Where are you in Florida? I am in Florida myself. As for finishes go you are right it is a personal prefrence. The question(s) you need to ask yourself are:

do you want an easy to apply finish?

Does the finish need to be durable and how durable? I would venture to say that it needs to be fairly durable because of the age group you are talking about.

Will this item be placed in a mouth? As you make a choice of what type of finish look at the dry time and the cure time. Cure time is the time it takes for the finish to become 100% dry.

By answering these few questions you should be able to narrow down your selections fairly quickly.

[Kim]

Hey Chris,

I'm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

I'm working on stand up puzzles, so I think I need something that would be safe for children. I am using a salad bowl finish, but I'm not getting the shine that I want. I'm thinking of getting a buffer and seeing if I can get a shine that way. I don't want a high gloss, just something that will catch the sun at a craft fair.

Thanks for your help.

Kim

[lucky788scroller]

Welcome. Yes, finish is mostly personal preferance, and availability. For me, its Watco danish oil, and clear coated with a few coats of Deft from an aerosol can.Simple, yet durable and effective.

[miniwoodworker]

Welcome, Kim.

Mineral oil from the drugstore is food safe. Plain ol mineral oil is usually less expensive than the equivalents that are marketed to target audiences. (Hope that makes sense.)

Most hard finishes that are allowed to completely cure are usually safe for kids. If memory serves, water based poly takes about 30 days to cure. Even though the finish might feel dry to the touch in a short period of time, it does take time to cure. Check with the manufacturer, if cure time info isn't readily available for a product you choose.

Hope this helps, a bit. Again, welcome!

[MasterofNone]

Hi Kim, welcome to you from a newbie. If first impressions are correct (and they usually are) this is the place to be. Have a great sunny day.....Ken