Painting/dying children's toys

[Matt Stiegler]

I'm making some wooden cars and trucks as toys for small children. I'm using a variety of woods (pine, poplar, maple, hardwood ply, etc). I want to finish them in bright primary colors. These are gifts, not for sale, so I'm not asking about the recent law.

The ideal color finish would be absolutely safe, great-looking, durable, and quick and easy. And cheap, too, but that's less critical to me. What comes closest to that?

I've seen food dye or fabric dye recommended here, but haven't seen anyone talk about how well either actually works. This website recommends against food dye.

At this point I'm leaning towards non-toxic acrylic paint, but don't know if that's the best option. And what about primer? Do I need a top coat finish?

Thanks in advance.

[Howard Acheson]

>>> These are gifts, not for sale, so I'm not asking about the recent law.

Under the proposed regulations, if the items are intended for children, whether they are sold or given away, they must be certified.

That's one of the major issues as I understand it.

[Shawn Patel]

Legality notwithstanding, There are a couple ways to skin the cat.

If you are not concerned with clarity or preserving the grain, then a good paint is probably the best way to go. Perhaps one with an acrylic or urethane resin for some amount of durability. A regular latex will just chip in short order.

If you want the wood to show through, then I'd go with an aniline dye like Transtint. These will not fade as much as other solvent-based dyes (that's a generalization). Then you might consider top coating with simple shellac. That's cheap, and if you have a sprayer, about as easy as pie. It won't be as durable as varnish, but it's easily repairable, should you wish to ever do that.

[Matt Stiegler]

Originally Posted by Shawn Patel

Legality notwithstanding, There are a couple ways to skin the cat.

If you are not concerned with clarity or preserving the grain, then a good paint is probably the best way to go. Perhaps one with an acrylic or urethane resin for some amount of durability. A regular latex will just chip in short order.

Thanks, Shawn, helpful response. If I do go with acrylic paint, any thoughts about whether I need anything under or on top of an acrylic paint? (The package is silent on that, I checked.)

I hadn't realized acrylic would be more durable than latex, I was just thinking it was safer (which just shows my ignorance about different paints and finishing generally).

[Matt Stiegler]

Originally Posted by Howard Acheson

>>> These are gifts, not for sale, so I'm not asking about the recent law.

Under the proposed regulations, if the items are intended for children, whether they are sold or given away, they must be certified.

That's one of the major issues as I understand it.

Thanks, Howard. Having looked at the CPSC's CPSIA guide, I see that a business donating products is subject to the new law, and a person donating products to a charity is subject to the new law. I have found nothing that indicates that a private person giving a gift to a private person is subject to the law. In practical terms, I think the likelihood of legal repercussions for anyone from such a gift is zero. YMMV.

Having said that, I don't want this thread to be a discussion about the law. If others have further thoughts about the law or its applicability, I would encourage them to express them in a new thread.

[Matt Stiegler]

Well, I plan to just give it a try, painting a couple toys with acrylic without any primer, letting them sit a couple days, and then banging them around a little to see how the paint holds up. (Should I try gnawing on them?) I'll report back.

[Brian Loucks]

Matt,
I go the "natural" route for the cars and trucks (lots) I make. I usually use a couple different colored woods and either spray with shellac or use no finish. The chidren and parents that I give them to seem to like the handmade look. Even the well used ones hold up quite well if they are built with hardwood scraps. Just think back to the building blocks we used in Kindergarten a few years go. As an aside, I try to never use any kind of metal fasteners just in case of a total crash.
Best wishes, Brian