Maintenance Submerging Dolls in Water for Cleaning or Bath Photos

Good idea ^^

Water has no affect, becuase you have to wash your doll before coating.

I'm not sure about faceups, but I wouldn't risk it.

 

I would definitely be wary of submerging my doll in chlorinated water. ^^;; Chlorine does effect a lot of surfaces and materials... I would think it'd be highly advisable to stay away from swimming pools and the like.

I have to agree with requiem - don't risk it with a face up, especially one that you love!

 

I'd also be concerned with the strings. Wouldn't getting them wet ruin their ability to stretch back?

 

I had a friend that did a photoshoot in a tub, with water not just suds, and her Rouji seamed fine the last tiem I seen him.

I'd just let your doll dry out completely before you move it again ops:

 

A real "submerging" in water would most definitely damage the elastics inside the doll.

I can't give an elaborate mathematical equation to tell you how long it could be in the water safely...or how long til the elastics would loosen and show their wear...

But just think of putting a rubber band around your wet pony tail...same process. And dang do those hurt when they break as you're putting them in, lol.

 

I'd guess that if you just had their feet in the water, like they were wading, it wouldn't be so bad. Even if the water's okay for the elastics & reisin, it could kill the paint - and think of the havoc it would wreak on a wig!

 

Even if partiall submerged water would go up inside the limbs and torso even as far as upinto the head due to osmosis.. I know because I submerged a Barbie dolls legs to the thigh area. Her legs were bowed so decided to try putting the doll in a glass of warm water to reshape the legs. I only submerged her straight into the glass up to her thigh area...The water was Not touching the joint area of her legs. When I took her out of the water and dryed the legs I could see water seeping out of her neck area and her shoulder joints.. Was surprised... But noticed she has holes in the bottom of her feet and the water traveled up the inside of her legs into her torso and up to the neck.. Weird but it happened.

At any rate it would also be very hard to dry the inside of the limbs and torso from any water that gets inside. And in no time molds or mildew can start growing inside the limbs. Mold seems to like to grow in Any plastic or plastic type material that has any dampness..

I would not want to get any moisture trapped inside limbs that do not get air exposure to thouroughly dry out..
Anyways wouldn't want to chance it.. IMO..
Gloria

 

this is something i've picked up from being an on again off again my little pony collector, but i wouldn't submerge her in water unless you're willing to completly take her apart and unstring her to dry the elastic and insides of her. Otherwise, mildew. I've seen MLP's who'se insides are FILLED with mildew, and it's gross and nasty even on a toy that costs $5, let alone a very expensive doll. I think you'd be safe dangling her toes or fingers in the water as long as you dried her well, but i wouldn't submerge her completely unless you're willing to do a lot of work to dry her. in other words, i second what everyone has already said.

~Erin

 

Perhaps try shooting your photos through a tank of water, or on one of those odd days that looks all underwater anyway.

Effect without the harm.

Ann in CT

 

If you have access to an old glass fishtank, often the glass is "swirly," giving it an under-water effect. You can also always take the picture on land and add water effects in Photoshop.

 

a common professional 'water trick'

take a glass EMPTY fishtank and put DRY ICE in it.and pour a little water ove rteh dry ice. *as a word of warning do NOT let your skin or the doll TOUCH the dry ice. it WILL damage yoru doll and it will give your skin ice BURNS if you handle it for too long.. gloves are good, good rubber gloves for long term handleing. don't ask me where you'll get dry ice. put a cover on it.. with a few holes in it.*the holes are important gives a nice smokey water effect when photographed through glass. dry ice in effect is good for all sorta of effects heavy fog or teh fog that comes off water in early morning. beautiful effect.

ps also teh hole sin eth top of teh tank are important to let som eo fteh fog dry ice makes escape. my dad an dhis biuddie sused ot make'bombs' an dthrow them at each outer. a soda bottle dry ice and water. screw on eth lid.. mix thrw and BOOM it explodes.

 

Just unstring and let it air dry until it's dry all the way is what would be best I think.

To submerge would leave water in the inside.

 

Is it alright to bathe the BJD's?
What soap is best?
Will it harm the stringing?

Any and all help is very appreciated!

 

I don't use soap, mostly because I don't know which would be best. Water and a sponge/washcloth works for me. I just sit Jaede down next to the sink, strip him, and wash him that way with the sponge/washcloth. I don't ever submerge him because getting the string wet could be bad.

 

Thanks Vallen, that's exactlly what I was concerned about.

What's a good thing to use as a spot cleaner for minor staining? Anyone know?

 

For odd little spots and staining, like from clothes, I use non-acetone fingernail polish remover. (As long as it's not on the face. ^^ Just don't leave it on for very long.

 

Gayle, head to Doll & Hobby and pick up a Volks cleaning sponge.

They're not always in stock, so grab one while you can!

Unless you intend on restringing on a regular basis you should not submerge your doll into water. Water will break the elastic down...which if you're ok with that, great...

I've also used alcohol-free baby wipes and they work too, but not nearly as well as the Volks sponge.

For heavy staining acetone is fabulous...but I try to only use it when I have to since it stinks so badly, lol.

 

I unstring my dolls, and submerge all the pieces in warm water with a little bit of hand dish soap. (any type will do, but NO moisturising) I then rinse with slightly cooler water until all the soap is off the pieces. I wouldn't recomend this for the doll's head. If you're nervous about restringing, there are some great tutorials around the faq and some members sites that can help you. It's really not hard at all, just takes some muscle.

 

I spot clean my doll with a tiny dab of dish soap on a wet rag. It works great.

 

Bastion gets a little grubby on the hands and arms if I take him out, so I just use handsoap and one of those little nail brushes to scrub it off of him. It works pretty well.
I just take off whatever clothes need to be taken off, cover him with a towel so I don't drip water all over him and wash whatever is dirty.

 

My SD is uncoated (I think) on her body. I was going to "blush" her, but then decided that since she will be in a couple in of GL dresses most of the time which covers her up, why go thru the hassle. Though I may paint her nails eventually...
Now my Q. I already have an SD cleaning sponge, but I am not sure what kind of cleaning solution to use on the resin. The doll is not dirty as yet, but I do handle her quite a bit. So...what suggestions for general cleaning of surface dirt? I was thinking dish soap, but I don't want to do anything to harm the uncoated resin. I thought I saw something a bout this topic a while ago, but now I can't find any info in the FAQs etc.

 

dish soap is actually totally fine and safe. Obviously you don't want to submerge the doll in water unless it's destrung, but a tiny touch of dish soap on a wet rag works great for a rub down after playing outside. it won't harm the resin, but it's not the best idea to scrub a face with soap. The Volks cleaning sponge (a.k.a. the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser) works great, and for really tough stains you can use nail polish remover, but be sure to throughly clean the area with light soap and water after use. Never use on a faceup unless you're' trying to erase it ^^;

 

I agree with kiwiflowers. Dish soap works well if you feel you need to wet-wash your doll. The cleaning sponge works best in most situations though.

I rarely wet-wash a doll unless it is completely unstrung though I have *carefully* done so on occassion. If you ever do your own esthetics soaking the sanded pieces in dish soap and water helps 'smooth' all the very fine sanding marks a little. I don't know why, but it does and it's never been harmful to the dolls I've done esthetics on otherwise.

If I want to clean AND try to get rid of slight yellowing without going through the whole process of sanding again I use Bon Ami powder. This stuff is great for 'freshening up' the resin. You shouldn't need to use it very often and definitely not on any part of the doll that is blushed or made-up...unless you are planning on removing said blushing or paint!

 

I have a sponge that came with some SD things I purchased a while ago, but it is not Volks. There is Korean writing on it. It is still sealed in cellophane and looks like it is made of white foam. Is this the same as the Volks sponge or "magic eraser" ?

Again for uncoated body parts, could I just use a damp soft terry towel, and maybe some mild dish soap and then finish with another clean damp towel and dry ? I am not talking about soaking the doll.

BTW what about the face that HAS been given a faceup and coated with MSC ? Can I gently use a damp towel on the face? If not what would clean mild soil, but NOT remove the MSC coating?

Arigatou mo ichido...

 

The white sponge is the 'magic eraser' cleaning sponge. It's probably the best thing to use! Gently washing with mild dishsoap and water is fine, too.

I've *carefully* washed made-up faces with a little bit of a gentle handsoap I have on a soft towel. I've only done this on faces painted by Volks and haven't been brave enough to try it on a head I've painted yet. Mostly I try to keep my hands clean and avoid touching the faces as much as possible. ^-^;

 

Ok, a few days ago there was a very common thing: bonding post. Lots of people have that kind of problems, so, it is very usual seeing posts like that around and it is usually cool reading the answers and answering 'cause you can see how people bonded with their dolls. Nice to know a lil bit more 'bout everyone and nice to help too!
So, i was reading when I saw a message about bathing.......
I got curious and pmed the person that sugested asking how was that. I liked it, but I wasn't brave enough...

So, this week I stopped bringing Choco everywhere. My house has lots of atifical lights that cause yellowing and I was afraid she was yellowing...
Since my room was the only that has a light that is ok for her, she spent a few days there, with Mikael, since I think it is unfair bringing one and leaving another alone ^^'

Yesterday I decided saying bye bye to this stupid idea of yellowing. She can turns orange or purple if she wants, I don't care, if she is by my side, that's ok.
At night I was tired and going to take a bath.... when i remembered the bonding-bath. Choco was looking very sad and depressed... she is very jealous about me and doesn't like being far.. so... I got her, took off her clothes (turning Mikael to the other side, of course!), I left her wearing the short wig she was wearing, 'cause I doubt it could make any bad to the wig.
I sat her where I put my bath stuff (like shampoo, soap...) and turned the shower on. The water started to run and touched her feets... I could her her saying on my mind "Oh! Mommy!!!! It is reaching me!!!!! It is wet!!!!" so, I made her walk around on the water, sit on the water and play there, I got stuff and cleaned her (and she looks less yellow now O.o), took of her wig....
I didn't put her under the shower or stuff like that... I just got a lil bit of water with my hands to clean her, and the water that was on the floor... stuff like that ^^'
she liked it a lot. Funny, not a sealed make-up, made with watercolor pencils.... but didn't go away with water.... it just go off with the nail polish remover O.o

That was lots of fund, she felt much more happy after that, and I enjoyed a lot...
Mikael couldn't play, since he is a boy XD

I recomend it. We had lots of fun.

Do it too!

Thanks to drfotog2 for the idea!

Kisses

Cacau

 

Thanks for being brave enough to make this thread. I read the same post and wondered how that worked too!
I really want to try that when my new darling arrives. But I was worried about the elastic getting wet and rotting, and I worred about the water on her makeup and so forth.
So now I am not so worried about the bath thing, but I am concerned about the yellowing thing.
I hope that doesn't happen to my girl!!!
Only on DoA, I love the honesty!

 

That's adorable, Cacau! I heard somewhere that the only thing you have to worry about when bathing little resin people is to make sure that the inside of the resin doesn't stay wet. If the inside stays wet, it could start a mildew build-up. At least that's what I've heard. If they're dried well afterward, you shouldn't have to worry about this. I don't know what happens if elastic stays wet, but I'll bet elastic takes a long time to dry.

 

There was one girl a few years ago who took pictures of her new doll submerged! It was some sort of outdoor water trough or something like that, and she had several photos of the doll in the water - under the water.

Ken

 

iv been wanting to put moon in the water for a long long time. her character love the sea and the ocean.. yet an time i asked about putting dollfies in water everyone was like NOOOOOOOOOOOO BAD. and im scared to... but i really wanna take a bath with her. or atleast do a photo shoot with her in the water.

im glad you had fun with her XD.

 

O.o;; I'd be too scared to do that...what if Ashling got water inside his body, or it wrecked his strings or he exploded @____@....


...
yeah. Cuz water makes dolls explode. Sssh. >_>

 

wow i really wanna put my doll atleast knee deep in water. think it would hurt her?

 

If you are prepared to pull her apart after and make sure she is propperly clean and dry, bo I don't see it would hurt her at all. After all, we do use water when we are sanding them down. The elastic is what most likely will be affected, and you don't want her damp insides going mouldy.

Ken

 

I don't think water would be a problem, as long as you dried the doll thorughly. But if you used white glue to put eyelashes on your doll, they will come off...

 

Hi
my Ussika (Narae) came yesturday, but she's all dirty -probably because of the people on the border. she's a white skin tone and every little drop on her looks just horrible. how to clean it? I have tried a water on a cotton, but it hawen't worked. I'm a little afraid about her, so I'm asking ^^. can I was her with a soap? probably yes, but I want to be sure
thanks for your help!

 

You can safely wash her with soap (I use detergent). However, if you're going to immerse her in water, you should probbly unstring her first, so as not to get her elastic wet.

 

I clean Gabriel with toothpaste and an old toothbrush.

 

toothpaste is pretty abrasive and is meant for hard enamel, my dentist told me not to even use it on my biteplate, which is solid plastic, as it can wear it down over time. mayhaps it is not a good idea for resin?

*doesn't really know, just asking*

 

I'm curious, how would you go about waterproofing a doll?

 

That's a rather peculiar question...do you mean just the faceup, or do you mean the entire doll? Water doesn't have any degrading or damaging effects on resin to my knowledge. I'd be careful of the faceup, even if it is coated.

People have asked before about submerging their dolls in water, and about the only concern was that the elastic in the doll might rot if you didn't get it out and dry it properly.

 

Any little metal bits that happen to be in the doll run the risk of rusting, too (if not made of steel, which most are).

 

I've played with Juniper in water, but the water gets into her body and drips out for days afterwards. I'm wondering how one would seal her joints to keep water from getting in? I'm thinking of putting some sort of plastic sleaves in her joints, but.. hmm.

 

Eeee. That's scary, I'd really worry about the elastic getting wet and rotting, since the water is obviously getting inside her for long periods of time. I think if you're going to submerge your doll in water, you should be prepared to unstring her, let her dry out, then re-string her.

 

That's what I ended up doing, Zoi

I'm thinking tubing round the elastic...I dunno how I'd plug the joint-holes up, though. :/

 

Get her scubba gear!

Well they always have certain water proof sprays at the store, some you might have to read because they can damage other things. But to my best knowledge its a play at your own risk type of deal.

 

Actually, that's the direction I'm thinking of, SCUBA GEAR! I wonder if I could commision someone here to make a exactly fitting, clear plastic leak-proof suit?

 

Lol, I would do it.. but I havent really started up working on dollfie clothing yet. Only have done bigger projects like cosplay outfits. So yeah, maybe someone else will. Ohhh! and get goggles just cause they are cool..

 

How am I supposed to clean him without hurting him? I know to only use soap and water on his face, but what about his body?

GAH! I've found out (aweful jeans!) his jeans are bleeding onto his skin! I have to clean him and I JUST got him! >_< Am I able to use Alcohol Swabs? Or wil they kill his skin?

 

The jeans I first got did that. x_X My boy's knees are still a bit blue.

I think soap and water take off a bit of it. Other than that I don't think an alcohol rub will hurt him. o.o';

 

Soap and water should be enough to get the stains out- I also highly reccomend that you go to a nearby drug store and find a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. These particular sponges are extremely effective at getting dirt and stains off you doll. ^^

Also, try soaking the jeans in a bit of water and vinegar (I believe..?) this should set the dye in the fabric and prevent them from staining more.

 

same thing happened to me with a pair of jeans. i washed my girl with mild soap and it came out easily. since then ive washed the jeans a few times and they haven't stained since then.

 

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to use nail polish remover O_O;;

I was told to use Tamiya paint thinner, since we don't have Mr Clean brand things over in Australia, and that works great for getting black pant stains off. Just remember to rinse whatever you use with clear water, and take your doll apart to air dry if it gets inside the legs.

 

Why not? I've used this, when I was out of Mr. Tool Cleaner, and it seemed to work fine. As long as you don't leave it on the resin for too long, it should be OK (and that applies to all cleaning solutions).

I recommend Volks cleaning sponge and the cleaning spray (Pikatto Kirei) if you have the cash to splash. Works a dream. That said, I survived well enough on soap and water before I got it. ;-)

 

Nail polish remover is fine, as long you don't get those kind that have colors (we have one at home that's like... blue. Don't use those!) Get a clear one, non-acetone, with a little dabble, and you should be fine. Just be ware that if you have sprayed your boy with MSC that patch of resin you clean with nail polish remover will turn whiter than the rest of the doll. ^^;;

If you use 100% acetone, have a bowl of warm water and towel ready on the side. The minute you clean the stain off, wipe the part thoroughly with warm water, or the resin will peel. ><

There's a very good tutorial on the eLuts website (with a foul-mouthed Chiwoo as model.. *dies laughing*) that talks about stringing.
If you don't have an elastic string puller, just use a shoe-lace or any long, sturdy string and that will do the trick.

You might want to get confirmation on this bit, but I heard for colored clothing that has not been stain-proof treated, wash with vinegar and water and it will seal the stain in. Check your local fabric place. ^_^

Hope that helps~~~~

 

As long as you don't use coloured nail polish remover, it works fine. It removed my old tats on my boy and I haven't noticed any yellowing or staining from it, and this was clear and cheap remover.

 

I always use toothpaste for cleaning. ^__^

 

::giggles:: minty fresh. x3 I love your boys. x3

There's a certain percent you're supposed to stay under of acetone. I think it needs to be no larger then 90% or what Hieru said will happen.

I don't know what happens if you mix 100% with some water, is that what you do to dilute it?

I highly recomend the mr.clean sponge, it works awesome. Also, if you need to do a little bit of sanding of the area to get of surface stains, no worries.