Things have been going very well here at Greco Woodcrafting. Through my corporate partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation , I am proud to announce an additional 5 trees are being planted. That brings the total number of trees Greco Woodcrafting has had planted to 16!
As 2010 begins, things are already in full swing here. Our next tree update will be in July, and I expect it will be a double digit number. Be sure to check back soon for an important Greco Woodcrafting announcement 
I’d like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Be sure to check back in the new year to see the new ‘Trees Planted!’ tally. Trees are planted every 6 months through a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation, 1 for every 5 toys/weaving tools sold.
In addition to the 20% off sale running on my children’s toys this Holiday season, you can also enjoy reduced and free shipping, but only November 27-30.
ALL children’s toys are currently in stock and will ship within 24 hours of receiving payment (excluding Sunday). If shipped to a NJ address, 7% sales tax will be added.
Need the toy sent somewhere else? No Problem! Just give me the delivery address during check out.
I don’t work for the post office, but I’ve had many conversations with folks who do. I really have to wonder if there is some sort of unwritten mail code about how to handle different types of mail.
First we have junk mail, like the piece pictured here. That is how it was actually delivered to me, wrinkles and all. The large section missing would actually be 100% acceptable if my mail carrier was a German Shephard. But since that’s not the case, I’m left thinking junk mail is given the lowest priority for mail handling technique. Sort of a “whatever happens, happens” mentality.
Next we have First Class mail. Just the plain ol’ run of the mill slap some postage on it kind. This seems to be given only slightly better handling technique over junk mail. I once dropped off 2 bills and a Netflix, inside the USPS at the counter. None of the three pieces arrived at their final destination, so what did the manager suggest to me when I brought this to his attention?
“Send it registered if you want to make sure it gets there.”
Now, I wish I was kidding but that was honestly what I was told. Apparently paying postage is just to hope it gets delivered, but if you really want to be sure every bill you mail out arrives, you need to send it registered. Needless to say, those 2 bills are now handled via online payments (and the USPS wonders why people are sending less mail?).
From here we have priority mail. I think this is given the best handling at its base rate than any other form. But what if you’re like me, and don’t want to have to charge your customers priority rates for an item that is within the first class weight restrictions of 13 ounces or less?
The answer I’ve found is this: You pad the item, get insurance, and have them stamp “Fragile” all over it. Is it really fragile? Of course not- it’s wood! But my hopes are that if seeing “Fragile” isn’t enough incentive for them to be careful, then maybe seeing it is insured will. I don’t know what sort of budget the USPS has for damaged items that were insured, but I’m pretty sure nobody wants to be the one who broke the insured package. If that sort of thing started to become the norm, then maybe German Shephards wouldn’t be such a bad choice after all.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) can add a whole new section to those being adversely affected: School bands.
The ill-conceived law, written in the wake of lead in paint recalls of imported toys (the wording of which was guided along by consumer groups and the very companies that were issuing those recalls) sets lead content levels as legal or illegal with no regard whatsoever for risk. An example of this would be crystals. Typically high in lead content, but the amount of lead that is soluble if swallowed is negligable.
Today the Consumer Product Safety Commission met to discuss exempting Brass. Brass, the likes of which are found throughout houses and schools in the form of door handles, hinges and coat racks was today determined to be illegal. Actually, for children under 12, it’s a banned hazardous substance. So what else will be affected now? School bands. Let’s take a glimpse at what are now officially banned hazardous items for children 12 and under:
I’ve probably missed something, but essentially you’re left with woodwinds, strings and some of your percussion section. What kind of school band do you have at this point?!
I invite any members of Congress to explain here why this does not deserve an IMMEDIATE amendment.
Yes, it has been a while since I blogged, but I have good reasons. Really, I do! The end of the summer snuck up on us and we found ourselves thinking “Wait, we didn’t get to do this or go there yet!”, and so, much free time (is there such a thing?) was spent as fun family time I’ve been hard at work with the Handmade Toy Alliance as well and although frustrating at times, feel there may be some relief ahead on the CPSIA.
Probably the biggest news is that I’ve decided to open a new shop at 1000markets.com called Tools of the Loom by Greco Woodcrafting. The reason for starting it has a couple of stories. It began when I noticed how drawn people were to some of the more rare woods that I’ve been using lately. It wasn’t anything they said, it was in how they held the pieces, or the look on their face while running a finger over the wood. I started to think about what I could make that people would enjoy using, and that was made from distinct and exotic wood.
Some time after this, a friend called me up. She’s really into weaving (and is much better than she’ll admit), and she had a request. Could I make some tools for her from some really nice wood? We’re not talking about Maple or Oak, which are both nice in their own right (though somewhat common). It had to be something that was as visually appealing as it was useful. A piece of Purpleheart later, and I decided this was exactly what I was looking for to add to my line. So what kind of wood do I use for the stick shuttles and pick up sticks I’m making now?
Bloodwood, Mahogany, Purpleheart, Walnut, Wenge, Yellowheart, and Zebrawood are all currently available. In the upcoming weeks I plan to add Bolivian Rosewood, deep red Cherry and Lacewood. I’ve decided to use my favorite finish on these- a hand rubbed mixture of tung oil and shellac. The tung oil penetrates into the wood and hardens while the shellac offers an additional protective coat. After the 3rd coat, the wood has a high gloss with a smooth as glass finish.
I’m still making my toys, and this isn’t a total separation from my original intent. I still get to make something that people will enjoy using. Of course my commitment to quality remains, as well as my partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. Just like my toys, for every 5 weaving tools sold a tree will planted through a donation.
As if this isn’t interesting enough, my friend is also sponsoring a “Not-a-contest Contest” where the winner gets up to $28 worth of my weaving tools in the sizes and wood type of their choice!
And so there you have it. I promise not to let so much time pass before my next blog entry, really
Today marks 1 year since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was signed into law. President Bush and all but 4 Congressmen felt great about what this law would do- after all, it was framed in part as a reaction to the many toy recalls Mattel had made just the year before.
But for a law with such a simple purpose, to keep children safe, so much remains up in the air over this law. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the folks who have been ‘empowered’ (and I use that word loosely) to oversee the implementation of this law, have been very slow in getting the word out about exactly who is affected and in what ways. Maybe they need some tips from the FCC, or whoever it was that was responsible for letting people know about the digital conversion for our television stations- I know I was seeing commercials about that several times each night I turned on the TV.
But in defense of the CPSC, they were given quite a daunting task. In addition to monitoring items entering the marketplace for risk, here they were first asked to ignore risk under the guidelines of this law- something, to my knowledge, not asked of the CPSC until now. Ignore risk? That’s what they do! Risk assessments. But Congress didn’t want silly things like ‘risk’ getting in the way of getting unsafe products out of our children’s hands. Take rhinestones for instance. High in lead, but not soluble by our digestive system. So even though swallowing one poses little to no risk of lead actually entering the blood stream, the CPSIA deems them a banned hazardous substance for children 12 and under.
The CPSC has been making determinations on what items can be exempted based on the amount of lead they inherently have in them. Things like my unfinished wooden toys, textiles and plant or animal based materials. But as of today, if the item has more than 300 parts per million of lead, it is a banned hazardous substance regardless of the risk. So what has made it to this list?
The list goes on and on. What’s worse is that mothers and fathers, many of whom started home-based business specifically to provide safe children’s goods, are now required to meet the same requirements as companies like Mattel. Well, except for the fact that those Moms and Dads don’t have their own CPSC certified testing facilities like Mattel does.
That’s right. One of the companies specifically responsible for the creation of this ill conceived law has also been the first to get their own laboratory certified as a ‘firewalled’ lab. And it’s not only lead and phthalates (a plastics softener) that these Moms and Dads need to test for.
A lesser known aspect of this law requires ASTM F963 to go from a recommended guideline to mandatory. For those who don’t know, this is a toy industry safety manual. Since it’s mandatory the CPSC is probably providing it, right? No. you can purchase it for $58 from the ASTM website.
Once you’ve gotten this handy guide, you’ll find that you also need to have Use and Abuse testing and Flammability testing performed on all of your toys. For each toy style, Moms and Dads have to submit 6-12 toy samples to be tested for Use and Abuse, plus another one for the lab to torch. The results are good for one year, then they must be repeated to be F963 (and ultimately CPSIA) compliant. The labs, by the way, are still waiting for more guidance from the CPSC on the number of samples required for testing and the length of time the results are valid, expected in November. Yes- that will be 1 year and 3 months later from this piece of legislative-wonder becoming a law.
Speaking of testing, February 10, 2010 is when third party testing becomes mandatory for lead and phthalates. Manufacturers that are using non-exempted materials will need to have General Certificates of Conformity available to give to each retailer that carries their items or for customers, if asked. And if you use an item that was already tested to be lead free? You will have to retest it in your finished product at a cost of $50-75 per component, unless you send it to a lab in Asia where they charge as little as $15 !! So we’ve got that to look forward to.
And let’s not forget about today, the birthday of the CPSIA. Lead in products must be no greater than 300 parts per million, lead in paint or surface coatings must be no greater than 90 ppm, and tracking labels become mandatory.
The tracking labels have really been an issue for many manufacturers since guidance on what was required was only passed down 3 weeks ago. I wish I was kidding. These labels must include company name, City State & Country of manufacture and date of manufacture. If your company is not a small biz, it must also include lot/batch/run number. To my knowledge, no description of what constitutes a small business has been provided.
Now you might wonder why this info is required. There are 2 reasons. The first is to make sure if somebody with no internet access gets the item that they have an idea of how to contact the company (in my case, they could contact the state of NJ and ask for the contact info of Greco Woodcrafting).
The other reason for tracking labels to include this info was so consumers could make an informed decision. If there was a recall taking place from a particular area or region, the buyer should be able to decide if they want to buy anything at all that also comes from there.
…..because if there’s a NJ based recall, surely there might also be a problem with my wooden toys?
The second reason, in my opinion, is absolutely ridiculous. Which I guess makes it a perfect fit for this ridiculous law. Happy birthday, CPSIA.
Unfortunately, August 14th is rapidly approaching. That’s the date that the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act mandates tracking labels. I will be able to fully absorb this cost on some of my more expensive items, but I will have to pass along some of that cost to my customers on the lower priced toys. I wish I could fully absorb the cost of travel time to the laser engraver, gas and engraving fee’s but it wouldn’t be profitable to continue making those toys if I did.
So please, take advantage of the pricing while you can, because on the 14th there will be a price increase.
With the August 14th date for tracking labels being required rapidly approaching, manufacturers, crafters and artists have been waiting anxiously for guidance from the CPSC to find out exactly what they need to do in order to be compliant. Small manufacturers and crafters will not need to create and track lot or batch numbers as long as they can keep adequate records of materials used.
Yay! Right?
Hold on. Although that bit is good news, there’s some info that IS required. Specifically, Company name, location of manufacture which is to include Country, State & City, as well as the date of manufacture. And how do you know if you fall under the “small manufacturer” category? Your guess is as good as mine- I haven’t seen anything defining it by sales or units produced.
Now, I brand all of the toys I make with “Handcrafted by Greco Woodcrafting”. On some of my toys that just barely fits. Now it will have to read:
This means two things. First, the branding Iron I spent almost $150 on is now absolutely worthless. Second, it looks like my best bet for getting all of that info on there in a consistent, legible manner is to have it laser engraved. The problem with that is the cost- the best quote I’ve gotten in my area is as high as $5.00 Per Toy!
Unfortunately, that’s not a cost I can just absorb, so I’m faced with either increasing the price of my toys for the added fee, or to eliminate my less expensive toys. Of the 10 lines of unfinished toys I currently offer, I would need to eliminate at least 6, maybe 7 if I choose to keep the prices the same. Those lines account for approximately 80% of my sales.
I think my prices are fair. My customers get a toy that will be handed down from generation to generation at a price that is good for both of us. But it seems over the next couple of weeks I’m going to have to make a tough business decision, one way or another.
They say there’s always a bright side. Maybe I should be happy I don’t live in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. That might cost $20 to get engraved!
UPDATE: Arrangements have been made with a local laser engraver where I will be able to absorb some of the costs and only raise prices slightly. I think this is as close to a win-win as I will be able to get.
Two dust masks, side by side. The new one on the left has a crisp, almost hospital-like cleanliness about it. The used one to the right, is worn out and ready to be replaced. It did its job well, but to use it much longer would risk sucking those particles already trapped deep inside fully through, negating any benefit it may have otherwise served.
When people think about shop safety, they usually think of things that can cause immediate injuries, like saw blades cutting a finger or hand, or a saw kicking back and throwing a piece of wood at you. But saw dust can be much more than a nuisance, and it deserves as much respect as saw blades.
Although I do have a dust collector hooked up to my machines that can pull 850 cubic feet per minute of air, saw dust still gets into the ‘ambient’ air. The air that you breath. There are machines to remove saw dust that is floating freely, but I don’t have one. So instead, I make sure to always wear a dust mask while I’m working.
The worn out mask you see above is discolored from working with Padauk. Padauk (pronounced pa-dook’) is a beautiful orange-redish wood that is very dense. Cutting and sanding it makes almost everything around the work space turn red, including my dust mask. And it’s a good thing I was wearing it- Padauk saw dust is known to cause nasal irritation, vomiting and asthma. And that’s just if you breath it in! Repeated contact with your skin and eyes may lead to dermatitis, itching, eyelid swelling, and act as a skin sensitizer.
And Padauk isn’t alone. According to Wood: Identification & Use – Revised & Expanded there are 5 pages of listings that detail the types of reactions our bodies can have to repeated exposure to different types of saw dust. More odd yet, if somebody has no reaction to 1 type of wood, then comes in contact with a type that gives some sort of reaction, like a rash, your body may now have similar reactions to the previously non-reactive wood. And we’re not talking about only immediate reactions to be wary of- over time, some wood can cause nose bleeds, bronchitis and nasal cancer.
So what’s a woodworker to do? Take the proper precautions.
Wear tight fitting long sleeves. This will protect your arms without having dangerous loose fabric that can get caught on machines.
Wear eye protection. Aside from the obvious benefit of stopping large pieces of wood, they can eliminate some of the saw dust from going directly to your eyes.
Wear a dust mask or respirator. The masks shown above are available at most hardware stores for about $7 a pair. If you have a lot of work to do, you can find online retailers that sell a box of 10 for about $15.
Happy woodworking!
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