Baby Rattle

[Tim McClelland]

Could anyone tell me if using Renassaince wax on a baby rattle would be harmful to the baby? If so, what else could be used. I made a baby rattle for my grandaughter out of maple and buffed it with no finish, but after a few months of it going to the mouth it is dull looking. I need to d a repair on it and would like to re finish it. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Sorry if this is not the answer you were looking for but toss it out and make a new one. I know there are food grade finishes but I can't imagine anyone advising you to put a finish on something a baby would "consume". I know you probably considered the fact that the unfinished toy is porous and the baby's saliva in the raw wood may be a breeding ground for germs, hence the desire to finish it. I also know baby toys are plastic as are dried finishes like polyurethane. Still, that's a weak limb you may be sitting on.
Maybe someone knows a non wooden product you can turn that requires no finish and is non porous and food grade. If you find one, let me know. My first grandchild is due in December. Enjoy yours.
fmr

[John Altberg]

I have finished baby rattles with mineral oil and beeswax. Won't stay shiny forever, but the finish is all natural and can be renewed as desired. I imagine the same can be said for Renaissance, but do not know for sure.

[Paul Douglass]

There are food safe finishes out there. Fact it seems like I've read where a most of varnishes and shellacs are safe once dry. I'm no expert but someone here is.

When I was a kid all my toys were probably finished with lead paint!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Last one I finished I used shellac and then beeswax. Shellac is used on pills, etc. Wouldn't use Ren wax for sure.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Tim - it has been my understanding that any finish - once fully cured - is food safe. Then again, there are a number of finishes that are food safe from the git-go - salad bowl finishes, butcher block finishes, etc.

If you can sand the original rattle down - then I would go with a salad bowl finish. If you can't sand it - then I would turn a new one just because of the health concerns already mentioned.

Good luck!

[Frank Van Atta]

Last one I finished I used shellac and then beeswax. Shellac is used on pills, etc. Wouldn't use Ren wax for sure.

Shellac is also what makes M & M's shiny. .

[Scott Stevens]

One of the reasons wood made such a good cutting board or utensil is that bacteria is naturally killed by the proctective properties of the wood. (Unlike a benign plastic which leaves a sterile breeding ground for anything introduced into a new cut.) Maple is considered good in this respect and there are many others that have the same properties.

A good wash with soapy water or the standard of backing soda and vinegar gets rid of any nasties very well.
One of the anti-bacterial sprays in an alchohol base they make is also unlikely to harm the wood but give a good feeling of "sanitary".

Beeswax and shellac are edible.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I just made two a few months ago for my newborn twin granddaughters. I used maple vs fruitwoods to insure no pesticide residues (probably not a problem but just in case) and finished them with dewaxed shellac. I used dewaxed shellac just because I buy it by the gallon premixed and use it on my turnings.

[Tim McClelland]

Thanks for all the great advice. I look forward to going to WC and check out what they have in line with what you all have said. Ken, I actually got the idea for the rattle from when you made the two for your grandchildren. Thanks.