Bright colourful stains.... Which wood is best?

[BobL]

Shellac is diluted with methylated spirit .... definitely not a safe mix for kids to chew on ... polyurethane would also be in that guild ... I don't know if danish oil is ok either

Shellac dialysed with meths is safe. The meths evaporates and what's left is in fact edible.

Heres what one MSDS says about Shellac

Acute Effects: Swallowed: Data suggests that the product should be considered as non toxic byingestion.



Not classified as hazardous according to NOHSC Australia.

[Christos]

....Shellac is diluted with methylated spirit .... definitely not a safe mix for kids to chew on .......

The methylated sprit should evaporates leaving the Shellac.

..... I don't know if danish oil is ok either....

If you check the contains of the danish oil you may find that most have a mix of some type of poly as well as dryers and of course the oil(linseed or tung as an example).

The main point is that once dried the agent used for drying evaporates off and the product left is what seals the wood.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Shellac is diluted with methylated spirit .... definitely not a safe mix for kids to chew on ...

Rob

Rob, all the metho evaporates once the shellac has set, so there is no issue there. Also, metho is not metho anymore - it no longer contains the poisonous methyl alcohol - but is really straight ethyl alcohol (as in beer, wine, spirits) plus a bittering agent (and often some water). Definitely not poisonous even to drink - just unpleasant (to drink). But there is none of the metho left once the shellac dries/sets. Ubeaut Hard Shellac would be the way to go. Once it is cross-linked (about 3 weeks after application) it is resistant to water and heat. It is NOT waterproof - if the item is left sopping wet (think a ring of water left from condensation on a cold glass on a coaster) the finish still deteriorates (goes milky) in my experience. But a bit of child lick soon dries so shouldn't cause a problem.

David

[Tahlee]

Thanks BobL,et al

I see what you mean about the evaporation ... that makes sense.

I've seen kids gnaw on blocks before .... it's not the shellac that I now worry about, its the dye running stains once the shellac is penetrated.

Anyway .... went to the paint shop today and they stock water based acrylic suitable for toys.... a yellow painted kid's toy train is even on the spray can label..... so that's what I have now used.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/white-kn...uirts_p1560611

I didn't use a primer ... so its taking a few coats to get a deep colour finish.

Thanks for the advice .... but the spray can water based acrylic paint is the option I have now gone for.
Regards

Rob