Sealing decorations to make them tank safe?

[AilyNC]

If those figures are "food safe" then they'll be aquarium safe, look for one of these symbols.
View attachment 117987
Of course being toys they may not get those as a matter of course.

I'll have a good Google around. I've to wait fry to grow so they can go be rehomed but it'll be a nice project to plan

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I don't know why, but I didn't see these replies until the thread got bumped again.


How very dare you! I have never whittled a day in my life! (sounds like some naughty, potentially illegal act )

How very dare you! Such little faith in my whittling skills. I might be an excellent whittler! (I don't know either, since I've never done it. Maybe I am!)

Just don't cut your finger off.

 

[AilyNC]

If your swords are anything like mine, they won't last long in a small tank. They tend to go for world domination.

Yeah I think the issue in my small tank is the roots are getting too big for shallow gravel. If they survive another week (worming & ich treatment end date) I can move them to the bigger sand tank.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Just don't cut your finger off.

I always aim not to. I picked up a stanley knife blade from my fish drawer yesterday to scrape some stubborn algae, and accidentally sliced my thumb open. Didn't realise since the blade is so sharp, just wondered why there were blood spots on the the paper towel in my hand, glanced at my fingers which all looked okay, and didn't see the inside of my thumb bleeding away for a while. Whoops! I'm pretty clumsy, so maybe not trustworthy with whittling.

You do a lot of hand made arts, do you whittle? I'm also in love with the word whittle now. It's a fun word to say, very pleasing mouthfeel.

 

[Colin_T]

Most kids toys should be fish safe because kids stick them in their mouth and drool on them. This means they have to pass certain safety tests to allow them to be sold. If they aren't kid safe, they can't be sold in most places around the world.

 

[kwi]

Most kids toys should be fish safe because kids stick them in their mouth and drool on them. This means they have to pass certain safety tests to allow them to be sold. If they aren't kid safe, they can't be sold in most places around the world.

Unfortunately there are a lot of places importing toys that aren't as child safe as you would hope, there was a documentary on it a while back, and they do get into the main toy stores from time to time.
And then there's the online traders.....

https://www.btha.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Toy-Safety-Campaign_FV-19.06.2019.pdf

 

[AilyNC]

I think official octonauts figures would be safe through the proper seller. I think it's the CE test for kids toys. I will check.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Most kids toys should be fish safe because kids stick them in their mouth and drool on them. This means they have to pass certain safety tests to allow them to be sold. If they aren't kid safe, they can't be sold in most places around the world.

I'd bet if you go for made in the USA/UK you're probably OK. I'd be a little leary about mass-produced Asian stuff, as their safety controls sometimes seem not to be as strict.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I always aim not to. I picked up a stanley knife blade from my fish drawer yesterday to scrape some stubborn algae, and accidentally sliced my thumb open. Didn't realise since the blade is so sharp, just wondered why there were blood spots on the the paper towel in my hand, glanced at my fingers which all looked okay, and didn't see the inside of my thumb bleeding away for a while. Whoops! I'm pretty clumsy, so maybe not trustworthy with whittling.

You do a lot of hand made arts, do you whittle? I'm also in love with the word whittle now. It's a fun word to say, very pleasing mouthfeel.

Whittle IS a fun word, isn't it!

Be glad it was a good, sharp blade--those cuts hurt less as you discovered, and heal faster, too. I almost cut my finger off while whittling with a dull blade a few decades ago; still have the scars and limited mobility to prove it, but the sensory nerves regenerated after a few years, so that's nice. ha ha Sure was a long drive down the mountain in a stick-shift one only one working hand, though...

I've been learning to carve bows, which is a bit like whittling. I used to carve tiny Anasazi villages into pieces of driftwood. I should try that again some time. It was fun, fairly simple, and my daughter would get a kick out of it.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Whittle IS a fun word, isn't it!

Be glad it was a good, sharp blade--those cuts hurt less as you discovered, and heal faster, too. I almost cut my finger off while whittling with a dull blade a few decades ago; still have the scars and limited mobility to prove it, but the sensory nerves regenerated after a few years, so that's nice. ha ha Sure was a long drive down the mountain in a stick-shift one only one working hand, though...

I've been learning to carve bows, which is a bit like whittling. I used to carve tiny Anasazi villages into pieces of driftwood. I should try that again some time. It was fun, fairly simple, and my daughter would get a kick out of it.

Oh for sure, papercuts even are more painful than this was! It bled a fair bit for a small cut, with it being on the hand, but didn't hurt at all, I had no idea I'd even done it. It's another reason sharp knives are recommended for cooking too! Much less likely to slip and cut yourself with a sharp blade, and wounds are easier to repair too with a clean cut, so sharpen your whittling knives, young man! If you slip and cut a finger off with a sharp knife, the surgeons will have an easier time re-attaching it

Oh man, the idea of driving myself to hospital while one hand is useless and bleeding heavily gives me cold chills. Glad you're okay now and the sensory nerves regrew! Sorry to hear that it still restricts your mobility though Hand injuries can be nasty.

When I was a teen, I remember my dad - always a keen DIY'er who had/has some project on the go - had slammed his thumb with a sledgehammer while breaking up rocks for a pond project. He's a tough old bird who shrugs off injuries easily usually, but this time he was sat in a chair, absolutely white in shock. Surgeons had to repair it the best they could, he'd basically smashed it into mush. I'm sure it's not the same as it was before, but it's a miracle of modern medicine really that even with injuries like that, he still has a thumb at all with some use in it. Sounds as though you had good doctors too!

I knew it was bad when he didn't argue that he had to go to hospital.

When I was even younger, he was doing some extra hours street cleaning, using a giant machine called a green machine, one of these:

The machine got stuck in reverse, and trapped his hand between the machine and a lamppost. It put so much pressure on his hand, that the palm actually burst, splitting all the way across his palm. My mother went mad when he got home and dragged him to the hospital for cleaning and stitches, but he was so resistant. He'd done it early in the morning, and apparently he just knocked on someone's door and asked for some warm water to clean it, wrapped a dirty rag around it, and finished his work day. He's pretty hardcore and stubborn

Would love to see those Anasazi projects you made, if you feel like sharing photos!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Would love to see those Anasazi projects you made, if you feel like sharing photos!

Your dad sounds like one tough dude. I don't have any of them, I just used to make them and give them to people. Badgerling and I are home sick today--just a cough,nothing major--working on a popsicle stick viking boat.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Your dad sounds like one tough dude. I don't have any of them, I just used to make them and give them to people. Badgerling and I are home sick today--just a cough,nothing major--working on a popsicle stick viking boat.

Aaww that's not good, feel better soon, both of you!

Hmm, a popsicle stick viking boat would make a cool tank decoration

 

[Spalders]

Bondaglass G4 Pond Sealer Clear

Clear pond sealer for waterproofing your pond Moisture cured polyurethane that seals out lime Suitable for ponds made from rendered brick

www.swelluk.com

Any good?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Bondaglass G4 Pond Sealer Clear

Clear pond sealer for waterproofing your pond Moisture cured polyurethane that seals out lime Suitable for ponds made from rendered brick

www.swelluk.com

Any good?

Ooohh, it might be!
The description in that ad also recommends this to seal pond decorations, and it sets clear!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Oh for sure, papercuts even are more painful than this was! It bled a fair bit for a small cut, with it being on the hand, but didn't hurt at all, I had no idea I'd even done it. It's another reason sharp knives are recommended for cooking too! Much less likely to slip and cut yourself with a sharp blade, and wounds are easier to repair too with a clean cut, so sharpen your whittling knives, young man! If you slip and cut a finger off with a sharp knife, the surgeons will have an easier time re-attaching it

Cardboard cuts are much worse... I get these all the time at my job.

You’re right! It is much more likely for you to slip and cut yourself with a dull knife, rather than a sharp one. If you have a full knife, you have to push harder on the food, in order to cut. (Especially vegetables - if you start by pressing down, the knife will slip off. You can try this with a butter knife)

If you are a sharp knife, the blade just glides through the food - you barely have to push down at all.

(I know a thing or two about knives...)