Wood animals are shockingly easy to make! (with the right tools) - Page 2

[Flor]

Those are beautiful. I want to try!

[kimberlychapman]

Those are really nice!

I peeked at some of your other photos and love the fairy house. I've bookmarked the site that sells the pattern, although I don't own a sewing machine so I might just have to wing it myself one day.

[mamaMAMAma]

Wow or wow! You're very talented. I love your animals. Hmm... you can totally start a business selling those. I have no woodworking experience, but I know what I want for the holidays.

[aprons_and_acorns]

Very nicely done! Those are wonderful. Absolutley beautiful--cheers to you!!

BTW, in the past I made my own beeswax finish by grating pieces of beeswax and melting them in a hot water bath with mineral oil from the drugstore. When the mixture cools it becomes a solid again and you just wipe on, wipe off with a soft cloth. It's really cheap, totally nontoxic and leaves a nice finish.

[isaberg]

Originally Posted by Rowdypea

BTW, in the past I made my own beeswax finish by grating pieces of beeswax and melting them in a hot water bath with mineral oil from the drugstore. When the mixture cools it becomes a solid again and you just wipe on, wipe off with a soft cloth. It's really cheap, totally nontoxic and leaves a nice finish.

That sounds like precisely what I need! I'll go try it whenever I'm done trying to find a pan big enough for the turkey...

[E.V. Lowi]

..

[isaberg]

Originally Posted by E.V. Lowi

I am sorry, but I don't believe mineral oil is non-toxic.

The bottle I have of mineral oil says "Adults and children over 12, 1-3 tablespoons at bedtime. Acts as a non-irritating intestinal lubricant for relief of occasional constipation."

Not that I'd use it - yech - but it sounds pretty non-toxic to me.
The amount you'd get from chewing on an animal wouldn't even work as a laxative. Heck, might make them more regular.

[E.V. Lowi]

..

[Pam_and_Abigail]

You could probably use another oil, something a little more food-grade. At least it's not varathane (spelling?)!
What about linseed oil? I know it's made from flax, but I don't know if it's different than the food-type oil. I see it in the hardware store and wonder about

[antannie]

sunanthem, You don't need a power saw. I simple keyhole saw will work. Just clamp wood down first.

[isaberg]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

What about linseed oil?

The problem with real food-type oils is that they will go rancid, eventually, which means sticky with that icky smell. Linseed oil, if food-grade, will probably do that. _Boiled_ Linseed oil, from the hardware store, is often not boiled but treated with solvents to make it act as if it were boiled. It's pretty nasty stuff as far as human consumption, so read the label really carefully. Mineral oil is a petrochemical, and not necessarily something you'd want to consume, but isn't widely considered to be poisonous. But do your reading, and make your own choices.

If you're concerned about the mineral oil, the beeswax works fairly well - go with that.

If you're less concerned, Rowdypea's beeswax/mineral oil blend is a beautiful finish, and it takes about half a teaspoon or less to finish an animal. By the time you wipe it off, there's probably even less on the critter. So that's a total of 1/4 teaspoon on the animal, or 1/8th teaspoon of mineral oil. Should a child chew and suck at great length on one (and I worked hard on those, he better not) he _might_ be able to absorb a quarter of that. So there would be about 1/32nd of a teaspoon of mineral oil absorbed by the child.

And I'm absolutely positive that we all do whatever we think is best for our children, so everyone can make their own choices! :-)

The husband just now looks over my shoulder and says "Don't you have a toxin-free thanksgiving dinner to be cooking right about now? Right. Off I go.

[E.V. Lowi]

..

[Pam_and_Abigail]

That's really useful to know! Sounds like beeswax and olive oil could be a winning combo for me!

[E.V. Lowi]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

That's really useful to know! Sounds like beeswax and olive oil could be a winning combo for me!

Let us know how it works out.

[isaberg]

Originally Posted by E.V. Lowi

Olive oil never goes rancid.

But I've had it go rancid! It's just slower than other oils to do so. In plastic containers in cabinets at the church (we keep it for baptism and such) it tends to take a bit over a year to go bad. Stored in a sealed glass jar in a fridge, it might not go rancid for years. But light, heat, and oxidation (air) make it go rancid - and that's what you'd get with a toy.

Google "rancid olive oil" and you'll get plenty of hits.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Originally Posted by E.V. Lowi

Olive oil never goes rancid.

Hmmm... this statement is NOT true. Here, look under "how to care for your olive oil":
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxifi.../olive-oil.htm
and here: http://www.oliveoilsource.com/olive_oil_storage.htm
These are just 2 links. If anything, you encourage the olive oil to go rancid faster by exposing it to the air, so olive oil would NOT be a good choice.

[E.V. Lowi]

..

[isaberg]

I recant!

Yep - all of us who've had rancid olive oil, we will now recant and admit that we have been duped by a worldwide hallucination. We can only hope that Julia Child and the writers of the Joy of Cooking came to their senses and made deathbed confessions of their error. Let us pray earnestly for all those misguided sinners on Google who dare to write about the heresy - HERESY! - of rancid olive oil, that they may be drawn into the light and witness to the truth.


(This thread is getting really wierd. Doesn't anyone have some wooden critters to share, or something?)

[isaberg]

Originally Posted by E.V. Lowi

I want to mention Jennifer Chipman at www.playfulpixie.com who makes beautiful wooden toys for children and uses a plain, non-toxic finish

She uses tung oil and Carnauba Wax, and not beeswax at all, according to her website. I don't know how either would work with acrylic paint, since she doesn't seem to paint her things. Anyone ever tried it?

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I was just coming to post the same thing, isaberg. You know, olive oil sealed in a flask or whatever in a tomb, might not go bad, but on a toy, there would be air.
I am also not sure what type of wood to look for. I think there was mention of pine or oak. Pine is really soft, right?

As far as paint, I'm wondering if acrylic ('m thinking something like ceramcoat) is non-toxic enough. What else might work?