baby-safe coloured paint

[wayneo75]

phew! I was worried, you were aware of something that would be an issue.

I have been researching for a while and was trying to use something that I already had rather than go and buy yet another finishing product......if i buy too many more i will have to display a HAZMAT sign on the front of my shed!

[Bloss]

I'm puzzled about Shellac for children's toys? Shellac is a poor performer with any moisture and will discolour and soften if directly in contact with water. A very young child sucking and rubbing on a shellac coating just doesn't make sense to me although for older children past the sucking age it seems a good choice as it is non-toxic (after the solvent has dried completely) and quite durable. I suppose the fact that it is approved by US FDA and others for such use means it is fine and in any case the main affect of sucking would be aesthetic. Answered my own post!

[preeng2]

Bosun,
Milk paint. Natural, non-toxic, highly water resistant and most durable.
Conrad

[forunna]

I never would have thought die could give such deep colours.
Im intrigued.
How would you do white and grey?
what about details like thin lines and simple lettering?
how does end grain effect it?

Might just have to give it a go and see what happens.

[wayneo75]

ok so now i have put three coats of Rustins Danish Oil over the top of the dyed pine that is in my previous post and when moistened with water or saliva and then rubbed with a white cloth the dye still shows up on the cloth not much but still a little (i don't want to dye my nephew's face when he chews on a block)

what's going on?? I even followed the instructions!!

Heres hoping a further few coats will do the trick and seal in the dye

[preeng2]

Better go with a coat or two of shellac over the top.

[munruben]

Yes, go with Shellac. I would have used that in the first place but same as Wendy said, thats just my opinion.

[bsrlee]

Danish Oil usually contains 'heavy metals'. Without a copy of 'Safety of Toys Regulations BS EN 71 Part 3 1995' I don't know if that refers to small parts, choking hazards or what, from BS EN I'd guess that it is a UK standard and the date is over 12 years old, so it may allow things that are now prohibited in newer regulations - trust a marketing type like you would a politician.

[wayneo75]

Better go with a coat or two of shellac over the top.

Ok I will give it a whirl

[ubeaut]

Water dyes must be sealed with a surface coating. NOT an oil or a wax. I reckon it actually says that somewhere in the instructions.

Polyurethane, lacquer, epoxy or shellac. By far the safest is shellac. As well as being used for fine furniture and to coat tablets, fruit etc it was also used in the past for records, electrical wiring insulator and a whole heap more hard and tough stuff.

Shellac is easy to apply and can be completely colourless so will bring out the highlights in the timber without darkening the stain and if it gets damaged, simply recoat it.

Children can chew on it till the cows come home and it won't hurt them. Sucking their fingers would be more of a health hazard then shellac.

Shellac is still one of the most waterproof finishes, but it does show a mark that looks like it's come off. Most times this is because moisture through heat has been drawn out of the timber. It's main enemy is alcohol so keep the children off the grog and there shouldn't be a problem.

If you want to paint. Buy paint. To my knowledge there are no lead based paints available so unless your tight and use stuff your dad had left in the garage there shouldn't be a problem.

Almost any acrylic should do the job. Most spray cans etc. are alright. It's not rocket science any more as the govt. has legislated us into a completely paint safe environment. Just buy good quality Aussie stuff and keep away from the cheap imported stuff. You never know what's in it. Don't rely on MSDS to tell the truth. I know they should but many don't or at least some omit important stuff. But as a rule anything made by well known Australian paint manufacturers should be fine due to our strict controls.

Cheers - Neil

[cricket_ali]

Hi all

I stumbled on the first part of this post needing some advice on finishing some blocks for my nephew. I purchased the non toxic water dyes which look great then finished with Danish Oil. I tested them by licking a block myself and apart from a momentary nasty taste of the oil (probably a good clue NOT to use it ) they seemed okay - wrong move ... my 1yo nephew chewed on the block and ended up with yellow all over his face. So the consensus is use Shellac.

Question: do I need to remove the Danish Oil before coating with Shellac? How do I remove it?

Thanks

[soundman]

you will find the Ubeaut hard shelac a bit more resistant to moisture.

If you are looking for a "paint"...have a look at receene lustacril & enamacril.

they are engineered from the ground up enamel substitutes unlike the modified acrilics the others are trotting out.......this crowd are very big into low toxisity.

cheers

[madmac123a]

I have been looking for information on how to finish my kids furnature and this information helps out alot... much appriciated.