Polley Eurethane and safety NEW

[Shogun]

Hi everyone. Saturday my nephew came over and asked me to help him build a kitchen table and benches, he dropped off stain and indoor/outdoor polly (Minwax brand). because it's a kitchen table I want to make sure I'm correct in that it should cure for at least 30 days to be food safe. Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Dan26]

I can't really answer your question, but 30 days sounds awfully long. I think a week would do the trick if the environment is good. I wouldn't worry too much about it being food safe unless you plan to put food right on the table and eat off it.

About 15 years ago I applied poly to our table and it took several days to get past that sticky feeling. Once there I applied some paste wax and buffed it. It's lasted 15 years and still looks good.

[Russ C]

Oil based finishes dry/cure in two steps. First the thinners evaporate and the finish becomes tack free. Then oxygen begins to combine with the varnish and curing begins. It's the curing that makes the finish hard, durable and develops full adhesion. This curing process can take 3-4 weeks depending on environmental conditions and how thick a film was applied. As long as it is emitting and odor, it's still curing.

You can lightly sand with a 24 - 48 hour drying time. "Rubbing out" should not be attempted until the full cure time has elapsed. But keep in mind that urethane is added to finishes to make them more resistant to scratching. Sanding, or rubbing out, is scratching. Poly varnishes will never be any more glossy that they are right off the brush.

[Rapid Roger]

I use polyurethane on most of the things I build including a dining room table made of cherry.
I have never worried about "food safe" as we use plates and silverware to eat with and seldom lick food off the table. (Although I'm sure my grandkids probably have.  )
My understanding is that most, if not all finishes sold in the United States of America is food safe once it is cured. How long the "curing" time is up for debate but, I would think that 30 days is WAY MORE than adequate and is probably overkill.
I also think that the amount of finish ingested would have to range of a ounce or so to cause any serious health issues and eating glue or chewing on a wooden pencil or eraser would be far more dangerous to a child's health. (Know anyone who has ever done that? Did it cause brain damage or death? Other than choking on it I mean.)   
There is far too much concern on paint and finishes as far as I'm concerned. Lead paint was outlawed several years ago. To be honest, when I was a baby, I'm sure my baby bed was painted with lead paint and I'm equally sure I chewed on it when I was cutting teeth.
NO! I'm not going to ask if you think it affected me, so just keep your comments to yourself! 

Rog

PS I've lived to be 70 years old so far. 

[tvman44]

I can't see waiting more than a few days for it to fully cure, I am sure the food will not be on the table directly.

[Russ C]

I am not saying it can't be used before it actually is cured. Once it is dried as a table I wouldn't be afraid of using it. But the fact of the matter is curing time is three to four weeks.It's all over the internet from different manufacture's and on MSDS sheets.

[Shogun]

Thank you to everyone that responded. My question was better than answered. My main concern was that he has three small boys and as we all know, a kid drops food on a table they're liable to pop it in their mouths anyway. Looks like it will be safe enough after at least a few days.......Hey Rog, I know I chewed a few pencils and probably ate a bit of glue as a kid, LOL

[BilltheDiver]

Hey Roger, I bet I ate some of that paint to and I ain't got no dain bramage!

[Dan26]

I grew up in a house with very high radon and none of us 10 kids have lung cancer.

[Russ C]

I e-mailed Minwax to settle this question once and for all do to the fact it keeps poping up. I just want to make sure everyone had the correct information to make the right choice using polyurethane. So here is the response;

11/12/2013 11:01:18 AM
AS a member and moderator of a woodworking website/forum these questions that have come up on several occasions so I thought I would come straight to the source. First I have searched but cannot find the curing time for polyurethane. I have heard from three to four weeks. Second can it be used as a food safe type product. Your response will be well appreciated and help some make decisions on your product. Thanks again. Russ


11/12/2013 11:10:33 AM [Agent Note]

Dear Russell,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Minwax. We appreciate your interest in our products.

It usually takes our polyurethane a full 30 days to reach full cure. We do not make a food safe product. We have not submitted any of products for FDA approval.

I hope this information is helpful. Please respond back if you require additional assistance.

Regards,

Craig
Minwax Product Support

[jrpeteo]

And there you have it! Thanks Russ.
Pete

[Rapid Roger]

Well, now we know!!
Thank you for taking the time and effort to go straight to the source Russ.
I will definitely change my tune when I post. But, I won't change the way I finish items when I use polyurethane.
So, at this point I guess the only thing that we know for sure is "food safe" is shellac and it tends to dry fast. Well, faster than 30 days I think.  Want to check that out for me?  (Just teasing you Russ)

Rog