A few questions about Alice Collection dolls!

[coi--koo-ee]

Hello I’m new to the hobby and this fourm has already helped me a lot! Thank you all for the information!! I’ve been doing a little research and have a few questions of my own, if it’s alright to ask ^^

I bought two new dolls from Alice’s Collection. They are Dikadoll’s Chi in pure white and Doll Family’s Damien (Christmas edition) in white. I have a few concerns I want to clear up before they arrive.

1) The Chi doll I bought because I liked his style the best, and there was an option to upgrade to a 5-part torso instead of a 3-part. However, he has a dimple in his chin that I don’t like. I’ve tried contacting Alice’s Collection but they cannot do anything on the production end. I was wondering if there were any good artisans, with examples of previous work, which could fill in the dent. Or anyone who could instruct me how to do it myself, and a good paint that would match the skin tone. I don’t want to sand it down. . .
Also, just putting this out there: does anyone know of companies that sell 5-part torsos for 1/3 dolls?

2) I just found out whiter resins will yellow faster than darker ones. I was wondering if there was a good way to paint and seal over yellowing spots, or a way to generally paint the doll over with a different skin color (i.e. temporary tan, red skin, blue, ext.). The affects shouldn’t be permanent, so long as they can be done again and again with little to no consequence. (I assume dyeing would be a bit too permanent). I’ve been looking around the forums and read that heat plays a role in resin damage. This might sound strange, but would storing dolls in the fridge be an alternative to a hot, humid room?

3) Again, I was drawn to the Chi doll for his basic style, but he has half closed eyes. They look wonderful on him but part of what makes bjds so fun is changing the eye color. I’ve seen tutorials on how to cut open closed eyes, but I don’t have the confidence to do that. I was considering buying another of his head and making a mold (for personal use only, of course). It would be great if I could remold both dolls’ heads and make different faces with changed eyes, opened mouths, different expression, maybe even animalistic features. There are tutorials online to make heads from scratch, but would I do the same for something like this, or are there better strategies? (A lot of people just say to buy a new doll, but even if my wallet would agree to that, I feel uncomfortable simply buying replacements for such a personal item.)

4) How safe is boiling hands to reposition them?

5) Can bjds shrug? (if yes, pictures? ^^”)

6) Does volk’s kips kit come with one for every joint? Would you recommend them for SD and 70cm dolls? (I only see one kit option)

7) How fast does Mr. super clear dry?

Obviously these are problems that weren’t concerning enough to deter me from buying bjds, but for $1000, I’d like to make them as perfect as possible. If anyone could give me some advice of what to do, it would be much appreciated ^^

Thank you!

[Karhys]

Hiya! Your questions are pretty specific and they will get overlooked easily in the general "newbie qs" thread, so I've split them off into a thread of their own. Good luck!

I will offer answers to questions that I know the answers for.

5) Most BJD aren't designed to be able to shrug. I imagine you could finangle it with some creative license, but it might be difficult. The only BJD I know that is specifically designed to be able to shrug is the Chibi Unoa, but there may be others. Here is my Chibi Unoa showing off his ability to shrug. You could also possibly mod your BJD's joints like this, if you were interested in that sort of thing.

6) The KIPS set comes with 2 large discs and 6 small. The large ones are for the neck, so if you do one doll you'll have them spare. The small ones are for other joints and it depends on the doll size. For SD (60cm) and larger dolls, they're designed to have one in each shoulder joint, one in each elbow joint, and one in each wrist joint. So a set would do one large doll, with a spare neck disc. (I have to say the neck disc is the only one I've ever broken, due to the S-hook accidentally ripping through it. XD) The smaller dolls don't take as many. (iirc, SDC/MSD only have them in the neck and shoulders, and YoSD only have them in the neck.)
Whether you like them or not is up to you. I find them really useful in my SD sized dolls, because I find that they really help with posing. Essentially, they give the joints a little extra "grip", so that when you want them to put their arms up, they can hold the position better instead of just immediately falling back down due to gravity. If you don't do many extravagant arm poses, it may not matter to you. It's a YMMV decision. I have them in most of my SD sized dolls. However I generally don't put them in the wrists as I find that it doesn't matter much there. (I have some dolls who came with them in the wrists and I don't really like it, but I think it hinders the movement of the Volks wrist joint design. YMMV with wrist joint designs of other companies.)
(KIPS aren't designed for leg joints because they're just for extra grip for posing, not for actual stability. I have seen some people put them in leg joints but never with much success.)

7) Mr super clear dries in just a few minutes. You need to spray it on very lightly, though. If you do a thick coat it will take much longer to dry, and will also likely be uneven. It's best to do it outdoors, and best if the weather is either dry. Humidity has a strong tendency to ruin MSC coats and make it sticky and yuck.

Good luck getting answers to your other questions!

[Napoleonchan]

I can answer a few questions for you:

1. I can help you with chin and eye modding if you want, just pm me and we can discuss it. It's kind of my philosophy to mod and hybrid everything until you get the doll of your dreams so I've built onto and sanded down lots of doll parts and can either lend advice or a hand.

2. So far as temp color solutions, you could airbrush a doll, the only problem is the paint chips and scratches easily. The yellowing on most white dolls isn't as bad as you might expect, I have a good number of white dolls and if you keep them out of the light (both sun and artificial unfortunately) when you're not playing with them, they stay pretty good looking even if they still 'mellow'-so a paper white may end up a few shades less white. You can prevent even more by using UV cut sealant, either MSC or Volks. If they do yellow a lot over the years despite those steps, you can lightly sand urethane resin, revealing the whiter resin underneath.

3. I've always thought it sounded like fun to make different faces on the same mold, but to be honest, casting resin is tricky and expensive, not to mention it gives off some unhealthy fumes, so you need a well ventilated area. In the end if you were to try it, it might actually be cheaper to buy two or three heads and mod them to be different expressions- but still very expensive T.T

[TheMadPuppeteer]

Considering Karhys and Napoleonchan have already answered your other questions,
I'll answer your question regarding repositioning hands by boiling them.

After boiling the water, don't just throw the hands in,
but slowly lower them in with a serving spoon or something similar.
This also makes it easier to remove them from the water, as you continue holding them on the spoon while boiling them.

Resin is a plastic material, and can be shaped when it's heated.
However, I suggest that you do this very carefully!
Slowly bend or shape it a little bit at a time, carefully continuing to heat the part to continue shaping it.
Then set it aside and give it the chance to get cool again.

If you ever want to bring the hand back to it's original pose, just put it in boiling water again, and it should reposition itself.

Hope it helps!

[coi--koo-ee]

Karhys:

Thanks for the help ^^ you’ve been with me since day 1, and I really appreciate it! I’m truly surprised no one has made a shrug-able bjd body. It seems like a fairly simple design when you look at the skeletal system. Molding a few extra shapes out of resin might not look pretty w/out cloths, but it could easily be place in to add flexibility. Maybe if I get the time I’ll make a test doll for this…

6) So kips aren’t a necessity? Then I won’t buy them in advance. I’ll test my dolls’ motion first. If I’m happy with the joints, I’ll put the money into shoes instead ^^

7) Thanks for the advice on humidity! I have a tendency to live in humid places, no matter where I go. I’ll check weather updates before doing faceups and body blushing.



Napoleonchan:

1) I think I’ll take you up on your offer ^^
Make me you apprentice!!!! (bows). But really, Thank you for offering to help! I’m definitely going to need it! I’ll shoot you a few pics when he gets here for you opinion. Thank you!

2) I guess I just have newbie-fear ^^ Airbrushing sounds good ^^ I think I'll only paint them on occasions, like dolly cosplay for cons. So long as the paint won’t chip for a day or two, or scratch when I put chains on / when the hands knock against the body. Any recommended paint brands and colors? (Also, does anyone know if they sell the guns cheaper in Tokyo or the US?)

3) Maybe the heads won’t be resin then... Clay might be better. I’ve found that LaDoll clay is frequently used for creating dolls. What do you think is the best way to cast a head mold? Any recommended products?



TheMadPuppeteer:

Thank you for the help! I’ll remember this when I start repositioning them! I assume the hands shouldn’t touch the bottom of the pan with heat on, yes? Otherwise they could melt? Would boiling frequently cause faster yellowing? (As a general question. They’re easy enough to replace; I just want to know what I’m getting in to. )I know I have newbie-fear, but I just want to make sure all my information is straight before I ruin a doll 0_0“



Once again, thank you three!!!





For all others out there reading this: Questions that still stand

Does anyone know of companies that sell 5-part torsos for 1/3 dolls?

(In theory) Would storing dolls in the fridge be an alternative to a hot, humid room? (maybe this one should be asked in “the chemistry of yellowing” forum page)



~Thank you everyone! This truly is the most helpful site I’ve been to!

[Napoleonchan]

2- no guarantees it won't chip or scratch, even when you're just stringing the doll back together, I actually kind of hate playing with full body painted dolls, because you really do have to be super careful, and even then things happen. Joints rub, dolls flail. I've only tried one brand of airbrush paint, it's Createx, seems like pretty good paint to me, though I just have primary colors, black and white and have been mixing my own flesh tones. (pain in the buttocks) admittedly the spray paint I used stays on better (still chips though, especially if you seal the doll first) and can be scrubbed off. It's called Design Masters, and is meant to be used on more delicate things.

3- my only experiences with mold making have been total failures so I'm probably not the best person to ask ^^' but there are plenty of ways to do it and different materials to use. I think a rubber mold would be most durable and give you the most casts, but is also most expensive.

Just to add a few things, when facing humidity I find Volks sealant to be more cooperative than MSC, though on super humid days it's still best to call off sealing all together. Boiling hands would increase yellowing, at least a little bit, you may be able to lightly buff it away and have the resin look less yellow. I don't know about a fridge since cold isn't all that good for resin either. I think the best place to keep a doll would be in an air conditioned room rather than a fridge.
Also if you're doll doesn't like to pose when you get him you could try glue suede over kips. If you've already got a glue gun it's much cheaper, and is pretty effective.

[TheMadPuppeteer]

Resin should never touch the bottom of a boiling pan - that's why I suggested a "spoon" to hold the hands in why boiling them.
Don't just lower them in, but keep holding them with the spoon to be sure that they won't touch the pot at all.

About the yellowing... I imagine that it would cause the resin to yellow faster,
but not to a great extent, aslong as you don't do it too often.
Alot of my friends do this, and their dolls hands never seemed to yellow faster than the rest of the doll.

If you're worried about it, you could also consider buying an extra set of hands now,
so you have them in case they yellow too much for your liking (which I find highly unlikely)
or start to crack (which is a side effect of what can happen by repositioning hands).

If you're worried about it, I just found this tutorial on DeviantART:
http://fav.me/d4fyika

[Karhys]

Originally Posted by coi--koo-ee

Karhys:

Thanks for the help ^^ you’ve been with me since day 1, and I really appreciate it! I’m truly surprised no one has made a shrug-able bjd body. It seems like a fairly simple design when you look at the skeletal system. Molding a few extra shapes out of resin might not look pretty w/out cloths, but it could easily be place in to add flexibility. Maybe if I get the time I’ll make a test doll for this…

6) So kips aren’t a necessity? Then I won’t buy them in advance. I’ll test my dolls’ motion first. If I’m happy with the joints, I’ll put the money into shoes instead ^^

7) Thanks for the advice on humidity! I have a tendency to live in humid places, no matter where I go. I’ll check weather updates before doing faceups and body blushing.

Always happy to help. Like I said, the Chibi Unoa can shrug, but it's the only one I know of. (And I only know about it because I own one!) You could probably mod it pretty easy on other dolls if you wanted to get creative!

As for KIPS: they're not a necessity, so save your money for now. You may find that the posing is fine without them. They're merely an extra something to consider if you feel that you're not happy with the degree of posability your doll has. Volks designed them because they're big on uber-posability. Like many things in the doll world, they're extra finesse that isn't always needed. Particularly when you're starting out, just buy what you need. When you realise you need something more, buy it then!

As for humidity, I'll second Napoleonchan's comment that I find the Volks sealant spray (Zoukeimura finishing spray, or somesuch name) to be a lot more tolerant of humidity than MSC. I can never use MSC if it's the slightest bit humid, but the Volks one is a lot more forgiving. So if you live somewhere humid, you may want to consider it instead. iirc the price is fairly comparable -- the only difference is that MSC is available from many different retailers, whereas the Zoukeimura spray is only available from Volks.

Good luck with everything! (^^)

[coi--koo-ee]

Napoleonchan:

I’ll probably use Design Master then. I’ve worked with it before on silk flowers; I know what you mean by chipping.
It doesn’t look like they sell rubber molding kits at my local craft store, I’ll try silicon molding first.
I’ll have to use Volks sealant in the spring and summer. That should be easy enough.
Thanks for the information on the hands. I’ll need to be careful with that…
I hardly ever keep my room air conditioned. I prefer hot weather, but maybe a small fan or a ceramic box will work.
Suede? Like animal skin? 0_0 now might be a good time to mention I don’t partake in anything that kills animals (I’m vegetarian, for instance). Could felt be a substitute? Or maybe another fiber? I feel like I’m becoming more high- maintenance than the dolls T.T
Again, Thanks for taking the time to explain all this to me!


TheMadPuppeteer:

Extra hands sound like a good idea. They seem to be one of the cheaper doll accessories (at least the normal ones are). I'll keep some on stock when I try this. Will have to play around and get a feel for the resin before I do anything extensive. Thanks for all the help ^^


Karhys:

I’ll consider getting kips after I move to Tokyo and save on shipping. That’ll give me time to test the dolls and see what they need. I assume the Volks store in Ikebukuro will sell them. I’ll do the same for the spray. Thank you for helping!

[Napoleonchan]

I think rubber cast materials are specialty enough that you'd probably have to buy them online.
As far as keeping your dolls cool goes, I don't really do air conditioning myself, and my crew (some who've been here for five or so years) seem to do okay. - this excludes the French resin banana girl, she was that yellow when I got her.
As for the glue suede, it's called that because in older dolls they would put actual animal skin suede in the joints, I think in porcelain dolls it's meant to prevent the joints from grinding and getting damaged and the limbs from flailing and breaking eachother. But you can use other things to 'suede' your dolls, and I personally promote hot glue. You just smooth the glue into the socket part of the joint and when it's cooled it creates a grip for the ball joint so your doll can hold poses better. No hurting animals required I find it to be the cheapest and fastest way to suede a doll and this is the result it gave me:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/napoleonchan/3650389973/
My stubborn Supia Roda, skateboarding. She seriously stood like that for like 10 minutes until I decided I wanted a new pose.

And if that doesn't help you can always try wiring too, but some dolls are awesome even without glue or wire or anything, so as it was said before, you might not have to do anything. And as a boost of confidence:
(noodity warning)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/napoleonchan/7525397868/
The mini version of Supia (she's the tan one) never sueded, she can do this right out of the box, no joke.

[coi--koo-ee]

I got the first doll today! The Doll Family one, I’m so excited!! However, he’s strung so tightly I can’t even tell how he poses! I’ve seen youtube videos of kicky dolls, but you can’t even bend this guy’s wrist without the whole arm moving o_o“. Sound sarcastic but I’m serious… he’s definitely a sitter. Need restringing tools… On another note, he also came with two left hands X)
If it comes to it I’ll try felt and Elmers  . If that doesn’t work, I’ll get a low temp. glue gun and try what you did.

Thank you once again!!!!