Notes on Toy Finishes

You can see some of my toys here.

 I am not an expert in finishing. These notes are based on my years of learning.

All paints and finishes sold in the US are considered nontoxic when fully cured. When something is dry, you can touch it without getting paint on your fingers. But when it's cured, all the volatiles have dissipated, and the finish has hardened. A finish can take hours, days, or weeks to cure fully.

Nontoxic doesn't mean you should eat it or that there is no long-term harm if you do. It simply means it won't send you to the emergency room if ingested.

For an easy, clear finish, you can use butcher block conditioner, a combination of mineral oil and wax. Many toy makers use a mineral oil and beeswax blend for a simple, fast finish. However, there is no cure time, and it is not a durable finish.

Polyurethane is an excellent finish that adds a slight amber tint and enhances the wood grain. However, it takes a long time to cure, typically two weeks or more, and requires sanding between coats. I do not recommend using water-based polyurethane.

I recommend acrylic paints for color. Most craft paint brands will work well for painting toys. I sometimes use house paint for certain projects. Flat colors dry fast, with a cure time of 12-24 hours for me. Multiple coats are often needed for some colors, with light sanding between coats. Some colors, such as yellow and orange, require a white base and take multiple coats. You can get acrylic paint in gloss; I rarely use it because the cure time is much longer than flat paint.

To add sheen to flat paint, I apply paste wax and buff it with a soft cotton cloth. For a glossy finish, I use Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss on top, which is clear acrylic. Many clear coatings are also available in aerosol cans, but I don't use these.

Shellac is another excellent finish option. It cures very fast and allows for recoating within minutes. It has been used for centuries to finish furniture and is approved for food use. Shellac can be tricky to work with and requires Scotch Brite abrasive pads or 0000 steel wool instead of sandpaper. Power sanders will melt the shellac and gum up your sandpaper. Shellac can be applied by spraying, brushing, or dipping.

Wood Toy Truck, Handmade and Finished with Shellac and Metallic Saphire Blue Acrylic Paint, Pickup from the Play Pal Collection - 662919813

Wood Toy Truck, Handmade and Finished with Shellac and Metallic Saphire Blue Acrylic Paint, Pickup from the Play Pal Collection

 

 

 

Buy Now: https://www.etsy.com/listing/662919813/

 

I made this toy truck using traditional woodworking tools in my toymaker's shop. It was carefully sanded and finished with hand-rubbed amber shellac and Metallic Sapphire Blue acrylic paint.

Each toy is carefully assembled and tested. My toys are of the highest quality I can make. Sometimes, I reject as many as 20% at some point in the build process for defects. Quality assurance happens at all build stages, so very few completed toys have issues. The few completed toys that have a problem are fixed or rejected. All of the materials used in making my toys are nontoxic.

My grandson has many versions of this toy truck. He has been playing with them for over three years. They are still going strong, outlasting many factory-made plastic toys.

Approximate Dimensions:
Length: 3-1/2 inches
Height: 1-3/8 inches
Width: 1-1/2 inches
Wheels: 3/4 inch diameter

Other sizes and colors are available via custom orders.

Request Custom Order
https://www.etsy.com/conversations/new?with_id=81938978&ref=shop_contact_items

Other Items You May Like

Toy Trucks:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/odinstoyfactory?section_id=34653279

Toy Cars:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/odinstoyfactory?section_id=34638962

Play Pal Toy Trucks and Cars
https://www.etsy.com/shop/odinstoyfactory?search_query=play%2Bpal

Shop Front Page:
https://odinstoyfactory.etsy.com

I make items by hand from natural wood and wood products. They can differ from one piece to the next. The one you receive may differ slightly from the item in the listing photos. Wood thickness may vary slightly from the stated size.

Not for children under three years old or kids that are still chewing things. If the toy breaks, small parts may present a choking hazard. Small children should not play with this toy without adult supervision.

Custom orders are always welcome in my shop. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me with your needs.

Handmade in Tallahassee, Florida USA

#odinstoyfactory #handmade #woodtoys #madeinusa #madeinamerica

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What kind of paint are you using for your Bad Bob's Custom Motors cars?

Bad Bob's Custom Motors

I use a variety of paints from various sources. I like the acrylic house paints the best. All of the paints are nontoxic when cured.

 I like to use a white primer to seal the wood and make the colors pop. In this case, I am using Zinsser B-I-N shellac based primer.

 I prefer to use an airbrush for painting toys but, I have to paint outdoors, and the weather where I live does not cooperate, and I have to wait or use a brush. I used an airbrush for these wooden toy cars. My airbrush is a Badger Anthem 155.

 I prefer acrylics over all other paints. They clean up easily, cover well, and are readily available in a vast array of colors. To clean, I flood with water to get rid of the bulk of the paint. The remaining paint is easily removed with ammonia-based cleaners such as window cleaner. I use household$ ammonia to remove dried paint.

 I used the following to paint these wooden toy car bodies.

Pink - Behr Acrylic House Paint
Green - Apple Barrel Gloss Green Acrylic Craft Paint
Blue - Behr Acrylic House Paint - Oops Paint
Yellow - Createx - Airbrush Paint
Red - Apple Barrel Bright Fed Acrylic Craft Paint
Lavender - Behr Acrylic House Paint - Oops Paint
Primer - Zinsser B-I-N

What is the best primer sealer for MDF?

Zinsser B-I-N White Shellac-Based Interior/Spot Exterior Primer and Sealer Is what I find works best.

I originally purchased this to use for a white base to make the color pop. Previously I use white acrylic paint on top of shellac. It worked pretty good but using the shellac based primer I get a white base and sealer in one step.

Shellac is compatible with just about any finish. It will seal pine knots. This primer is used for a sealer when repairing smoke damage after a fire.

I just did a test on an MDF Play Pal minivan. One coat was all it took.

I get it at Home Depot in the paint department.

 

Which Finish Should I Use On My Toys?

It's not a simple choice when you intend to sell them or even give them away. You have to consider the age of the person the toy is designed for. There are several finishes to choose from when finishing wooden toys.

• Drying Oils
• Non-Drying Oils
• Polyurethane
• Shellac
• Paint

There may be others, but these are the ones I have used.

If I am making a toy intended for a child under three years old that puts everything in their mouth and likes to chew on things No finish at all is probably the best choice. These toys should be very simple and made from woods like hard maple. Although ti its used by many toymakers, I would not put any sort of oil on these toys.

In my totally unscientific testing, I find that kids will almost always go for the painted toys. I have seen a few exceptions to this, but not many. Where the kids get to look at the toys, the painted toys may rule the day. If selling online adults are usually the shoppers. They seem to like to see the wood grain, but not always. I have had customers tell me that they prefer the rustic look. Then there is what colors to use. If you want to sell your toys, you have to pick colors that someone you do not know will like.


For kids three years old and up, my target market. My rule is anything but non-drying oil finishes is good. All of the finishes are nontoxic when cured.

In my online store and in social media that gets the most views is a pine bodied hot rod finished with shellac. It is rapidly overtaken by a pinewood car finished with polyurethane. Being sure what drives these things is very difficult. In this case, I think that the photography may have something to do with it. The difference is quite significant. Within the first week, it passed the longstanding top listing that had been there for more than a year.

32 Ford Sedan Hot Rod finished with amber shellac, and a bit of acrylic paint is the current leader for the last 12 months in my Etsy shop.

A Hot Rod 27 T-Coupe is the up and coming challenger poised to overtake the leader after only a short time.

My top five listings are a mix of polyurethane, shellac, paint and unfinished toys. I know this is not really a scientific method, but I work with the data that I have. Recently I posted a link to a painted car I was making on my Pinterest board. After the posting, my Pinterest views went up by more than 300k. I have a suspicion that this one will upset the apple cart. How did I pick the colors? I didn't, my grandson picked colors that I never would have chosen.

Wooden Toy Car - Bad Bob Motors Coupe - Amber Shellac - Green - Yellow

Confused yet. I am.

My current take on all of this is that it depends. I work a lot with pine. If the grain looks nice, I will use polyurethane. Otherwise, it will get paint or shellac. When I make custom orders, I make extras. Just in case one is damaged or broken I have more than one and I don't need to start over. Sometimes one of these will have some beautiful grain. I will save that one to finish with polyurethane. Playsets pretty much demand paint. Toys made from MDF always get painted. I never apply any of the wood blocks I make and would not use any kind of finish on blocks.

Finishing toys are difficult. You may find that finishing is the most time consuming and difficult part of making toys.  It's a complicated issue. I have only touched the surface of.  I have more posts planned to discuss it.

Toy Makers Shop - Wheels, Wheels, and More Wheels

If you are going to make toys you are going to use a lot of wheels. The last time I bought wheels I ordered about 1600  wooden wheels. Sounds like a lot but keep in mind that one of my little tractor trailer rigs has 18 wheels. 500 hundred wheels make 27 trucks with a few extras.

After that last order I've taken to storing wheels in the large jars that nuts and other things come in.  I did this after I received an order of a 1000 wheels that all came in one big bag. Previous to this they were all in bags of 100. Once you open the bag you have to do something with the wheels.  The jars are cheap as in practically free.  They are quite sturdy and sit nicely on a shelf.

Using the set up pictured below I can finish wheels continuously provided the weather cooperates. If the relative humidity is below 50% shellac drys very fast. The first wheel in the rack will be dry long before I drop one into the last hole.

20171201_122332_HDR Wooden Toy Car Wheels TWT150 On the Drying Rack

Wooden Toy Car Wheels TWT150 Shellaced and in the Jar

Wooden Toy Car Wheels TWT125 Shellaced and in the Jar

Wooden Toy Car Wheels TWT150 Unfinished