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Thread: Finishes / paint for wooden toys

  1. #1
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    Finishes / paint for wooden toys

    Hey woodworkers, hate to do it but I still do not have confident information on the liability of painting or staining wooded toys (using the appropriate non-toxic products). I have talked to several large scale toy producers who says it is not a problem as long as it is a safe product. Have talked to others that say to put NOTHING on them, Anyone have any experience on this subject?
    Toymaker

  2. #2
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    It is clear that with the new regulations the only way you could use any finish at all is to have each variety of toy you make tested by an independent laboratory. It has been proposed that using components certified and tested to be safe be allowed, but that isn't how the law was written. You might not lose a liability lawsuit, but you could run afoul of regulators it a lawsuit or the like brought it to their attention.

  3. #3
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    IMHO the best way to jump start the good old USA economy is to get rid of the EPA!

    I'll bet you that completely removing all the solvent based finishes in the USA would not move even the needle or be measuarable.

    As for toy finishes I think we can still use the Manufactures "certificate of compliance" for a few more years.
    Scott

    Finishing is an 'Art & a Science'. Actually, it is a process. You must understand the properties and tendencies of the finish you are using. You must know the proper steps and techniques, then you must execute them properly.

  4. #4
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    Scott is correct. On Feb. 1, 2011, the CPSC did vote to extend the Stay for implementing the certification requirements, except for metal jewelry. As things stand, the regulations
    would come into force on December 31, 2011. We can hope that some modifications to the rules can be made that would let grandfathers use shellac on toys for their grand kids.

  5. #5
    Shellac mfg claim it safe once its dry. In some cases shellac is used in medications.

  6. #6
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    Virtually all clear finishes made in the US are safe when they are fully cured. Yes, they may have metallic driers that would be a problem if ingested directly but when the finish is cured they are encapsulated in the plastic that is the finish and must meet requirements that they would have only de minimus leaching out of the plastic. The issue derived from illegally applied lead containing finishes on imported toys, mostly from China. These weren't just illegal for import to the US they were illegal in China, whose regulation on lead contain is tighter than the US standard. But, without the US Tort system multiplying enforcement and the probability of being caught and having that violation cost serious penalties is so much higher in the US than in China. World trade requires that the same rules apply to domestic as to imports--we certainly want that when we export products, so legislators wrote a rule that would solve the problem, but it was a problem that hardly existed in the US and which had a solution that was a trivial expense for large toy makers, but which would put small toy makers out of business. Also since the regulation was part of consumer product safety regulations it applies to all toys and other items made for children, even those in your own family. It's a mess. Because regulators do realize it is a mess, they have been staying the effectiveness of the rules to see if some more sensible work aroundscan be developed that don't also open a loop hole for unscrupulous importers.

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