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I've painted regular white mugs and want to varnish them too. But my varnish has the following specs:

Gloss varnish based on alkyd resin.

Flash point: Above 40 degrees celsius.

Is it safe to varnish on some sections of the painting on the outside of a mug? Or will it catch fire if microwaved to boil water or something?

I have no background in chemistry... took me a while searching around before I finally decided to just ask.

user961627
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1 Answers1

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The flash point is for the solvent, i.e. for undried paint. Dried paint will have a considerably higher flash point, well over 100 degrees Celsius.

You should also consider toxicity. I don't think alkyd based varnish is approved for use in items you put in you mouth (like mugs).

Klas Lindbäck
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  • Thanks! I'm only dabbing a little varnish on the outside of the mug, where a few designs have been painted. So that part won't be going inside the mouth. – user961627 Dec 15 '16 at 21:25
  • Keep the varnish away from the rim and the mug away from the FDA and you should be fine. – Klas Lindbäck Dec 16 '16 at 07:57