Dyeing A few questions about dyeing dolls

Hi! I'm no expert but I've dyed about five dolls with very good results using RIT Dyemore for synthetic fabrics. You leave the resin doll parts in the dye until you get the shade you want. I check every couple of minutes to see how dark the color is. It does seem that some shades dye quicker than others, or maybe it has something to do with different types of resin in the dolls. I think dyeing dolls is a pretty inexact science! I don't use sealant and I've never had the dye come off on doll clothes ever! As I said, I've been very happy with the results except for one time, when everything came out very blotchy.

 

Hello I’ve had some experience with dying dolls
1. No I’ve never had it rub off. I don’t ever seal my dolls after dying besides the head when it gets a faceup
2. I’ve only used dyemore it’s easy to use and colors have never been patchy for me. I always get it to soft boil and right before dying the parts add a touch of dish soap. All utensils I use are wood so it doesn’t reacted to dye and I use crochet thin cotton yarn any cotton would do tho
3. I’ve never done sanding before. I just scrub everything with soap and water and dry well. If you sand before hand you might get patchy results. That’s if you mean with sandpaper. Nothing really happens with magic eraser
4. Right after getting the color I sorta want (in my experience I usually go a little lighter than the color I’m looking for cuz once it’s dries it gets darker) I dip it in water and than onto a towel
5. I don’t really think there’s a right time it’s just whatever color you want you go by that time you did with piece with with other piece. Sometimes if it’s a bigger piece you might need longer

 

Just to add: dipping it into fresh water helps the resin to cool down but also wash off excess dye. If you dye and lay it down immediately after taking it out of the pot it's more likely you'll have streaks, drops and co. on the side that was lying down.
Personally I would dip inbetween to check if I like the color/make sure specific parts don't soften too much, and then at the end to clean it off before letting it dry. I regularly changed the water so it won't be too dirty as well.

 

Here's a link that may have some useful hints: /threads/de-zombification-serum-resin-color-restoration.470738/

 

1st Question: Does the dye ever fade or rub off on doll clothes? No dying tutorials I see seal the doll with MSC or anything after, but I'm scared of the dye not staying.

It does not rub off if you rinsed it well afterwards. It does fade over time though, especially sunlight can let the dye fade. Depending on the resin and several other factors it can fade within a year or after several years.
(Someone even once made a video on fading after leaving resin pieces in the sun for long times. Can't find it right now, but I remember it was really interesting. Vinyl fades as well, but the dye seeps more into the material)

2nd Question: Rit Dyemore vs iDye Poly? Has anyone used both and prefer one over the other?

I preferred Rit Dyemore. Easy to work with, great colours. Ellie gave good advice on how to use it.

3rd Question: Sanding/using a magic eraser on your doll before dying? I've seen some people recommend it and others not.

Depends on the resin. Has it been sprayed with MSC before and such. Seamlines can get darker when dyeing for example. So it fully depends on the state of the doll. I always did a wipe with magic eraser to get any finger smudges off. In the case of sanding it is important to sand everything evenly because sanded parts may catch dye more than unsanded parts.

4th Question: Do you dip the parts on a bowl of water to get excess dye off directly after dipping them into the dye? Another thing where people have done both. I've seen a mix of youtube videos where some people do this, and others just lay the pieces down to dry directly after dying

I preferred rinsing under a running tap. I always used a stovetop dye (dyemore) and my sink is right next to it. But I always rinsed and never let it dry without. This due to excess dye which may cause splotches.

5th Question: Is there really a correct time to leave the parts in the dye, or does it depend on what colour you're trying to achieve. Some people dunk their parts for 30 seconds, and others for 5+ minutes.

Nope. It all depends on how light/dark you want your colours. I always stuck to one minute and rinsed and did another minute if I want it darker.

 

Hey, I use plastic dye for my dolls before, and I think it also does well and its principle applies to other dyes.

Just like other people had mentioned, it does not rub off or come off easily once you rinse it properly, however, based on my own experience, if you use sandpaper on it, the color will come off! It seems like the dye can not reach deep enough to penetrate the whole resin. Anyway, I use soap to rinse the dye off of my doll because I think water might not be enough.

Another thing is, you need to make sure you dye each part for the same time, or the color of the parts might not be the same. You can always pick it up and see how deep or light the color is! If you are not dyeing deeper color like black or red, time will be crucial because parts might become too light or dark. There isn't a specific time because bigger parts might need more time to dye, so just remember to check frequently while dyeing!

 

I've only dyed a doll once, but have dyed fabric many times
1) it shouldn't rub off if you've rinsed/ washed the extra dye off afterwards
2) I prefer rit dyemore. It's already a liquid so it's much easier to use and it doesn't have much if any smell compared to idye poly.
3) this depends somewhat on the doll. If the doll has seam lines you want to remove, i'd sand those before dying, but it definitely could lead to a more uneven dye job if it's not even. If it doesn't, just washing with dish soap before hand should be fine, though i did go over mine lightly with a magic eraser instead of using a sponge or other cloth for this. I don't think you need to use one though. Dish soap should be fine, just like i would before doing a face up
4) Dip the parts, then dunk them into a bowl of cool water. i let those sit while i dyed the next few pieces, then at the end, washed everything off and left them out to dry. I will say be careful where the string you use to hold the pieces for dying ends up when you put them in the plain water bath! I was a little less careful than i should've been with one of my doll's forearms and it left a mark. I'll probably just turn it into a scar.
5) This depends on the color you're aiming for and the intensity of the dye bath. I'd start with a more diluted bath and shorter amount of time, since it's always easier to make something darker than lighter. I tested out the time i wanted to go with on the extra bits he came with since he's a big doll, but if it's a smaller doll, then you could try testing it on joint pieces that aren't going to be as visible. I definitely started with too long a time. In the end i went with 45 seconds, but i started with about 2.5 or 2 minutes for about 3 tablespoons of dye to 3 gallons of water.