Care and cleaning of wood toys

Cleaning Method for Paper Litho Toys

by Richard Mueller, Jr.

Inspect the toy.  If the paper litho is loose, dust the toy and then re-glue the paper litho using wood glue.  Do not do anything else to it for 48 hours no matter how dry it looks.  Wipe off excess glue using cloth rags.  Inspect very closely during the re-glue process.  Wear a shirt used only for toy repairs as you will ultimately wipe your hands on your shirt when you get glue on your hands.

When putting the paper back onto the wood or cardboard, you may want to use plastic vice grips.  Make sure to clean the plastic vice grips and make sure that they are dry.  The wood glue usually does not stick to the plastic of the vice grip ends (if somehow I did not wipe the toy perfectly).  Sometimes, if the surface is large, you may want to use a plastic bag, like a freezer bag, to separate the graphic from the surface plate to press the graphic to the wood.  The plastic is to keep the paper graphic separated from the vice when possible.

I have my best luck with lithos that, when they were made, were treated with some sort of shiny sealer that helped keep the litho color from fading over the years.  Almost all paper litho have had some sort of sealer covering the paper graphic.   Sometimes, a very cheap 1930's toy (Fibro), or a very early color graphic (Bliss) will not have such a sealer on the toy with cardboard.  The dirt that touches the toy is sometimes absorbed into the cardboard.  Gently wipe with a damp rag.  I always start on an invisible part of the toy.  I learned using toys that had little if any value.  Until I feel comfortable cleaning a valuable toy, I do nothing to it. 

Usually, the benefit of cleaning a toy paper litho graphic is minor unless there is a shiny coating on the paper graphic.  No matter what, I can usually only get about 20% improvement at best.  I just do not like cobwebs and dust on the toys.  Cleaning does not get out rust spots. 

Basically, use a damp cloth with no detergent.  Do not rub hard especially if there are cracks in the graphic which allow water to penetrate the graphic. 

Cleaning Method for Painted Toys
by Perry Eichor

First, blow off the dust with a compressor.  Then use water (the universal solvent) on a damp rag to get off as much as possible.  After the water dries, use a soft rag to spread the Goop and let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it off.  The tricky part is deciding how long to leave it on and if you can use a very fine steel wool rather than the soft rag.  Just have to try it on some unseen spot to see how it reacts with the paint.  Sometimes the paint is not very stable so you almost have to wipe it off as you put it on.  Goop usually softens the paint (which is good in some respects as it helps it adhere to the wood surface), so you must let it set up and harden for a few days before using just regular hard paste Minwax or something like that to protect it.   

Cleaning Method for Wood Toys

For advice on the care and cleaning of wood toys, click on the following link:  http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/care_&_cleaning.htm