Shopsmith Forums

What would be a good finish to apply to a red oak cradle I'm building? I've been told in two different woodworking stores, that once any finish drys, it's non-toxic. I am shying away from using a salad bowl finish because it would have to be reapplied.

Beeg,
I make one with red oak a couple yrs ago. Used MinWax golden oak for the stain and covered that with Urathane. Was happy with the results.
Roger

beeg wrote:What would be a good finish to apply to a red oak cradle I'm building? I've been told in two different woodworking stores, that once any finish drys, it's non-toxic. I am shying away from using a salad bowl finish because it would have to be reapplied.

Welcome to the forum beeg,
I am no expert on finishes and no scientist to know about toxicity either, but I think that anything that might be chewed on by a baby could be ingested. I would be careful about what finish I used. A little investigation is called for. I suggest a trip to the library or a professional finish shop.

Shellac is completely non-toxic and safe for children's toys etc. You will get *much* better results if you buy dry flake shellac and mix it yourself (premixed canned shellac contains 'preservatives' which interfere with proper curing).

If you prefer a wipe-on finish, use walnut oil, which is a drying oil like linseed or tung but is, naturally, non-toxic.

beeg,
Come to think about it, it sure looks like shellac is what is used on "store bought" kids furniture.

solicitr wrote:Shellac is completely non-toxic and safe for children's toys etc. You will get *much* better results if you buy dry flake shellac and mix it yourself (premixed canned shellac contains 'preservatives' which interfere with proper curing).

If you prefer a wipe-on finish, use walnut oil, which is a drying oil like linseed or tung but is, naturally, non-toxic.

Shellac is what I have used on many toys that I have made, mainly because it is safe and easy to repair if it is overapplied. It is not very durable when exposed to water so I'm not sure how it would hold up to a child sucking on the top rail of a crib for any length of time.

The good part though is that it is easily repaired if it deteriorates.

Just my $0.02.

John

All the recient cribs I have seen use a plastic strip on the top edge where kids chew most.

It sounds like my best bet is with the shellac. Thanks for the replys.

paulmcohen wrote:All the recient cribs I have seen use a plastic strip on the top edge where kids chew most.

I would rather my baby was chewing the shellac rather then the plastic. According to this article]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac[/URL] , shellac is edible.