185 Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety: Helpful Replies From The Net
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This article is from the Woodworking FAQ Collection 5, by multiple authors.
185 Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety: Helpful Replies From The Net
From: Jordan B Pollack <pollack@cis.ohio-state.edu>
I've found that "salad bowl oil" finish works
nicely as a finish for natural wood. after 72 hours, you can eat of it and
wash it, and I've used it on a toy train
set and on many puzzle backs. I've also left many puzzles and maple blocks
unfinished, assuming the years would just burnish them.
I've had the hardest time PAINTING toys and puzzles. Spray paint
seems to be allowed to say "nontoxic" when they really mean
non-leaded, and you could die during the application of them. Acrylic
craft paints brush on pretty poorly as do kid's watercolors. I've yet
to try enamel because it seems pretty expensive and toxic; Cherry hill
toy catalog (in the FAQ file) sells dipping paints for toys and a
finishing oil, which I've yet to try. Someone also recommended using
fabric paints with an airbrush, which costs $80 plus an air
compressor, so I haven't tried it either.
jordan
From: avery@attdso.ATT.COM (Bob Avery)
Although I can't be of help in locating the ASTM spec, I have recently
become interested in this subject also (first grandson). There is a
comment in a book called Making Toy Trains in Wood (or something like
that) that there is cylinder defined in a spec that if any part fits in
that cylinder the product must be marked not suitable for use by
children under 3 years old. The dimensions of the cylinder were not given
in the book unfortunately. The author mentioned it only because several
of his designs contained such small parts. [See section 4.6.1 of the
ASTM spec - KE]
The subject of toxic finishes is more elusive. I read in another source that
manufacturers were reluctant to state that their non-toxic products are
actually safe or meet certain specs for fear of litigation. Watco was
one of the few manufacturers who actually stated that their finishes became
non-toxic 30 days after application. I think I recall Carver-Tripp making
a non-toxic statement about their water based finishes, but I'll have to
check further.
Bob Avery
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That's all I have for now. Good luck in your endeavors, and if you invent
any clever new designs, please post them so I can make one for my nephew!
Kraig Eno
kraig@biostr.washington.edu
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