Neil,
as far as acetone goes, it is indeed moderately dangerous stuff.
if you want to find out everything about any chemical, look for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). for example, google for "acetone+MSDS". take a look, it's eye-opening at the least.
does your mom wear fingernail polish? does she use polish remover? that's acetone! so your dad doesn't have a leg to stand on there. the difference here is women pay $4 an ounce for it because it comes in little bottles, and men buy it for $9 a gallon at the hardware store.
but don't get it on your skin because it will defat the cells, soak through the skin in to your blood stream, and make your liver and kidneys work overtime. and don't breathe it, same reason - gets in to the blood.
again, industrial exposure-wise, ask the lady at the fingernail shop what she does to avoid contact and breathing.
you and your dad do something similar.
and don't forget to have fun!