child friendly finishes

[reads2kids]

I have been making puzzles and I would like to start making other types of toys, but I want to be very careful about the finishes that I use. Could anyone direct me to the appropriate finishes.

[reads2kids]

I looked through past posts and found some help here Finishing Concerns & Children
but I should clarify what I am looking for. I have been using rit dye to dye my puzzles (these are not jigsaw puzzles but the stand up puzzles). I've noticed that the dye is fading, and I am worried about a child putting it in their mouths. I haven't wanted to paint, because of the time involved and having to avoid painting the interior cuts so the puzzle won't stick. I am interested in leather dye, the color seems more vibrant, but that brings me back to the safety issue.

As far as other toys, I would most likely paint them with craft acrylic paints and then use a spray sealer. At least this has been my standard practice, and it seems like from what I have read that once it dries it is okay for kids to use.

[workin for wood]

Not familiar with rit dye's, but otherwise what you're saying sounds good to me. There are water base dye's that do a great job, such as Transfast.

[sawdustus]

According to Bob Flexner's book "Understanding Wood Finishes", once the finish has cured it is no longer toxic. By cured, he means that all of the solvents have evaporated off completely. If you can no longer smell the solvent, it has probably evaporated completely. It may take a day or a month. It depends on how many coats you give it, how thick it is, and the weather. Hot and dry faster, cold and wet slower. Shellac is generally non-toxic except for the solvents. Petroleum and oil based finishes need longer to cure as the solvents are slower to evaporate. Acrylic craft paints are generally marked non-toxic.

I make stand up jigsaw puzzles for my granddaughter and generally finish them by spraying with polyurethane. I have some Danish oil and am going to try it on the bunch I am ready to finish this weekend. When the smell is gone, its cured. This allows me to coat all surfaces without making them too thick. If I am going to paint the piece, I only paint the visible surface with the puzzle fully assembled. Then I disassemble it and spray the whole thing. Judy and Dave Peterson dip their puzzles in Danish Oil Natural for finishing. I also make lots of painted inlay puzzle for granddaughter and I spray them with either shellac or poly to complete the finish.

I hope this helps you. George

[jigsue]

I use acrylic paints and acrylic spray varnishes (usually matt). Acrylics are totally safe once they have dried, as George correctly pointed out, so are most things (I don't think they sell lead-based paints anymore). To avoid getting paint on the inside cuts of jigsaws, I paint them with a sponge, or a wide flat brush - lay them flat and drag the sponge/brush across the top.

Dyes will penetrate through the edges of jigsaws and the end grain never looks great. You could use coloured waxes, but there is lots of work required for buffing. I find painting the easiest option. I use a sander sealer, sand down till smooth and then put use one or two coats of acrylic paing (I rarely need to sand between coats). Allow to dry - assemble the jigsaw and then spray with acrylic matte varnish - the pieces come apart easily and there is no run onto the cut edges.

Sue

[reads2kids]

All the problems with the toys made in China made me a bit paranoid. I want to be able to confidently tell people my toys are safe.

I like using the dye as it is pretty fast to add color, but with the tips here I should be able to make painting work. I may try using my airbrush to speed things along.

Just one more question about the sanding sealer. I am assuming you use the sanding sealer just on the face of the puzzles. How would it work to do that prior to cutting the piece?

Now I want to get to work making new puzzles, but it's bedtime. Drat!

[minowevie]

you can use plain old food coloring also. yes it will fade just like most dyes, but food safe. also. you can use minerale oil to seal the wood with. . minerale oil is the same as babby oil. but with out the perfume. rub it in good. and lots of it. hope this helps. your friend Evie

[workin for wood]

I prefer the dye because you can still see the wood grain where as paint coats it, but that's just a matter of personal taste. If you use a water based dye like transfast it will raise the grain on the wood. It doesn't fade much over time. You have to wash and then sand before applying the dye. Then you sand again but very carefully not to sand off the dye. If you do, just re-apply the dye. I mix the stuff in mason jars, then just put the lid on and label it when done. In the future you can re-use that color, add more dye to make it darker or add more water to lighten the color. A little dye in water goes a long way. I would finish in the puzzle cuts too. I can't speak for everyone and don't make puzzles. 3D puzzles that I have seen all have some slop in the fit. That would be from the kerf of the blade, which is good as you don't want the puzzle too tight and the bit of slop allows a finish to be applied without then making the puzzle not fit together. My assumptions. Paint with then poly on top might start to get a bit too thick to use in the puzzle cuts...in that case perhaps just paint the faces of the puzzles and only spray clear coat in the joints.

[jigsue]

Originally Posted by reads2kids

Just one more question about the sanding sealer. I am assuming you use the sanding sealer just on the face of the puzzles. How would it work to do that prior to cutting the piece?

I never used to finish prior to cutting, but recently I have applied sander sealer and even wax prior to cutting and it does work. It also cuts out fiddling about with tiny pieces and elminates getting the cut faces clogged up.

With the paining, I separate out all the pieces into piles according to the colour required. Paint them all once and by the time you have done that, the first ones are usually dry enough to apply the second coat. I find painting the least time consuming finish.

For segmented pieces, I would airbrush, but for jigsaws, keeping the cut edges free of paint is too much like hard work, hence wide, flat brushes or sponges.

Sue