Beeswax Finish?

[adam prochaska]

I would like to apply a natural finish to some blocks that i made for my 8 month old daughter. I have read that mineral spirits should not be used on toys for children younger than 3 years. I am considering just a plain beeswax finish. Has anyone done this before? I am not sure if i should melt the wax and then rub it on? I think the finish is necessary as the blocks are made out of maple and a few of them have some spalt. Thanks for your help!

[Steve Schoene]

You might not want to use mineral OIL for the youngest since it never cures. Wax isn't much of a finish, and won't really provide a barrier. In any event, I think I'd remove the blocks with spalting. All clear finishes are non-toxic when fully cured (think a month for reactive finishes). I'd be more inclined to use a couple of coats of shellac. Shellac is not toxic, and the solvent (denatured alcohol) will be completely evaporated in a matter of days.

[adam prochaska]

You are right..i meant mineral OIL not mineral spirits. I know its used on cutting boards but have heard its not safe for infants. Is beeswax able to fill wood pores and provide a seal?

[Rob Young]

Not sure if it applies here, but if you look at the label on a bottle of honey, it will say something about not giving it to children under the age of something low (I don't have a label to check right now). Maybe 2 years old? Something to do with how they can process the honey. I'm not sure if such a thing would apply to beeswax and if they could manage to injest enough by chewing on the blocks in the first place.

It is my understanding that shellac is the prefered finish for cribs so maybe that is the way to go?

[Jim Becker]

Is beeswax able to fill wood pores and provide a seal?

It may "fill" pores, but it doesn't seal anything. Bee's wax is very soft and quite nice on decorative items. It will give your blocks a little soft sheen, but provide little or no "protective" qualities.

I'd use shellac. It's non-toxic (used as a coating on medications and candy even) and very repairable. (Technically, all finishes sold today are non-toxic once fully cured...)

[Sue Wise]

Jim beat me to it. I would also use shellac. That is what I used for my nephew's toy truck. Once cured he can chew on it if he wanted and no problem. I found using the spay cans to be very easy for these kinds of small objects. After the final coat, I use steel wool and wax so the wood would have a silky feel to it and to bring down the sheen.

-Sue

[Howard Acheson]

>> but have heard its not safe for infants

What is your source for this? I've never heard it before. Mineral spirits is sometimes prescribed for infants as a laxitive.

You could be right--I just don't know.

That said, beeswax is not a very protective finish nor will it provide a barrier between contaminates in the wood and a baby. I would avoid any spalled wood in a child plaything.

[Prashun Patel]

i second the caveat that if yr not supposed to give small kids honey, then you probably shouldn't expose them to beeswax. For that reason, I wouldn't use walnut oil either - which is a classic choice for salad bowls.

I would also remove the blocks with spalt; that's rot, and there's no telling what effect those (fungi?) can have on tiny bodies.

I third the shellac suggestion.

[Rob Young]

>> but have heard its not safe for infants

What is your source for this? I've never heard it before. Mineral spirits is sometimes prescribed for infants as a laxitive.

I think you mean mineral oil, not mineral spirits.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, folks...let's not get "mineral spirits" (paint thinner) and "mineral oil" (also called paraffin oil and sometimes used as a laxative) mixed up! LOL Very different stuff, despite both being petroleum derivatives.

[Don C Peterson]

This got me curious so I did some searching and found this article: http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut.../abstract.html

This makes it clear that beeswax contains the Clostridium botulinum bacteria found in honey. It should also be noted that the same bacteria is found in dirt and dust, which is probably how it gets into honey, so there's probably no way to completely protect babies from it.

That said, however, I suppose it's better to be on the safe side and stay away from beeswax for infant toys.

[Don C Peterson]

Not sure if it applies here, but if you look at the label on a bottle of honey, it will say something about not giving it to children under the age of something low (I don't have a label to check right now). Maybe 2 years old? Something to do with how they can process the honey. I'm not sure if such a thing would apply to beeswax and if they could manage to injest enough by chewing on the blocks in the first place.

It is my understanding that shellac is the prefered finish for cribs so maybe that is the way to go?

Oh, and the recommendation is to keep honey away from infants under 12 months because their digestive tracts are sometimes not developed enough to deal with that bacteria.

[John Czaplicki]

Salad bowl finish would do the trick as well.

[Jim Becker]

Salad bowl finish would do the trick as well.

"Salad Bowl Finish" isn't really anything special. It's either a film finish (typically a varnish) or mineral oil...which is also used as a laxative.

[Lee Schierer]

I make toys for my grandkids out of maple with no finish at all. They can chew on maple all the want and have no ill effects. The toys develop a nice patina after a bit of use. Wood is easy to clean with either a damp cloth or a little sandpaper, no need to seal or protect them. If you want to seal them, any film forming finish sold these days in the US will work. All become non-toxic when fully cured.

With regard to honey and small children, Beekeepers (and I'm one of them) don't recommend feeding honey to anyone under the age of 2, because honey might (emphasis on the might) contain spores that can grow in the undeveloped digestive tracts of young children and make them ill. Since there are many other sweeteners on the market, use one of them. Beeswax may also contain spores and bits of pollen since it came from the same source. Use your beeswax to lubricate your screws not your child's toys.