Etsy Listing - Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Freaky Ford, 27 T Coupe

20171010-120840 Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

I have/had a dilemma with this one. What do I do if the toy gets damaged during the build process? I have a basic rule I try to live by: If it gets broken its trash. If it is a part I can make another one. If its early in the build it is annoying but not but still its not to difficult to start over. Not so with this one.

So here is the the story.

I dropped it. Not early in the process but when it was 99% complete. If you have made painted wooden toys before you know is a lot of work. At least twice as much work as making unfinished wooden toys. It can be 5 or even 10 times more work depending on how complicated the toy you making is. At this point in the build it was very hard for me to just toss it in the trash.

First I tried to fix the toy car. I soon discovered that repairing a shellac finish on a toy that was already assembled and painted without damaging other parts of the toy was difficult and time consuming.  I decided that the best thing for me to was give it a quick touch up and let it go as is.

Now what do I do with this not so bad looking damaged Ford 27 T Coupe?

I made these to sell in my Etsy store. My grandson has several already. He would gladly take it but I'm already catching some flack about where we are going to put all of these toys I'm making for him. SoI decided to sell it in my store at a substantial discount. It really doesn't look that bad unless you look really close and any little boy that gets it will soon beat it up pretty good anyway. These make a pretty neat looking shelf sitter to decorate your home or office with. Just turn the good side out.

I've put the listing up and clearly described it as blemished. I'm going to let it go through the listing cycle over Christmas and then decide what to do with it. This Etsy business is all just one experiment after another and the listing only costs twenty cents for four months. If it sells that will be great because then I'll know I can sell scratch and dent items and not throw them in the trash. If it doesn't sell over Christmas then that will tell me something too.

Take a look and tell me what you think?

Left Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

Lookin' good here.

Right Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

Right Side  - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

This angle looks great.

Left Side  - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

Nece little chip got knocked out of the rear corner.

Left Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

The nick in the left rear corner is very visible s is the spot on the top. 

Right Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

I can barely see them fro this angle.

Left Side Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

If I look really close I can see blemishes in this photo. 

Right Side Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

None of the blimishes are visible from this angle.

Right Rear Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs
I can't see any of the famage from this angle.

Left Rear Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs

I can see two of the spots but still it looks good here to my ees.

Left Side Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs
Looks fine from this angle.

Right Side Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs
Here you can barely see the blemishes

Right Front Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs
Looks pretty good from this angle.

Rear Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs Here you can see a couple of dings and skint spots.

Front Top - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs
This view looks pretty good.

Bottom - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Black Hubs
You can see where I started to repairing the shellac.

Etsy Listing - Nosy the Dragon Unfinished Free Standing Wooden Toy Dragon Puzzle

Nosy the Dragon an unfinished free standing wooden toy puzzle cut from 1.5 inch thick southern yellow pine.

Height = 7.5 inches
Legenth = 6 inches
Thickness = 1.5 inches

I cut this version of Nosy the Dragonfrom a piece of southern yellow pine 2x12 I had left over from a Toddler Rocking Pony I made for my grandson Odin. I think southern yellow pine is difficult to cut. The combination of very hard and very soft grain mens you have to cut slow and careful with sharp blades to get acceptable cuts. I used two blades on this one and probably should have used three.

I cut this with a #5 skip tooth blade. I could have used a larger blade and cut it faster but I have sanding these and and cutting slow with a fine blade can save a lot of sanding. Also when using a fast cutting blade when something goes wrong it goes wrong really fast. You can ruin a piece in a big hurry.

Even before it was sanded the pieces worked well. To test the puzzle pieces for proper fit and squareness I slide them together and out the other side in both directions. If the puzzle pieces are bad out of square they will get stuck. It doesn't need to be out of square much to when the puzzle is thick. If it is just tight you might be able to fix it with a little careful sanding. You can't sand sand much or the puzzle will be ruined. If they get stuck it goes in the trash.

Click here or any of the photos to see the listing.
Click here to go to the store.
 

Left Rear - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Right Rear - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Right Side - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Right Front - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Left Side - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Left Side Top - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Left Side Top Rear - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Right Side Top Rear - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

RIgght Side Top - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

RIght Side Front Top - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Yellow Pine - Unfinished - 7.5x6x15 Inches

Etsy Listing - Nosy Dragon, Shelf Sitter, Wooden Toy Free Standing Puzzle Unfinished Poplar

The photography for thes one took a long time. I thought I had this all figured out then I met light colored wood on a white background. No matter what I tried I just could not get this to work. There just wasn't enough contrast. It is also posible the my photography skills were just not up to it.

After trying many different things I started trying different backgrounds and it finally hit with blue. Black worked pretty good too but I have never ironed the wrinkles out of the  black backdrop and it looked really bad,

I cut  this batch of Nost Dragon Puzzles from poplar. It cut really easy but it the cuts were really fuzzy. I was able to take care of the fuzzies with a sanding mop.

The sanding mop is new to me and I am just now starting to under stand how it works. You need a very light touch or its going to take the piece away from you and throw it across the room. It always throws it into a hole behind some thing so you are back there scratching around with a flashlight trying to find. I didn't break anything thankfully.

Left Side - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

Right Side - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

Left Rear - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

Right Rear - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

Right Front - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

Left Front - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

Dragon Sitting on a door frame - Wooden Toy Puzzle - Dragon - Poplar - Unfinished - 7.5x6 Inches

New Etsy Store Listing - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 Ford T Coupe

This is handmade wooden toy '27 T Coupe. The body is made from wood. The body is solid pine. The wheels. exhaust and axle pins are made from birch hardwood. The large wheels will let it roll well on most any surface even carpet.

The the wheels and body are body finish is hand finished with several coats amber shellac. The wheels are finished with hand brushed shellac. Exhausts and axle hubs are painted with non toxic acrylic paint and top coated with clear shellac.

Shellac is a safe nontoxic durable finish that has been approved by the FDA for use in foods. It is used as a glaze on many foods and medications. There is a good chance that you ate some shellac today.

I make every effort to make sure the toys I make perform well. The axles are sanded smooth and waxed and nylon washers are between the wheels and the body to insure the toy truck rolls smoothly.

Not only is this wooden toy 27 T Coupe an excellent toy but it makes a very nice decoration for home or office. I have the a 32 Deuce Coupe in my office at my day job.

There are a couple of tight knots in this one I like them although the do make it more difficult to cut. The resin sticks to the blade and causes it to bind a little more than normal. Cut slow and enjoy the smell.

Lots more photos for this one. Recently Etsy increased the number of photos to 10 and I'm trying to take advantage of that.

Click here or on any of the photos to go to the store Listing.

Left Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Left Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Left Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Right Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Right Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Right Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Left Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Left Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Left Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Right Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Right Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Top Right Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 37 T Coupe - Pine - Amber Shellac - Metallic Green Hubs

Blue Wood Toy Hot Rod 1927 Ford Bucket-T - 1115622513 - Made To Order

I made this one as an experiment using some almost free MDF I picked up at Home Depot in the cull lumber pile because it was broken.  I made quite a few toys from that piece of MDF. When I am making toys I rarely need a piece larger than 10 inches long and most are a good bit smaller than that.

The paint was also an experiment using hand brushed Behr acrylic house paint with an additive called Flotrol that slows drying time and lets the brush marks flow out smoother. It works pretty good.

I sold this one today. The first one of my Bucket Ts I have sold. Now I need to make a new one. If it sells you need more.

Left Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Right Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Right Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Left Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Left Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Right Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Here are the first photos I took. I wasn't to sure about the blue on blue look and reshot it on my shop work bench. I liked the workbench photos much better. I think all the wood toys waiting for further assembly adds a little something. Now that Etsy lets us have 10 photos I would have used these too.

Left Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Left Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Right Rear - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Right Side - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Right Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Front - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 27 T Bucket - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

Painted vs Bare Wood Which one is the best?

Short answer is it depends.

Wooden Toy Car - Unfinished - 1932 Ford Sedan - Hot Rod

Painted vs Bare Wood is a complex question with no easy answer. In my limited experience, kids go for colors every time. Adults go for wood. I get the same message from experienced sellers.

I've sat with my grandson on my lap looking at photos of toys and asik which he liked best. Very nearly 100% of the time he picks the painted toy.  When he plays the bright colored toys are the ones he goes for.

Kids are not surfing Etsy stores for toys. The listings in my store that get the most hits and the most favorites always seem to be the painted ones. I'm guessing that the color photos grab their eye and get them in the store. Sales are about half and half. This also holds true in my YouTube channel. The video that consistently gets the most views is the one that has an icon with the brightest color.

Wooden Toy Car - Painted - Lavender - 1932 Ford Sedan - Hot Rod

Who is your target market? Do you want to crank out Play Pals by the hundreds hit them a lick and a promise with some sandpaper and throw them in your Etsy store and hope someone will buy them. Or do you have a specific market in mind.

The bottom line is: "You need to know who your target market is." Your selling toys for children but the parents have the money. I haven't figured out who my customers are yet. I'll just have to keep trying until I do.

Here there be Dragons

I made a few of these yesterday from a pattern that was published in Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts magazine. I've got a bit of a soft spot for dragons and my grandson loves them. When I saw this one I knew I had to make some.

They are made from poplar 1x6 and just barely fit. The first one I cut with a #5 reverse blade. It worked OK but the cuts were fuzzy aka woolly. I've seen this described but never encountered it. For the second one I switched to a #3 double cut and got a very smooth cut almost glossy in places.  However, I don't think I'm going to be doing any stack cutting with these blades. They cut on both the up and down stroke and they are a bit harder to control in the tighter turns.

I used my sanding mop for the first time on an actual project. It's going to take some getting used to but it cleans up the fuzzies and gently rounds the edges as advertised.  I was skeptical of this when I first got it because it would eat up the pieces of pine 2x4 I was using to break it in. More on sanding mop later.

Nosey Wooden Toy Dragon Puzzle