Safe Hardwearing Finish For Toys

[wcndave]

Hi, I am making some wooden toys, which will be finished in either matt acrylic paint, bare wood, or a mixture.

I need a hardwearing, safe finish that will suit both.

Was thinking of some kind of oil on wood, then lacquer, however that doesn't cover the paint. Should I use a paint of the right glossiness to start with? then which oil / lacquer is best?

I have used Plastikote and works well on paint, however not much coverage for the cost, and haven't tried on wood.

For example, what is used for the blocks here?

Any advice, or point me to a thread on this?

I guess i want classy, in spirit of woodworking, yet not too expensive or time consuming...

Thanks!

 

[PowerTool]

For some good info on clear finishes,have a read through this thread

Don't know about paints,but would guess you are looking for the same EN71 rating.

Andrew

 

[wizer]

Paints is a tricky one. I recently looked around trying to find some and all I came up with was the ones B&Q sell, can't remember the name now. The problem with them is that they are quite expensive and limited in colour range. There must be a product out there because I see kids toys with all sorts of colours. Perhaps they coat the paint with a sealer? But that sounds unlikely.

 

[George_N]

If you are going to use acrylic paints you could lacquer the toys with an acrylic varnish like Ronseal Diamondhard floor varnish. I comes in matt, satin and gloss finishes and it really is hard wearing, as you would expect from a floor varnish. I've used this combination on kitchen units and it has stood up well to the every day wear and tear.

 

[wcndave]

Thanks for the posts so far, if I was to not use acrylic paint, is there any advice on what type I might use?

I am totally happy to do something completely different, just really curious about what toy manufacturers use for hand painted toys and for the wooden finshes.