Step Eight: Sealing The Stars
We highly recommend sealing the star sides of your wooden blocks before moving on to the last four sides. Why?
If you seal the star sides right now, you can set them on an unpainted side to dry. And once they are dry, you will always know which sides of your toys are sealed and dry. This is a HUGE help because the sealer will dry matte and clear. This makes it very hard to remember which side of your blocks has been sealed, increasing the chances of either missing a side or accidentally setting a wet side down. We had had that happen before when someone placed a wet side down on a beautiful block and accidentally glued their homemade toy to their painting surface!
But if you seal the star sides of your blocks immediately, you will always know which side is dry! It also dramatically reduces the chances of your beautiful toys rubbing on each other and ruining their paint job.
So trust us! Make the stars and seal them. Let them dry, and then use the stars as your guide to always knowing which side of your toys is dry. It makes creating beautiful toys so much easier.
Supply List
1
Just A Little Bit Of Sealer
It is easy to seal. First, wait until your toys are completely dry to the touch.
Then take your foam applicator or your perfect brush and lightly dip it into the sealer.
2
Apply A Light Coat
Brush a light coat on both star sides and set on an unpainted side to dry.
Check the unpainted sides to make sure the clear sealer hasn’t dripped or accumulated on the sides. Brush away any drips before setting the block down on a dry, unpainted side to dry.
Placing the blocks on a gallon plastic freezer bag can help prevent them from getting glued to your toymaking surface in case you missed a drip of clear sealer.
3
Continue Sealing
While your first toy begins to dry, continue to finish the rest of the star sides of your toys.
4
Apply A Second Coat
The light coat on your first toy should be dry to the touch by the time you have completed the last ones.
Go ahead and apply a second light coat to each star side of all of your toys.
When finished, take care to gently but throughly wash your foam applicator or brush.
Make sure all of the sealer has been rinsed out. If any of the clear sealer is left in the brush, it will dry in the brush, making it difficult to clean and reuse.
5
Cure For 72 Hours
After applying the two coats, set them on an unpainted and unsealed side to dry. Let the toys cure for at least 72 hours
6
Feeling Impatient?
If you are impatient like me and don’t want to wait 72 hours, wait until the toys are dry to the touch. Then, use a gallon freezer bag to rest your toys on during the rest of the toymaking process.
The freezer bags’ plastic is heavy enough that it won’t stick and rip to your toys, and it will also prevent your toys from getting glued to the surface while the sealer continues to cure.
Sealing the toys means that you are preserving your hard work for generations of children to enjoy. Think of the smiles you are going to bring to their faces!