I'm a husband, a father, a grandfather and sometimes even Santa. I live in Dallas, Texas with my wife Sherry and there is nothing I love more than seeing children smile and play with toys. I like doing things for kids. As each of these toys is sold, I donate the profits to charity as a good will gesture to the children's hospital.
We recently sat down with Lloyd and he answered some questions for us... Q: What was your inspiration or why did you start creating these toys? A: I loved making things from wood when I was little and after retiring, I fell back on wood working as a filler for all the time I now had. I built a small wood shop and added tools for making toys as I went along. Today, I have everything I need to make children's toys and most of my time will be in the shop. Sorry grandma. Q: How long does it take you to make one? A: My time varies on the length of time to make something. Some toys may have more parts which means longer drying time for glue and paint. The less parts involved, the less time to completion. I try to take as much time as needed to produce a quality wooden toy that will last a long time. Q: What type of wood are they made out of? A: Most of my toys are made from either Select Pine wood or Poplar wood that I get from Home Depot. All wheels for the vehicles are hardwood ordered online from Woodwork's LTD. Each toy is totally made from wood, no nails or screws of any kind. I use Elmer's wood glue for assembling parts together. Although I make cars for any age, it should be noted that the Mini-cars wheels are smaller than 1-1/4" and would not recommend for children under the age of 3, as these could be considered a choking hazard by child toy standards. Q: What children's hospital are you donating the profits to? A: Children's Medical Center, Dallas, Tx -- Children's Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, health care provider and the only academic health care facility in North Texas dedicated exclusively to the comprehensive care of children from birth to age 18. Provides children's care ranging from simple eye exams to specialized treatment in areas such as heart disease, hematology-oncology and cystic fibrosis. |
CAUTION: Please remember while we say the toys are made from toxic-free materials and safe for children we still must paint the toys. Spraying the paint is the hazard, but when dry, this paint is safe for child's play. I caution parents to ensure you child does not put handmade toys in their mouth at anytime. I am testing a crafts paint to see how it holds up. It is a water based craft paint and is applied with a brush which typically means brush strokes on a toy. However, it seems to be drying fairly smooth but is very flat finished. So, I had also purchased a thick glaze finish to bring shine. So far it may be very good for what I want and be child safe. Child's safety is my #1 concern at all times however I encourage parents to never allow children to place toys in their mouths due to possible unknown allergic reactions or choking hazards.
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