I am looking for a safe finish for use on toys for small children. I have read about a few that are considered safe for “food contact”. I am looking for a durable finish that will not soil quickly like an oil and collect dirt but also safe in event a smaller part is chewed on and finish is actually ingested. Most of my projects are made of Oak and I usually use a clear polyurethane, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Edited 11/28/2005 2:04 pm ET by BnRAdams
Replies
My first choice is no finish at all. If that's not an option, then shellac is considered non-toxic and OK for child use.
DR
All currently produced clear finishes are safe for children once they have cured. Just plan ahead so they have a chance to cure for a month before going to the kids.
I would say go one extreme or the other. Either a totally nontoxic food-safe finish like pure tung oil, mineral oil, mineral oil-beeswax mix, etc. (see FWW #129) or a seriously hard film finish that can't be chewed off and isn't any more toxic once cured than any other plastic toy (epoxy is probably best).
ALL finishes when cured are non=toxic. Choose the finish for what the object is. No finish up to varnish. It won't make any difference.
I think "none" might win in my "mother's" book. But if they aren't going to be heavily put in the mouth, the shellac might be what I would like from an aesthetic point of view.
Thanks for all the input.
Ive done some looking around and the consensus seems to agree with using shellac and allowing finish to cure for about a month. I really appreciate all the help!!
The problem with shellac is that it is softened by saliva so quickly looses it's effectiveness as a finish. If you use it however, it is fully cured as soon as the alcohol has evaporated and the surface is fully dry. Maybe a day or so.Howie.........
It might be worth your while to pay attention to the selection of wood, as sensitivities to some species can be troublesome; I wouldn't want to make a kid's toy out of silk oak or cocobola, or in some cases, walnut - especially if there's a predisposition to nut allergies.
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
For this particular project I'm using Red Oak. The intended recipient doesn't have any allergies that I'm aware of, but I never considered the effect of wood species.
I've been all over the map trying to find out what to finish an entertainment unit off in (my first project) and a number of roads are leading to shellac... so I've done some more research and indeed many sites and books suggest that shellac is child safe... and edible... so much so that it is used in the coating used for capsules that we ingest daily (ie. vitamins, etc.)... shellac, from what I understand is made up from bugs... check here for better description of safety and uses...http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/shellac.htmhope this helps!
All finishes are non-toxic once they are cured. Use what you want to do the job on the piece you are making.Gretchen
As someone who has manufactured batches of children's furniture I'm going to totally disagree with the comment that "all finishes are safe once cured" on the grounds that it presupposes all manufacturers of finishes have certified manufacturing processes which can ensure that neither lead, other heavy metals nor other toxins are either present in the base chemicals or could have been introduced by either the manufacturing or packing processes. In the UK we have a standard called BS 5665 - EN71/3 Toy Safety Regulations 1995 and the relevant parts of this standard to make a finish suitable for use on children's toys (and by default therefore on cribs, etc) are Section 2: Flamibility and Section 3: Chemical Properties. I am sure that you must have an equivalent standard to this in the USA for toy finishes. Indeed my insurers tell me that finishes manufactured to the standard meet or exceed the relevant standards in the USA. However, this standard is not cheap to impliment, so many finishing companies here in the EU have not done so on the grounds that it affects only a small percentage of their market. This in turn means that our choice of "off the shelf" safe finishing materials for toys, etc. is extremely limited to a few companies - unless of course we are prepared to have every batch of materials we buy tested (expensive!). Any finishing product manufacturer should be able to confirm whether or not they supply finishes suitable for use on children's toys and I'd recommend using only finishing materials from companies which have taken the appropriate steps to certify the safety of their product and who can show compliance to the above standard and/or its American equivalent. For a site highlighting standards around the world, see here.
As for the actual materials used, my supplier generally supplies either a 1-pack water-based acrylic or a 1-pack pre-catalysed acrylic lacquer. I would avoid the use of shellac unless you can be certain that it has been adequately tested.
Sorry this is so turgid, but children are much more susceptible to lead and other forms of poisoning that I feel extra diligence to safeguard their welfare is called for.
Scrit
Edited 12/6/2005 5:32 pm by Scrit
Looks like US regulations are quite different than those in the UK or Europe. There has not been lead in any coating (subject to certain mostly industrial exceptions) in the US since the late 70's and that is the only regulation I have found. There are mp FDA or other agency approval or certification required of specific finishes, only lists of driers considered safe. (For good or ill, we tend to use the tort system to regulate manufacturers. Manufacturers may want their own assurances from suppliers but their isn't a prospective certification process. If a manufacturer sells lead containing finishes, the parents of children showing lead toxicity will own the company. Therefore, there is no lead in consumer finishes. Full stop.)
None of the writers of books on finishing in the US, that I have seen, makes any reference to a food safe or child safe standard. Bob Flexner states in his recent book that no MSDS, required to list all ingrediants that are hazardous or toxic, has any warning against either food contact or child contact for any finish. He directly states that it is a myth that oil and varnish finishes are unsafe for food contact or for children. The only caveat is that the finish must be fully cured--eg 30 days. And, I'm pretty sure the universe he (and I) was speaking about is those materials available for finishing consumer products and furniture.
The consumer products safety commission as referenced in the web site reference in your world table shows only the lead prohibition. There may be other buried standards, but I doubt it. Makes it an easy call for your insurers. US toymakers need not worry about inadvertantly using hazardous finishes.
Edited 12/6/2005 10:08 pm ET by SteveSchoene
I was referring to the USA.Gretchen
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