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De-zombification Serum: Resin Color Restoration

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    1. Cymorill submitted a new tutorial:

      De-zombification Serum: Resin Color Restoration

      Read more about this tutorial here...
       
      #1 Cymorill, Sep 3, 2011
      Last edited by a moderator: Oct 10, 2016
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    2. WHOA. I can't believe you managed to quantify this! Awesome. I am going to be trying this on one of my own dolls eventually, and will post results. Great detailed instructions!
       
      #2 Rosslyn, Sep 3, 2011
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    3. I'd really appreciate it if anyone wants to post results or suggestions. :)
       
      #3 Cymorill, Sep 3, 2011
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    4. There's a petal pink??? I have a peachy dye, but I want to restore the Rose to the Rose White of my Iplehouse dollies. D: I will commence with the hunt!
      And this should take on non sanded parts, you say?
      I'm definitely trying this out when it's not so hot out.
       
      #4 ZennoSaji, Sep 4, 2011
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    5. I've done pretty much the same with yellowed dolls and/or dolls where I needed to match head and body before! Only I usually combine rose pink (instead of scarlet red and petal pink) and tan (instead of golden yellow). It's the same principle, right? ;)

      Examples:

      [​IMG]

      I don't have any good "before" pictures, because the head had a faceup that used pink pastels very well to mask the yellowing... But the body was a stark paper-white and the head was a very yellowed, almost a bit lemon-y white skin. I dyed the head with a 4:1 mixture of rose pink to tan, and the body with a 4:1 mixture of tan to rose pink. Now both head and body are a very nice creamy white skin, not yellow at all IRL.

      [​IMG]

      Dyed to match a very yellow head and a very pink body.

      [​IMG]

      Color matching between a Creedy head (OT) and a Customhouse Little Junior body.

      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]

      Color matching between DBDoll heads and Dollzone bodies. The heads were very noticeably lighter and more pink than the bodies before.

      Sorry for the total lack of before pictures... My camera seems to automatically correct skin tones, which is usually a good thing but not when I want to show yellowing!
       
      #5 Keladry, Sep 4, 2011
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    6. Keladry: Nice results! I'm glad you have an alternate mixture; my local store doesn't carry rose pink! Do you know what the ratio of dye to water is that you used or how long you soaked the parts? (I'll add it to the first post if so) I'd started with a 1:1:3 ration, but found the mix didn't have enough yellow tones, and using the orange dye was too much yellow.

      I've been careful not to over-dye the parts, so I've never tried using the RitDye color remover. It's good to know that works. Does it pretty much completely remove the dye in case someone forgets to check their time? Thanks for posting pictures!
       
      #6 Cymorill, Sep 4, 2011
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    7. I don't really have a set ratio of dye to water -- I just pour a bit in, then stir, then spoon some of the mixture into a white porcelain cup, so I can see how dark the color is. Then I add more dye, if needed, or more water, if it's already too dark.

      I also vary the mix of rose pink and tan depending on what skin color I want to achieve.

      I usually soak the parts around 1.5 to 2 minutes.

      The color remover doesn't remove the dye completely -- for example, the pink body that I'd dyed to be more tan and less pink was lighter after the dye remover, but still less pink than before. It helps if you only want to do slight color corrections, though.

      I've also tried the color remover on dolls that I'd dyed a dark brown, and in that case it didn't go back to normal skin, but just to a lighter brown.
       
      #7 Keladry, Sep 4, 2011
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    8. At least it lightened it a little, which might be enough in some cases. I'll add you basic mixture as an alternative if that's alright with you. Any mixture can be varied slightly depending on the color of the resin, of course, but I wanted to post something easy for general use. :)
       
      #8 Cymorill, Sep 4, 2011
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    9. This thread is really fantastic! The results both of you achieved with this controlled dyeing method is amazing. It raises my hopes that this could be the solution to one of my doll color problems.

      However, I do have a question to you doll dyeing savvy people first: how resistant is the dyed surface of the doll? Any scratches from the joints movement?
       
      #9 Sharkyra, Oct 27, 2011
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    10. Since my dolls get alot of play time and I've had some of them dyed this way for several months now, I think I can answer that:

      Personally I haven't seen any scratching problems at the joints, sueded or not. The only observation I have made is that the color seems to wear off a little on the unsanded parts, especially the hands, after a lot of handling. The sanded parts have let the dye sink in a little deeper, and I haven't noticed any serious fading thus far. Where the color on the hands had faded a bit, I just removed the blushing and MSC, washed them, then dropped them in the dye bath for a minute or two to freshen the color up. I usually reblush my dolls' hands fairly regularly anyway because they tend to get scratched and dirty with so much usage. Because the dye is on the surface of the resin, not colored throughout, I fully expect it to fade faster than if it were the color of the resin itself. It's not as delicate as, say, a tan doll that only has a sprayed coating on the surface that chips easily. What I do like about this method more than some of the others I've experimented with, though, is that it's super easy and a touch-up bath only takes a few minutes. Dyeing isn't a perminent solution, of course, because it's still subject to the same color breakdown that happens to the resin anyway. And it may well be that any other significant lightening may or may not be the wearing down of the dye itself, but the continued fading of the resin beneath it.

      Actually, one of the first boys I did this to in January before I'd perfected the formula and timing I let sit a little too long and he's more pinkish that I had wanted. I was hoping the color would mellow down a little over the last 10 months, but it hasn't so I may have to sand him lightly.

      Hope that helps! I keep a bottle of serum with my doll paints as part of my regular cleaning and freshening process.
       
      #10 Cymorill, Oct 27, 2011
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    11. Thanks so much. I've got a yellowed minime head that this should work nicely for to help me match the body I want to use.
       
      #11 AB in OC, Oct 27, 2011
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    12. would this help to blend a WS body with a lighter NS head? I really like the chicline bodies and have been considering dyeing a WS one to match my unoa....
       
      #12 Angel kat, Oct 27, 2011
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    13. Yes, but you'll want to play with it a bit. You'll need to make the dye a more flesh-color and not so heavy on the pinks. Test it on a forearm or calf part that can be easily sanded down if it doesn't look right before dying the whole body.
       
      #13 Cymorill, Oct 28, 2011
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    14. This is great news!

      I shall try to dye the body of my doll tomorrow. I'm not doing it to match a color, it's more that I want a darker base color to her fantasy parts and I'm totally tired of airbrushing her over and over again. The brushing chips way too fast and so does normal pastel blushing, too. Now I've set my hopes on the dye ^___^
       
      #14 Sharkyra, Oct 28, 2011
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    15. Please correct me if i'm wrong but i think i have read that you would not dye a head? May i know why? I think it should work as long as the head has no face-up. I want to make my whole minifee from beautiful white to a pinkish skin tone.
       
      #15 vervainHummingBird, Oct 31, 2011
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    16. It cannot have a face-up or MSC, but it's made of the same material as the rest of the body. You cannot dye wigs, though. Personally I prefer not to dye my heads, just blush them to match.
       
      #16 Cymorill, Oct 31, 2011
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    17. Thank you very much for your help. I will try to blush the head instead of making something wrong and ruin the head.
       
      #17 vervainHummingBird, Nov 1, 2011
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    18. I have dyed an extremely yellowed Domuya Potpourri head to match a vinyl D.i.M. Eileen body:

      [​IMG]
       
      #18 Keladry, Nov 27, 2011
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    19. Not sure how this one is a simpler mix, but I went by the other tutorial of just the scarlet dye. It took 10 cups of water and 10 tablespoons of the serum, but I did it! He looks really pink alone, but next to my other dolls he's still slightly yellower.

      [​IMG]IMG_6650 yellowing by hellsing365, on Flickr

      Works nicely :D
       
      #19 Hellsing365, Jan 4, 2012
      Last edited: Nov 22, 2017
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    20. This is a great tutorial! I imagine a lot of people will love having this for resin matching, and refreshing their dolls! Thanks for posting this! :D
      My Kid Delf is really faded too. But I don't know if I want to change her, even if she is the color of butter at this point. ;) I love my little lady just the way she is!
       
      #20 Miss_Pygmalion, Jan 4, 2012
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    21. I'd originally tried this with just the red color, but I found it gave the doll a slightly sun-burned look. Better than butter-yellow, though!
       
      #21 Cymorill, Jan 4, 2012
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    22. Im sorry, but what is RIT dye? is some kind of dye or is a special mark?
       
      #22 Black yuki, Jan 4, 2012
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    23. As it is as its name, it's a dye. Think like dyeing a shirt a completely new colour stuff dye but we use a certain type for dolls. You can find them in almost any craft store.
       
      #23 Animadictsaiyuki, Jan 4, 2012
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    24. Wow. This thread. It ought to be stickied. I might like to try this on my Dolomi to give him a bit of a peachier tone (Soom CW is pretty white for my tastes!). Thanks so much for the super useful thread!

      Black yuki      : RIT is just the name brand of the dye Cymorill used in her formulas.
       
      #24 CaityJay, Jan 5, 2012
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    25. I like RIT Brand dyes.... they don't give me any trouble and they're readily available in the USA. I haven't tried any other brands, though, so if anyone does feel freed to post!
       
      #25 Cymorill, Jan 5, 2012
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    26. I might have to keep this in mind for the future if I decide to had Edward redone. I may do this to help even his tones across his head, body and hands...
       
      #26 Raiji Magiwind, Apr 24, 2012
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    27. If, say, you're worried about mistakes, would it be okay to dye using a smaller amt of dye, then soaking it for longer periods instead?
       
      #27 destiny, Apr 28, 2012
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    28. Yes, or if you want less color. But the results are very slow. The only constant is the dilution and timing. Once you commit, you have to use the same amount of dye for the same duration. If you soak it for only five seconds at a time with the shown mixture, you wouldn't see as much color, either.

      That's why I suggest starting with a part that's easy to sand down if you do mess up. :)
       
      #28 Cymorill, Apr 28, 2012
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    29. I might try this with my fairy skin unoa! I want her kind of... Musedoll resin colour, like a rosey pink. This is so creative and intelligent, well done *-*
       
      #29 hiritai, May 1, 2012
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    30. I did this with a careful mix of Tangerine and Petal Pink on a pale yellowed Unoa faceplate, for a FL NS minifee hybrid. I can post pics if needed.
       
      #30 Rosslyn, May 3, 2012
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    31. Oh wow, looks amazing! :o
      I wish I knew about this sooner! lol.

      How does it do on white resin?
      I have a BBB Elfkin that is really starting to yellow and I would love to restore him.
       
      #31 Ebony Rain, May 3, 2012
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    32. This is great, thank you for posting this! I know what to do now if my dolls ever yellow =3
       
      #32 Karidan, May 3, 2012
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    33. White resin would depend on the tone you'd want to give, i'm sure.
       
      #33 ZennoSaji, May 3, 2012
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    34. Post pics by all means! :) If you can remember the ratio, I'll add it to the mix list on the first post.

      White resin yellows by a different process. The resin is oxidizing (someone correct me if I'm wrong) and actually changing the color. You'll have to check some of the de-yellowing threads that talk about soaking in baking soda or oxiclean and such. This is for restoring color to resin that has been lost. If you want to turn your yellowed white-skin into a normal-skin doll, than you can still use this, but there's no dye that will turn it white. BTW, I have a white BBB Elfkin and they're way too tiny to sand down! I just went to a soft cream color.
       
      #34 Cymorill, May 3, 2012
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    35. Okay, here's my results with my Unoa faceplate and FL NS body, but I kinda played the mixture by ear. A big pot of water, maybe a capful of Petal Pink and a half or a quarter of Tangerine? I'd guess? And then a lot of very careful dipping and checking until it matched.

      Before:
      [​IMG]


      And After! Plz to be excusing the blur, I was trying to get a quick shot of the color.
      [​IMG]
       
      #35 Rosslyn, May 9, 2012
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    36. Rosslyn! That's awesome!!! Great result!:aheartbea
       
      #36 madhatter!, May 9, 2012
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    37. Thanks for the formula! Good information to have on hand!! :fangirl:
       
      #37 strangeangels, May 9, 2012
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    38. Cymorill, you're a genius!!!!!
      I am looking for the liquid Rit in Toronto. I think Michael's might have it, so I am going to go see if I can get some. I'll let you know how that goes, and if I get to try it, I'll post pictures as well.
      I just had a question. How come it has to be liquid and not the powder? Would it really make a difference?
      Oh, and thanks SO much for posting this :D <3
       
      #38 Giodrakes, Jan 16, 2013
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    39. This is a great tutorial, Cymorill! I have a few questions for anyone who can answer. Since RIT dye is used to dye fabric, does it transfer from resin to fabric (or any other surface) easily? Or are the body parts suppose to be sealed after dyeing? Can this method be used for significant changes in resin color? I'd like to dye a Kid Delf body to match a Bluefairy Tinyfairy head, since the normal skin resin colors for the two companies are significantly different (see this link for resin comparison: http://angeldolls.co.uk/blog/?p=587).
       
      #39 Bluebird, Jan 20, 2013
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    40. will definitely be trying this soon. the yellowing on my hybrid is really off now since the head and body doesn't match and I have to blush it a lot before they are even close
       
      #40 Kuranosuke, Jan 20, 2013
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    41. This is amazing! Best thread I've seen in a while! :D Will definitely try this when I feel brave enough...
       
      #41 ShatteredTeacup, Jan 30, 2013
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    42. I did a thorough wash of the boy, and am waiting to hear about the dyes. But I have a question. If I send him out to get a faceup later most likely the artist will clean him. I am wondering if that might take off most or all the color on the head. I will of course tell the artist, but just wondering.
       
      #42 Giodrakes, Jan 30, 2013
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    43. I'm thinking of doing this. Ryuichi's new Feeple 60 body is so pink, and his head and hands are so yellow. I'd be trying it first on his brother Ryuma's Delf legs, since they traded bodies.

      I'll post pics when I get everything together! ;)

      Ryu
       
      #43 Ryuichi Sakuma 13, Jan 31, 2013
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    44. I also want to achieve a more "sunny" look. Sort of a lot lighter shade than the DZ tan resin, so I am taking the basic formula, which is nice and pink, and adding a few drops of tangerine orange to that. I will definitely post when I get it all toghther and after I try it. Thanks everyone for sharing :D
       
      #44 Giodrakes, Feb 2, 2013
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    45. I'd love to see that when you're done, Giodrakes. I'm serously thinking of finding a yellow tone so I can get all the pinker parts to match the yellow ones. After all, Ryuichi, Ryuma and Tatsuha are all Japanese. ;)

      Ryu
       
      #45 Ryuichi Sakuma 13, Feb 2, 2013
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    46. [​IMG]
      Just used this technique on my Rowena.

      She has been a nearly-green old parchment yellow for far too long, which does not look good on an "English" type of girl, so I dyed her to a nice healthy apricot something like Iplehouse's Peach gold skin. She looks so much happier!
       
      #46 Rosslyn, Feb 11, 2013
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    47. Holy moly! This thread is amazing D: It makes me feel much less worried about my dolls turning yellow or even green (x_x)! Thanks for sharing your super special formula!
       
      #47 oyashiro, Feb 12, 2013
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    48. This is lovely! I was wondering if there were options to correct sun damage other than a full-body airbrushing. Painting the resin seems like it would ruin the luminosity, but this technique seems to work nicely. Must figure out how to bookmark!
       
      #48 Gali, Feb 12, 2013
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    49. I got a Unidoll Chabi in a trade (OMG, I still can't believe I found one!) that was pretty yellowed with age. I dyed her to give her a more healthy color.

      [​IMG]
       
      #49 Keladry, Feb 23, 2013
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    50. Here's the whole body:

      [​IMG]
       
      #50 Keladry, Feb 24, 2013
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    51. The more I see this, The more eager I am to try this process on my dolls! :3nodding:

      Ryu
       
      #51 Ryuichi Sakuma 13, Feb 25, 2013
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    52. I didn't know this could be done O.O Awesome!
       
      #52 Ginka, Feb 25, 2013
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    53. I'm going to try this if my dolls ever turn lemon yellow. Thanks! (could white be used In this mix, to give a paler colour?)
       
      #53 Rockin' Resin Addict, Feb 27, 2013
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    54. First off, this serum is incredible, and I'm so happy that this thread exists! I had a severely yellowed KidDelf Hodoo--my very first doll, whom I've had since late 2007--who had become so pale, dare I say radioactive, that I spent very little time with him. Feeling guilty, and adventurous, I decided to do several firsts with the little guy: dye him to stain his resin back to a lively peachy pink, blush him for more life, and apply my own face-up! I wanted to share my success with everyone in this thread, and hope that it gives everyone more courage to attempt. Thanks to the serum, my KidDelf is no longer a zombie and we've rekindled the relationship and love we had when I first got him.

      I took pictures during the process, but sadly no before and afters. I think I was too eager to get the project started, haha! He went from a 'zomg; radioactive white/yellow!' to a warmer, fleshy pink color. The difference in person was--and is still--incredible. In about 13 cups of water I had each part soak for about 2 minutes, although I think the next time I stain I will be less frugal and fearful of the serum as I had to do guess-work without an eyedropper (I used a straw, haha).
      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

      [​IMG]​
      All and all, this was an incredibly fun experience, which gave me an excuse to give my first doll an excellent make-over. A healthy skin tone, a fully blushed body, a (decent first) face-up. What's a doll not to love? I look forward to lavishing him with more photo opportunities in the very near future! :)
       
      #54 Re-DEE-Mer, Mar 9, 2013
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    55. Wow, Re-dee-mer, that came out great! Thanks for the pix; I was just thinking I need to try this on my Kid Delf too. I actually think I will do this with all of my Luts dolls as they come up for new faceups.
       
      #55 thessalyrose, Mar 10, 2013
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    56. WOW! Nice work!

      I have to admit I'm a little afraid of doing this to my beloved Ryuichi (CP Shiwoo/F60 hybrid), but if his head and hands was any more yellow, he could pass as a lemon! :o And since his brother Ryuma got the Delf body, I'll kind of be dying two dolls! :sweat I'm encouraged now! Now to get the money and the items! Thanks for helping encourage me, Re-DEE-Mer and everyone else! :D

      Ryu
       
      #56 Ryuichi Sakuma 13, Mar 10, 2013
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    57. Great tutorial! I'm definitely bookmarking this for future references :o Everyone's doll looks great~
       
      #57 PuffyPuffers, Mar 10, 2013
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    58. Cool tutorial! I'm hoping to do this with my B&G Sky and I was wondering: Is it best to dye each piece individually or can you dye multiple pieces at once(maybe like the small pieces such as hands and feet)?
       
      #58 RosexRed, Mar 20, 2013
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    59. I am going to have to read the whole thread again when the time comes, but just wanted to say that since I wasn't able to get the dye here, I ordered it online, now that Joanne's ships to Canada :D So I am waiting for my very first delivery from Joanne's :D
      They didn't have the Petal Pink, but I got the closest pink I could find, so we'll see!
       
      #59 Giodrakes, Mar 20, 2013
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    60. OOH Giodrakes! Make sure you take before and after pics and post them here so I can see the results!

      Ryu
       
      #60 Ryuichi Sakuma 13, Mar 24, 2013
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