# Walnut Crib Finsh?



## MrHart (Feb 24, 2012)

Good evening all,
I am ready to finish a walnut crib for my daughter. Im not a big finish guy, and I want it safe for kids, very easy for repairs or to spruce up between kids.
I have natural Danish oil.
Will this bring out the natural beauty of walnut and be what I am expecting?

I was going to steel wool and cost 2-3 times and the wax.

Please all opinions

Thanks!


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

http://www.dapwood.com/danish-oil/
I wouldn't use Danish oil.
They say all finishes are safe after they cure, but some are not safe for a year. Depends on which report you read.
Shellac on the other hand, hell they use that stuff to coat apples in the grocery store. If it were my kid id play it safe. Research the shellac.


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## MrHart (Feb 24, 2012)

Holy Crap!

what do you recommend sir?


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

Shellac, Research it, I was serious they use it in the food industry, not so much anymore. But get you some pure shellac flakes mix it up, The denatured alcohol will evaporate its safe you're kid will be fine. Id also be wary of waxes.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Mineral oil and beeswax, mix 4 parts oil to 1 part beeswax. Heat it together in a double boiler until it is blended. Makes a soft non-toxic wax. I mean really your kid isn't going to being eating the crib, but in case he or she gnaws on a rail it will be safe.


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

Oh yes That's something I almost forgot. Mr. Bondogposis has a an old method that's tried an true.


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I second the recommendation of bondo. This approach would make it super easy to refresh the finish for each new child that uses it. You could also just use straight mineral oil.


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## PineSucks (Aug 3, 2015)

> Mineral oil and beeswax, mix 4 parts oil to 1 part beeswax. Heat it together in a double boiler until it is blended. Makes a soft non-toxic wax. I mean really your kid isn t going to being eating the crib, but in case he or she gnaws on a rail it will be safe.
> 
> - bondogaposis


+1!
You can also use the butcher block Conditioner you find at Home Depot. It has food grade mineral oil, beeswax and carnauba wax as well.

It brings out the luster you want and will buff to a pretty sweet shine.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

I was also going to mention the Howard Butcher Block Conditioner, like McFly suggested. I use it on cutting boards and it works great. I even include a bottle with every end grain cutting board I give away to friends. Just delivered one not more than an hour ago to a friend who is moving to Arizona.

I hesitated when I thought about the size of your project because the commercial pre-mix costs way more than rolling your own at home. I believe that the ratio in the commercial stuff has less beeswax than Bondo's recipe. The exact recipe is not rocket science. It does help to warm the stuff up before applying to make it easier to spread around and to help it absorb into the wood.


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## Dabcan (Feb 1, 2011)

I'd go with shellac, it's what gives Smarties their shine, so it can't be bad for you… I did my daughters crib in water based poly, but it was birch and I wanted to keep it from yellowing, walnut looks bad with water based poly.


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## MrHart (Feb 24, 2012)

Thanks guys!
I will post a pic!


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jan 31, 2014)

I used general finishes salad bowl finish. Was going to use bees wax and mineral oil like i use on my cutting boards but figured the salad bowl finish shouldn't need to be reapplied like beeswax mineral oil.


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## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

Last two cribs I made, I used Minwax Antique oil on the walnut. It cures fairly quickly, and once cured is completely safe. And, how long is a newborn going to be in a crib? They'll be out long before they can chew on it. It's the baby bed finish that's going to be chewed on.


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## Fatherlewis (Sep 8, 2016)

At the risk of hi-jacking your thread, it seems appropriate to go ahead and ask here, since it is already open.

I am getting ready to finish my infant's crib, but mine is of lowly pine. Woodworking on a budget.

I was really thinking about putting a poly on, as I know they are safe once cured appropriately. Would the butcher block finish be just as easy, and would it finish ok on pine?


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

Pine can be a beautiful wood, I've never used the butcher block stuff though.
AS far as being lowly, I doubt the three wise men commented on the manger being made from a lowly common wood when they brought their gifts  The point is you built it with your own two hands.


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## Fatherlewis (Sep 8, 2016)

> Pine can be a beautiful wood, I ve never used the butcher block stuff though.
> AS far as being lowly, I doubt the three wise men commented on the manger being made from a lowly common wood when they brought their gifts  The point is you built it with your own two hands.
> 
> - jwmalone


Yeah, that is precisely what I was going for. I am a very green woodworker, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the initial experience. I can't wait to save up some money and buy more and better tools that will allow me the opportunity to do more detailed and fine work. It can be a very costly hobby though. I might try some of the butcher block conditioner and trying it on a scrap piece of wood to see how it finishes. Thank you jw!


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

I spent a lot of time worrying about this for my grandson's crib:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/258474

In the end, I went with Poly over Danish Oil.

I left the Danish oil for several days, and we let the poly dry for a week before the newborn went in it, and of course it will be months before he starts chewing on it.

The bottom line on the research I did was that poly is safe when cured. If you can't let it cure for a week or so, use a low VOC poly. The final coat on mine turned out to be a California CARB compliant rattle can of Minwax poly. It went on VERY nicely, even better than the base coats, which were a brush applied GF oil based poly, with 24 hours between coats.

I did some test boards with just shellac, and didn't like the result. Shellac over Danish oil looked better than shellac over BLO, which was where I started. But then, in discussions with my son and daughter in law we went over the tradeoffs of safety and toughness of the finish. This is an heirloom piece, hopefully several grandchildren will start life in this crib, just like our four started in the crib we bought. We decided that a sturdier finish was important, and given sufficient cure time, poly was safe. I was pretty certain that we would have to refinish the shellac in a couple of years, and we probably won't have to do that with the poly.

As always, YMMV.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

I would use shellac because I know it is safe and because it can easily be cleaned.

Milk paint is generally safe (except for those allergic). They have some great colors. They need to be topcoated or washing the surface will yield spotting.

http://www.milkpaint.com/path_safe.html


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## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

Interesting that milk paint was mentioned. That stuff is a tough finish, and they have some nice colors. Goes on easy, covers real well, and dries fast. Paste wax it when dry and it'll last for years. I don't know that the paste wax adds anything other than a soft luster, but it does look nice.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> Interesting that milk paint was mentioned. That stuff is a tough finish, and they have some nice colors. Goes on easy, covers real well, and dries fast. Paste wax it when dry and it ll last for years. I don t know that the paste wax adds anything other than a soft luster, but it does look nice.
> 
> - Kirk650


I had not thought about wax on the milk paint. Carnuba wax is edible so it is certainly safe. And the milk paint is safe. Would the wax prevent water spotting?


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

I have never used milk paint, but I had to strip a dresser someone had painted with green milk paint. It was nice once I striped it down, and I vouch for that stuff being tough as heck! But I hate to paint on wood.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> I have never used milk paint, but I had to strip a dresser someone had painted with green milk paint. It was nice once I striped it down, and I vouch for that stuff being tough as heck! But I hate to paint on wood.
> 
> - jwmalone


It would be a crime to paint over walnut. I might consider it over poplar or pine though.


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## cajfiddle (Dec 18, 2015)

Has anyone ever made shellac using straight grain alcohol instead of the denatured stuff that has all the additives? I'm sure most of it evaporates off once the finish cures, but I'm genuinely curious how the grain alcohol version would compare to denatured.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Yes, you can use regular rubbing alcohol.


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

Grain alcohol! that sounds like good drinking whiskey.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> Grain alcohol! that sounds like good drinking whiskey.
> 
> - jwmalone


I always cut my shellac with Laphroaig 30: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/3411/laphroaig-30-year-old


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

IM speechless, and I think I'm going to cry.


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## Fatherlewis (Sep 8, 2016)

> Pine can be a beautiful wood, I ve never used the butcher block stuff though.
> AS far as being lowly, I doubt the three wise men commented on the manger being made from a lowly common wood when they brought their gifts  The point is you built it with your own two hands.
> 
> - jwmalone


So, I am nearing the homestretch on my crib, and I finally tested the butcher block conditioner. Really, it looks about how one would expect it to. It really puts a nice luster on the wood, and deepens the dark spots of the grain and the knots, which is essentially what I was going for. I want to bring out that natural beauty.

The one question I do have in regards to using that product. The last instruction line on the bottle says to "buff" to a nice shine(or something along those lines.) How is that accomplished with this type of product in particular? A furniture buffer? Or is this something that can be done by hand, with enough elbow grease?


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

I think by hand is the only way. You can buff most of it like a shoe shine boy does with his long cloth. Just grab each end of the cloth and pull left and right. All the staves can be handled that way. Only the flat surfaces will be done with a hand rubbed cloth.


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## Fatherlewis (Sep 8, 2016)

> I think by hand is the only way. You can buff most of it like a shoe shine boy does with his long cloth. Just grab each end of the cloth and pull left and right. All the staves can be handled that way. Only the flat surfaces will be done with a hand rubbed cloth.
> 
> - Cooler


I figured as much, I just wanted to make sure before I set into that on all 28 spindles on this crib, not to mention all of the other components. This could take awhile, but I look forward to it. Thank you for the insight.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

If you are turning the spindles on the lathe you can finish prior to assembly. It would simplify things quite a bit as you can polish on the lathe. Just leave the ends unfinished if they have to be glued.


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## Fatherlewis (Sep 8, 2016)

The legs are just 4×4's so that doesn't apply in this case. A lathe is something I want, but that is a ways off still.


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