I'm bulding a baby cradle out of pine. What sort of surface finishing is
suitable, I don't want the baby to be poisoned!

May-Brith from Norway.

"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...
I'm bulding a baby cradle out of pine. What sort of surface finishing is
suitable, I don't want the baby to be poisoned!

May-Brith from Norway.

Expecting a rather "busy" Valentines day?

Orange shellac.....non poisonous and looks good on pine.....Rod

"Rod & Betty Jo" skrev i melding
...

"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...
I'm bulding a baby cradle out of pine. What sort of surface finishing is
suitable, I don't want the baby to be poisoned!

May-Brith from Norway.

Expecting a rather "busy" Valentines day?

Orange shellac.....non poisonous and looks good on pine.....Rod


In Norway we have someting called "kvistlakk". Translated to English it
would be someting like "not lack" Is it the same as shellac?

And for the Valentines day, I'm afraid the train has left the station years
ago...

May-Brith from Norway

"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...

In Norway we have someting called "kvistlakk". Translated to English it
would be someting like "not lack" Is it the same as shellac?

And for the Valentines day, I'm afraid the train has left the station
years ago...

May-Brith from Norway

Maybe not since Shellac comes from the Lac beetle or insect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac

Realistically most other varnishes or lacquers are reasonably safe once
cured or dry......years ago I simply used polyurethane on my kids cradle
(alder)......nonetheless Shellac is or has been used for a thin coating on
pills and candies as well as 18th century furniture) and as I mentioned it
looks very good on pine (at least I think so)...there are several shades of
amber available with "orange" being a bit darker than some although I'd
think it is the most traditional. It is available as either a liquid
(hardware/paint stores) or as dried flakes (mail-order or better paint
stores).....premixed it has limited shelf life (1-3 yr.) so buy the newest
available...flakes last virtually indefinitely, they are mixed with alcohol
as needed......Rod

"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...
I'm bulding a baby cradle out of pine. What sort of surface finishing is
suitable, I don't want the baby to be poisoned!

May-Brith from Norway.

Shellac is an easy answer. In the US, no finish can be toxic once dried.
Lead based paints have been banned for years.

"Edwin Pawlowski" skrev i melding
. net...

"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...
I'm bulding a baby cradle out of pine. What sort of surface finishing is
suitable, I don't want the baby to be poisoned!

May-Brith from Norway.

Shellac is an easy answer. In the US, no finish can be toxic once dried.
Lead based paints have been banned for years.


Thanks, I think I will go for the shellac.

May-Brith from Norway

In Norway we have someting called "kvistlakk". Translated to English it
would be someting like "not lack" Is it the same as shellac?

May-Brith from Norway

Maybe not since Shellac comes from the Lac beetle or insect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac


Thank You, I have now read it on the Norwegian Wikipedia site, it was
interesting reading. Locks like a god choice.

May-Brith from Norway

"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...
Thank You, I have now read it on the Norwegian Wikipedia site, it was
interesting reading. Locks like a god choice.

May-Brith from Norway


If you have any application questions I'm sure the group here would help
out......it is one of the easiest finishes to use though....thinned well
(2lb cut or maybe less) it goes on smoothly and major mistakes are easily
fixed with a alcohol wash...dries quickly and is very fast to re-coat. Rod

On 15 Feb, 06:03, "May-Brith Nilsen" wrote:
I'm bulding a baby cradle out of pine. What sort of surface
finishing is suitable, I don't want the baby to be poisoned!

Any commercial finish will be safe once dried. Check the labels.

Shellac isn't an ideal choice here, as it's not resistant to ammonia
or urine. The finish is baby-safe, but not safe from babies.

Personally I'd use a wiped-on gel polyurethane. It's easy, strong and
doesn't look too much like an all-plastic '70s finish.

I've also built a baby cradle (17th century repro, hooded design in
oak) and finshed it with my usual wax over oil. It's now on its third
baby and returns back to the workshop for refinishing between
occupants. I blast the hell out of it with a powered plastic wire
brush, then re-wax and brush it again. It's patinating nicely,
although the oak and the elm baseboards have certainly darkened around
the bottom edge.