Replies

1. 
   ring | Jun 03, 2005 09:27am | #1

   Angus,

   I have had the good fortune to make blocks for 7 grandchildren already, and still going strong.  Maple, Walnut, Oak, Cherry, Mahogany, Ash, Beech.  Don't put any finish on at all.   I have food-safe finishes in the shop but I would not use anything for kid's blocks.   They get to know what wood smells like from up close.  I assure you that your son will not actually eat the blocks, and he might grow up to distinguish oak from cherry just by the feel and smell... 

   DR

   
   

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   Edited 6/3/2005 6:11 am ET by ring

1. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 04, 2005 01:00am | #6

   Ring I just loved that post.. A Gooder...

   EDIT::

   I assure you that your son will not actually eat the blocks..

   My grandaughter.. She said.. PAPA.. These blocks taste funny.. I don't like them???

   I used Hickory..  EDIT: But she is from China....???

   Edited 6/3/2005 6:03 pm ET by Will George

   Edited 6/3/2005 6:04 pm ET by Will George

2. 
   AlanWS | Jun 03, 2005 05:55pm | #2

   I'm pretty sure that just about any finish is safe -- as long as you wait until it's fully cured to let him chew on it. Some varnishes or oils are sold as "salad bowl finish", but I'm sure Flexner or Dresdner or one of the other finishing experts made the claim of my foirst sentence.

   I'm restricitng that to statement currently available finishes, not lead paint. Varnish would be better than paint, as the pigments might not be good, and colors will contain different things, so it's a much more complicated problem to be sure they're all safe. I would also avoid walnut oil because some people are dangerously allergic, though most would find it harmless.

   If you want one known to be extremely safe, try shellac. While it won't protect the wood too much from moist chewing, it is safe enough that it is used to coat pills. Mineral oil wouldn't seem to offer much benefit over unfinished wood.

3. 
   Ricks503 | Jun 03, 2005 06:14pm | #3

   It is true that almost any current finsih is safe when cured, however some can take 2-4 weeks to fully cure.

    

   As mentioned, Shellac is safe. It is used for pills, it is used on cribs and other such.

   Mineral oil is also safe, it is the recommended finish for cutting boards. it is not truely a finish, rather helps the wood from drying out from washings and helps prevent bacteria from penetrating too deeply into the wood from what I understand.

   Tung oil can be used but that also takes a couple of weks to fully cure. 

   We had tought of painting them in nice primary colors, but I used a number of shorts that I and some other woodworkers I know had lying about, so we have a mix of species and all in their natural color.

   When I made blocks for my son, I came up up with something like 5-6 sandard shapes so I could set up and amke 30 of each at a time.  I also bought some 1 1/2" dowels in differant species and cut to diffetan lengths as well. 

   What took me the longest, was that I sanded all the blocks to 320 grit and just knocked off the sharp edges and corners to reduce splinters and that was all. Of course, my wife then insisted I make a wooden box for them to go in. I suggested a plastic bin - we now have them in a nice cherry  box.  I was then asked to anticipate a year or so down the road and make our own "lincoln logs"  and "tinker toy" sets!!!  A case of too well done I guess.  Oh well, he enjoyed them and we put them away for the grandkids to enjoy next.

   1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
4. 
   Samson | Jun 03, 2005 06:21pm | #4

   Milk paint is non-toxic when dry.   Check out http://www.milkpaint.com

    

   No finich at all is also a good suggestion as it leave the blocks less slippery and thus, more easily stacked on one another - a little friction helps - sort of like in workbenches.

5. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 04, 2005 12:50am | #5

   Just me.. MAPLE and leave them just sanded... They get all full of peanut butter anyway... If color just use Acrylic paints.. Many colors and safe as far as I know~

   EDIT:  WHY NOT.. Make the blocks and sort of 'HELP 'HIM' paint the blocks as he likes.."  Good time together...

   
   

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   Edited 6/3/2005 5:51 pm ET by Will George

6. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 04, 2005 01:14am | #7

   i remember all the fun i had as a kid ..

   Me and my brother made LEAD Sholdiers Melted it on the kitchen stove,,, and nobody told US it was BAD for us!  LOL  And we made Mercury fron this RED powder on the same stove!  .. Oh geeeeee...

1. 
   philip | Jun 05, 2005 01:56am | #10

   Will, you have just given us a HUGE insight!

7. 
   nikkiwood | Jun 04, 2005 06:03pm | #8

   This question comes up frequently, and as others have noted, any oil finish (including Watco, BLO, etc) will work fine. The only precaution you should take is to set them aside for upwards of a month -- the time it takes for the oil to completely cure (so the oil is inert).

   For a film finish, shellac would indeed be the best.

   But speaking of making play things for a kid, do you know about Froebel Blocks? As an infant, Frank Lloyd Wright literally cut his teeth as an archetect with these geometric shaped blocks, and the FLW foundation still promotes them:

   http://www.wrightplus.org/programs/froebel.html

   A Google search for "froebel blocks" will turn up a wealth of information.

   ********************************************************
   "I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
   -- Herb Caen (1916-1997)

1. 
   angusj | Jun 04, 2005 09:19pm | #9

   thanks again for all the great replies. what a great resource this is. angus

2. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 05, 2005 11:20pm | #11

   a safe for kids finish?? 

   Mothers Milk if she did not moke?

3. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 05, 2005 11:24pm | #12

   shellac would indeed be the best.  I think they GLAZE candy wit it!