Aggie Posted February 28 Report Posted February 28 On the stand alone animal puzzle do you put anything on them like varnish or lacquer ? Quote
dgman Posted February 28 Report Posted February 28 Yes! Because I sell online and in person, I feel they need a finish. First I soak them in a 50 50 mix of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. Then after 24 hours I finish with spray lacquer. The lacquer dose not hinder the assembly of the puzzle pieces. Dan, Aggie and OCtoolguy 3 Quote
kmmcrafts Posted March 1 Report Posted March 1 I dip mine in Danish Oil... I think a lot of people just dip in mineral oil but I like Danish oil for the small amount of polyurethane in it as well as the driers that help it dry out good. I've had mineral oil stuff seeping oil out as long as 10 weeks after dipping them so I don't like that stuff for that type of purpose. OCtoolguy, Aggie, Roberta Moreton and 2 others 5 Quote
dgman Posted March 1 Report Posted March 1 13 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said: I dip mine in Danish Oil... I think a lot of people just dip in mineral oil but I like Danish oil for the small amount of polyurethane in it as well as the driers that help it dry out good. I've had mineral oil stuff seeping oil out as long as 10 weeks after dipping them so I don't like that stuff for that type of purpose. I don’t have that problem. A top coat like lacquer prevents that from happening . I finish hundreds of items every year with this method without any oil bleeding out! kmmcrafts, Aggie and OCtoolguy 3 Quote
kmmcrafts Posted March 1 Report Posted March 1 1 hour ago, dgman said: I don’t have that problem. A top coat like lacquer prevents that from happening . I finish hundreds of items every year with this method without any oil bleeding out! You know way more than I do about finishing wood.. I know in the automotive side of things you would never get away with putting lacquer over any kind of a oil based finish.. The solvents clash and winkle / lift the paint.. I would think a poly would be a much better choice for a topcoat over a oil solvent type finish.. If I was top coating anything over a blo or Danish oil I always used polyurethane but it's good to know lacquer will work too since I like lacquer better than the poly.. Just never brave enough to ruin a project over a oil finish so poly had always been my go to for top coating in those instances. OCtoolguy 1 Quote
barb.j.enders Posted March 1 Report Posted March 1 I tend to use Walrus oil or a blend of mineral oil/beeswax. It does mean handling each piece individually and it does take some time to do that. Scott Seifer soaks his puzzles in mineral oil only. He has produced thousands of puzzles. OCtoolguy 1 Quote
Bill WIlson Posted March 2 Report Posted March 2 I've made stand up puzzles to donate to Toys for Tots for several years. I've never sold any. I used to dip them in BLO, but it took so long for the smell to go away. I put the assembled puzzles in a ziplock bag, on a still piece of cardstock, with a copy of the pattern, in case they had trouble figuring out how they went together. I'd have to make them in the Summer to have them ready by December. LOL I also discovered (via my grand kids) that children like to color these themselves, using paints or markers, whatever is appropriate and permitted. So I started leaving them natural so that if the kids wanted to color them, they could. Mike Crosa 1 Quote
Sycamore67 Posted March 2 Report Posted March 2 I dip in Danish oil and then blow off excess. I let them dry completely, rub top and bottom on brown paper bag, a coat of finishing wax and buffing with drill press. The pieces come out silky smooth. Quote
Denny Knappen Posted March 2 Report Posted March 2 I dip in diluted Shellac. Fast drying. NC Scroller 1 Quote
BadBob Posted March 13 Report Posted March 13 I use a custom blend of waxes and mineral oil, which I apply hot, but I am experimenting with dipping in clear shellac. For several puzzles, I now offer them made-to-order in three versions: unfinished, oil-and-wax, and shellac. It's too early to tell which will be the most popular. Quote
barb.j.enders Posted March 13 Report Posted March 13 33 minutes ago, BadBob said: I use a custom blend of waxes and mineral oil, which I apply hot, but I am experimenting with dipping in clear shellac. For several puzzles, I now offer them made-to-order in three versions: unfinished, oil-and-wax, and shellac. It's too early to tell which will be the most popular. I am curious about your process for applying the blend. I have wondered about applying the hot mix and then buffing/rubbing when it has cooled. Quote
BadBob Posted March 14 Report Posted March 14 23 hours ago, barb.j.enders said: I am curious about your process for applying the blend. I have wondered about applying the hot mix and then buffing/rubbing when it has cooled. I put everything in an oven set on warm (200 degrees or less). I dip or brush the melted wax onto the pieces and return them to the oven. Most, if not all of the excess wax melts and either is absorbed or drips into the cookie sheet. I hold all the parts on Dollar Store cookie sheets and a cooling rack. Any wax that drips off, I pour back into the jar. I have finished hundreds of puzzles, toys, and ornaments using this method. You need to check the temperature of your oven before you try this. Some ovens will not go low enough. You can apply the wax at room temperature and use a heat gun. I did this for a while and found it to be a nuisance. barb.j.enders 1 Quote
kmmcrafts Posted March 14 Report Posted March 14 (edited) On 3/13/2026 at 7:12 AM, BadBob said: I use a custom blend of waxes and mineral oil, which I apply hot, but I am experimenting with dipping in clear shellac. For several puzzles, I now offer them made-to-order in three versions: unfinished, oil-and-wax, and shellac. It's too early to tell which will be the most popular. Likely the customer will be confused by which to buy unless you explain in detail the benefit or lack of for each.. Most woodworkers don't really know what is best let alone someone just shopping for a toy. When you give too much options and a customer has to think about it it gives them time to shop other shops and deters the purchase. Just my thoughts.. Even if you write a lengthy description of the types of finish.. most shoppers don't read the entire listing. I do think the option of unfinished or finished may be a good option as I've had many request for things to be unfinished as they wanted to do the painting / decorating it on their own. Edited March 14 by kmmcrafts BadBob 1 Quote
BadBob Posted March 14 Report Posted March 14 3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said: Likely the customer will be confused by which to buy unless you explain in detail the benefit or lack of for each.. Most woodworkers don't really know what is best let alone someone just shopping for a toy. When you give too much options and a customer has to think about it it gives them time to shop other shops and deters the purchase. Just my thoughts.. Even if you write a lengthy description of the types of finish.. most shoppers don't read the entire listing. I do think the option of unfinished or finished may be a good option as I've had many request for things to be unfinished as they wanted to do the painting / decorating it on their own. Food for thought. Quote
Ber Gueda Posted March 28 Report Posted March 28 I would be concerned about using chemical products in toys for children. Quote
dgman Posted March 29 Report Posted March 29 6 hours ago, Ber Gueda said: I would be concerned about using chemical products in toys for children. Here in the U.S., all finishes are non toxic once fully cured. BadBob 1 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.