Hello ! View Image This is my first post. I’ve been refinishing vintage radios lately, using lacquer. I started using lacquer because most of the older radios were fininshed in lacquer, although I’d never used it before. I’ve almost exclusively used brushed on poly for all my wood projects around the house. Boy was I empressed, I can get a very deep, highly polished finish with very little effort or time! I’d like to do all my projects from now on with lacquer, but I’m not sure if it’s approriate for kids furniture, a cradle specifically… I’ve been asked to make a cradle as a gift for a young single mother my sister knows. This lady’s had a rough time of it, and I want this to be meaningful and special, and certainly not harmful… I’m using Red Oak, can I use lacquer on a cradle ? Will it hold up to the demand it may be put though ? I’m not 100% sure its waterproof, but is there something I can “seal” it with to make it so ? I like the ability to block sand and polish the finish to mirrored glasslike within hours, but have never really succeeded with poly, it’s too long between coats, 10 coats of poly would take 2 months… If lacquer is the wrong choice, what’s a better alternative ? By the way, I’m using Rattle cans of Mohawk lacquer and toner.
Thanks, and I hope to be here frequently, Rich…
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Replies
A child will only be in a cradle for a very short time, they out grow them in a few months and they won't have any teeth to eat the cradle or mobility to move around much. Cured lacquer isn't toxic. If you are putting on ten coats, the lacquer may craze in the future, way too much. It may take a long time to fully cure and can off gas for months. Use a sanding sealer for the first coat or two then keep the top coats to two or three, maybe four. It's not waterproof, not that it should matter.
You might want to go to this site http://www.cpsc.gov/about/CPSIA/smbus/manufacturers.html and understand the new regulations regarding items manufactured for children 12 years old and younger. Under the regulation a home hobbiest builder is considered a "manufacturer" and subject to the regulations.
In addition, there are new regulations relating to childen's sleeping items like cradles, cribs and beds. Google "cribs, regulations" for the location of this info.
A builder is subject to the regulations even if the user will be their own child.
cradle
lacquer takes about 30 days to harden and will off gas during that time, so finish it and set it aside so it will be safe for a child to be very near. One of my first projects was a tv stand done in lacquer and of course I thought the stand was dry enough to put a tv on it. I later found 4 dents in the lacquer where the tv was and learned it takes time for the lacquer to harden enough for expected use.
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