Tutorial How to paint joints and other problematic parts [CA COATING]

ATTENTION!!! I came up with this method to paint the bodies of my dolls. Use it at your own risk. I'm not responsabile for any damage!!! Results may vary due to the use of different paint, glue, resin or different joint engineering.

This method is suitable to paint ball joints, color matching parts, paint repaired parts, apply new skin color or protect any spot prone to wearing.

What do you need

320 grit sandpaper
400 grit Sandpaper
800-1000 grit sanding sponge
Sandable hobby paints of good quality like Mr.Color
Cyanoacrylate glue with brush applicator* (aka fake nails glue)

*The CA Glue needs to be liquid, thin, to dry perfectly clear and to have a brush applicator. I can't reccommed any particular brand, I used various cheap CA glues purchased in hardware stores. Fake nail glue should be the same thing. Test it on scraps or headcaps for compatibility and to pratice. Removal with acetone or sanding.



Prepare the pieces

Troughfully wash the pieces with dish soap and water. If needed remove any old paint with acetone. Carefully smooth out the ball joints and respective sockets to remove any sharp edge and spiky bits with 400 grit sandpaper. Gently sand the ball joints you are going to paint with 320 grit paper until you get a uniform, matte and slighty coarse surface. If the joint its tight you'll better remove some material to compensate the thickness of the paint and coat, especially if you are paint a new skin color.



Paint the pieces

Paint the pieces as you like and seal them with a coat of matte transparent. ( A matte finish make the next step way easier) I applied just some simple blushing on those shoulders.



Coat with cyanoacrylate

In a well ventilated space, brush thin layers of CA glue on the joints using quick strokes starting from the tip of the ball joint and keeping the coat very thin near the edges to avoid building up a thick step. You need to wait a few minutes between each layer in order to let the CA dry. Repeat until you get an even and glossy surface. Carefully check the pieces under the light and various viewing angles for bumps or matte spots. (This will make next step waaayyy easier). Keep some paper towels and toothpicks at hand to quickly remove any foreign dirtor hairs before the CA glue dry, or remove them gently with the sanding sponge once its fully dried up.If you apply too much glue and its dripping you can dab it with the paper towel. The result should be like this



Its of course possible to coat the entire piece with CA glue if you want. I reccomend it either if you are restoring a doll, to renew the surface or if you are applying a new skin color, to protect it . I used this method for my 16 years old dollstown doll arms and they looks like new. (pic below)



Thin or pointy parts like fingertips or joint tabs need a thicker coat of CA glue cause they are proner to wear.

Sponge-sand the CA glue

Once the glue its fully dried (no odor) buff the CA glue coat Using the sponge sander, until you get an even and dull surface, be very gentle where the coat meets the sealer. If you can't reach some spots with the sponge don't worry, just do as much as you can. If you did it correctly, you'll get an even and dull surface and you can't spot where the CA coat starts.



Finishing

Finish the pieces with your favorite sealer (I like to use a satinate sealer) to uniform the surface and to get the spots you couldn't reach with the sponge before. Finally, gently buff a little the ball joints with the sponge sander to smooth out the surface and prevent the sealer to rub off.

DONE!