Iplehouse 70cm EID Akando Discussion Part 2

Ya, this is frighting. There is a thread going here about the resin changes. I took the rings from his wrist (which are unchanged at the moment) and have started an experiment too. I'll post in both places when I have something to show.

 

First off: wow on the photo. Second: He did that in one afternoon? Gaugh! Guess my guys are going to be treated like southern belles; no going outside without giant hat, unbrella and full coverage clothing.

 

the test I have going- less than 5 days of direct sun and you can see a change....not sure how much it will show up in photos but I can see it. like I said, will post photos later....

 

Well it looks like Iple is taking action about the greening/fading problem:

Which is nice for future realskin releases, but doesn't really help those who already own it. I wonder if they'll do a re-release of the guys with the special resin, doubtful but it'd be nice.

 

it's will be interesting to see the color and texture of new UV-cut resin tho!
I only with my Ryan will come in UV-cut resin... T-T I just ordered it this month ><
(real skin NC Ryan)

 

Huzzah! I have been waiting for this announcement for so long! When I posted in one of those "What's your BJD pipe dream?" threads back in '07 or so, top of my list was: "Somebody will invent UV-cut tan resin". And I know a lot of French-resin owners have been waiting for this day, too. Great news, can't wait to see!

(So far, the complete fantasy of "magical UV-cut tan resin that can be sanded" remains not-invented-yet, but keep dreaming. ^^)

I doubt it'll be much different, if at all. When Volks first started using UV-cut in their normal pureskin resin-- I think Yukinojo was first in late '06-- I couldn't tell the difference between my before-and-after pureskin dolls, as far as texture/color. Of course that's Japanese & this is Korean resin, sure, but I just kinda doubt the UV-cut additive (whateva it is) will make a tangible/visible difference.

Be proactive! You can always buy UV-cut sealant & give your unprotected guys a little shpritz.

They sell that very nice Zoukeimura UV-cut matte spray at VolksUSA. I have used it on darker-tan resin before [Limhwa], and it dried so clear that face didn't come out any lighter than the body. Good stuff.

 

Ooh thanks for the link, I was planning on blushing him soon in the hope that it would help shield him a bit. *cough*and because the body is freakin' amazing but that's something else.

 

Adding UV cut to the resin makes no difference to the texture or look of the surface of your doll, it's just an additive that helps slow down the yellowing. I think it is premature to think of this as sunscreen for tan/french resin dolls, and I would still be careful with taking them out in the sun, and especially with storing them in hot environments as the UV additive does not protect from the latter.

I suspect the realskin Iple dolls are sandable, and that the colour is throughout the resin, but it takes time and patience to polish the seams, and although the colour should not change, the texture will be different from cast surface to polished surface. This can be matted down with MSC or similar. Iplehouse could just be covering their butts by warning us not to sand the dolls. Of course this is pure speculation from me, and I could be wrong, so don't try it at home without testing on a non-visible area (headcap?) first. My observations are based on the resin I cast with when I make tan dolls, and they ARE sandable.

Now, that said, can someone please explain the wrist joint on the EIDs for me, with the ring and... basically how do they attach and how do they move? Is the changing of hands any different from your average ball/socket/s-hook/elastic assembly?

grumpy_thai why don't you write to Iple and ask if they can hold off on casting your Ryan till they can start production with the UV cut resin?

 

I wouldn't sand these Ipleguys unless I was doing a total full-monty sanding job, face & body & everything, all over.... I can see at the seams of my Luo (where they've done a modicum of smoothing) and on my old Soo Ri's ankle (where I once left a scratch from a hemostat) that they'd be lighter inside if scratched. If you wanna sand 'em, you'd have to do it all over, so he'd turn evenly lighter all over. Like, don't just sand one leg, or one streak on a leg, & expect to not notice a difference. I always refer to the example of Nanyalin's tan Mano; she modded & sanded him beautifully, all over. He did look noticeably lighter than his unsanded brethren when she was done, but evenly lighter.

I also wouldn't try to sand these Ipleguys unless I actually WAS Nanyalin, or somebody else who really knew what they were doing.

Also yes, of course-- UV-cut resin is no substitute for sensible doll care! No 3-hours-long meetups at midday, on sunny July days, in parks that have no trees around, not for the tan boys. Just common sense. ^^ They can keep living on their little draped shelves, where they're safe (besides, drapes prevent me having to dust the little buggers).

It attaches & moves normally. That little ring-thing (it's really a U shape) is an optical illusion-- it makes the balljoint look like a hinge, but it is basically a hook-and-ball assembly. The U-shaped ring just covers the gap/slot in the hand, so it looks nice. (1) Hang the hand on the s-hook, then (2) slip the end of the U-shaped thingy into the gap, and (3) rotate it until it covers the gap & the hook. Then retract the s-hook normally into the arm. The only difference is remembering that little extra part.

I can't speak for the little JIDs, but I hear that the first Tatianas & Tanias used to have problems with that U-piece falling out. Maybe they improved the design for EID, or maybe it's just his size/tension that keeps that piece in so tightly... In my Akando, I cannot see that piece going anywhere. It's in there to stay.

 

Just weighing in on sanding realskin. I did it. I tested it on the inside of the headcap first and didn't notice a significant change in color but was nevertheless prepared to sand the entire doll. However, it didn't turn out to be necessary. I got some minor discoloration where I sanded on the feet, mainly on the heels, but it is not particularly noticeable. Along other seems, the most obvious difference was that the resin was smoother where it had been sanded. MSC did take care of this. If there is any discoloration along other seems, it's at the level where I'm staring at it under bright light and starting to think that maybe there might be a slightly different color, or maybe I'm imagining things.

 

Not according to Smilla's experiment. The UV spray didn't make any difference to the red dye fading. Both faded at about the same rate; the only difference was that the un sprayed area probably yellowed on top of the fading.

(My apologies if I misread that conversation you were having, though >>)

 

Yes-- by "Cut", they do not mean "Block". By any means. ^^ Smilla's leaving those parts out in full sun all day; that's laboratory conditions, not sensible everyday resincare.

 

JennyNemesis, thank you for the clarification of the hands, and also for expressing that people should not go and start sanding their tan or realskin dolls if they don't know what they are doing!!

Does the realskin resin match anything else that you've come by in colour?

 

I've thought about it.... but I'm not sure if I can wait that long
I've been dreaming about this boy for a long time, so I donno >< What would you do if it was your doll? Do you wait? or take a risk of non-uv cut doll and get it quicker?
after all, there's only been a very few incidence of their dolls turning green in the past...

 

I always feel so pr0 when Jenny talks about me! X_DD, haha, thanks dear, I am proud that you still remember Ransetsu! Honestly, to sand the tanning resin always takes a risk, and even if you can smooth it all, and even the color nicely around the seams, chances are that it will be noticeables. Honestly, my own consideration is that I largely prefer a little discoloration in the seamlines, than the seams themselves (Can't stand them >_<, and about modding colored resin, if the doll is actually casted in that color, and not only coated, I think you can do it if you are gentle and careful. I modded my Euclase's nose and chin for my own sanity, and it is really hard to notice, specially when faceupped.

But everything has limitations, of course; my kamau arrived with a horrible seamline in the neck X_D, and even if I dissrespectfully sand every colored doll I have, I do not dare to put the sandpaper here. It's simply too dark. I am going to study it in the headcap insides and such; and I can -notice- that iple sanded his legs in certain points, what makes me think that even if their work is easily noticeable, mine could be a massacre XD. So, the tip in the end is: try first on a less visible part, proceed slowly and carefully, be prepared to sand the h3ll of it, and do not panic!! Almost everything is reversible, save for the most major disasters (Did I tell you what happened when I decided to boil my Euclase in a pot? XD)

 

Nanyalin, when you do try to sand your Kamau's headcap; try finishing off with superfine (0000) steel wool and babyoil. You will need to wash the piece with dishdetergent liquid after to remove the oil, but this is what I do on the dark resin, and it works very well.

 

Thank's a bunch for the tip O_o' I could have never figured this out (the oil part sounds almost as bizarre as my boiling pot!). But that's true, if it's just the sanding with it, a good wash in lots of detergent would remove all the grease. I will try it, if I can firegure out where to buy steel wool in this city (The Dubliners don't have hobbies! Only go to the pub ._.)

 

Hee, yep, it's torture-testing central over here at Chez Snark! I'm starting to think the next batch of pics should include one of me in a lab coat doing my best mad-scientist leer over the poor little foot-change part...

And all this talk of the pros and cons and helpful hints about sanding tans is really feeding my itch to do a little more hands-on experimenting with my second Lt Cocori, who has an absolutely NASTY seam on one of her legs. Not that I have any idea whatsoever what I'm doing, but hearing these accounts from experienced modders is really encouraging me to take the plunge -- if nothing else, it sounds like the combo of matte sealant, stockings, and/or body blushing would all go a decent way towards covering a multitude of sins...

 

she was testing a tan and not a realskin too. But yes, it does seem to be about the fading of the dye and not yellowing.
Can't hurt to give the boy a little spritz so I'm with Jenny on this...

 

Marta, I figured out to use oil because water makes the steel wool rust. Oil is a much better lubricant, anyway. Just sit with a good rag (old terry towel is good) and wipe off the excess and dust and keep dabbing the steel wool in the oil. Oh and wear gloves, as the metal fibres will damage your fingertips.. I say this having rubbed myself raw with sandpaper more than a few times. It has to be the superfine steel wool. I get it from the hardware store, although you can get it online too, ebay for example.

Smilla, I am not sure Cocori is cast from the same stuff, so be careful, because this only works on the frenchy resins, if it's white based resin that's been tinted dark, the sanded areas will be lighter no matter what you do.

I am definitely going to try this on my Jessica when she turns up...

 

*nods* This one seam is bad enough that I've been sort of screwing up my courage to take the risk anyway -- fortunately it's on the back of her calf so even if it goes badly, the location is one that will be ridiculously easy to cover up with clothing and footwear. This girl never really goes bare-legged anyway, so even if I mess up horribly it shouldn't be too noticeable under display conditions.

If you can't find any readily in your local shops, I'd be happy to send you a few pieces -- I've got a surplus here. (I'm working on fixing up an old doll bed I found on eBay, and a pro antique restorer friend advised me to use this stuff as part of the final stage of refinishing -- but of course the hardware stores only seem to sell it in big bags of a dozen pieces.) They didn't cost very much and they're quite lightweight, so I'd be glad to donate a few of the excess pieces just to see how the sanding turns out!

 

Really, baby(mineral)oil? I've done this with wood and metal, but never thought to try it on a doll. Would you suggest testing on a inner piece first?

 

Waa! Boiling? Oil? My stars... The things you guys go through to make colored dolls do what you want! How amazing. Now I'm gonna be curious to hear if Kamau is or isn't remotely sandable. Godspeed you alchemists.

PS. Nan, are you serious they don't sell regular steel wool in the hardware-stores in Dublin? Or even in the sink-cleaning section of the drugstores? ... I wonder, what are they afraid you'll do with it?

My Akando's first-batch Realskin is actually very close to my own real skin color. ^^ Srsly: I haven't seen a color match yet, myself. The closest resin I can think of is Volks Sunlight, in terms of darkness... but Realskin's much less yellow-toned than Volks. More olive.

Some companies' tans are so pale that you'd think they'd almost match (i.e. Narindolls, Peaskwoods); but even if the darkness is about the same, Realskin is just a lot more richly-colored than other light tans I've seen. Maybe it's the multiple sub-tones they've got going on in the mix, I dunno. It's remarkable stuff; I'm not really surprised if it's sometimes unstable.

He will still need some extra care even with UV-cut resin, anyway. If you love the Realskin & you're willing to make a little extra sacrifice, by storing him out of strong light & avoiding too much outdoorsiness, then go for it.

(Or, you can do what my friend did when her tan Soo Ri got a touch of green from going topless outside too much: Just don't care, and keep loving him, green abs and all. )

 

steel wool is flammable guys! then again so is non-dairy creamer
and I'm all for loving the green boys and girls....I love mine!

 

I don't heat the oil when I sand... use it on a shallow dish straight from the bottle. The fact that steel wool is flammable should have no bearing on the result, as long as you don't sand so fast you manage to spontaneously combust. The oil acts as a lubricant anyway and should prevent some of the friction that would make the above scenario even less likely.

It would be easier to try on an outer piece, but in case it doesn't work, it would be best to try inside the headcap first.. or on a convex area that is not visible when the doll is strung.

grumpy_thai, I don't know if I could wait.. would have to weigh the pros against the cons, but like Jenny says, UV cut is not a cure-all.

 

no, no my comment had to do with why you can't find it in Dublin or at least a silly theory.....oh never mind

 

Ahh, durrr ~ I get it now... don't do this to me so early in the morning You could argue that 8am is not early, but I'm just not that awake yet!

 

That's very true (about UV cut is not a cure)! Thank you for sharing your opinion!

hahaha. This is very true too :-) I think I'm quite prepared to love Green Ryan if that happens XD after all, I love his skin color and I will never be satisfied with Basic Ryan (he's just too pale in my opinion ><) so I have to take that chance regardless of normal French or UV-cut resin :-)
Frankly, I can't wait until September to have him, it will start snowing by then (JK, but it does snow in September in Canada at some places. lol)

 

She WAS telling mostly the truth about non-dairy creamer being combustible, though! See, you never know who to believe around here... gang wisdom is good.

I swear, a little prevention can really make a big difference. I've collected 6 tan men over 4 years, including Mr. Unstable-Realskin-Akando, & their color is still lovely, even though they DO go outside for photographs, and sometimes come out to play in daylight.... some of them are darker/browner than other people's Iple tan dolls that're newer than they are. And I believe it's because I store them out of the light the vast majority of their time. If curious: Shelves with drape when I'm not home... Shelves without drape when I'm home. :}

When I got my 1st tan doll, and heard about the greenness-risk: "OK, so this ONE doll can live under a scarf, & the others can live out in the open!" This worked fine. Rather: It works fine until you find yourself with multiple tan/white dolls who're photosensitive. (If you love Iplehouse, this can happen easily!) At that point, you'll magically decide that it's not so much of a hassle to arrange a storage-environment out of the light, & just drape the whole damn collection. I am not into green men, especially 6 of them, so I was willing to rearrange my apartment to do this.

But if you don't want to bother with fancy solutions, just throw a cloth over your one tan doll whenever you're not home to enjoy him. See if you can live with that, & your Realskin should stay caramel-colored.

 

Don't make me wonder what they will do with steel wool-- ... they do not sell in pharmacies any kind of alcohol (isopropil, or the classical medicinal one to desinfect) because people drinks it : /

About the real skin, I am also terrified myself, but I try not to panic. My Akando was apparently paler than other real skin guys; and I think his color has changed, but he is now perhaps more golden and less red, and I do not think he looks bad at all; I am inspecting him daily in search of green, but thanks god does not seem to be the case. My boyfriend'sEvan, on the other hand, apparently has stabilyzed and he keeps his color, even if he had some photos in daylight (but not in sunlight so far, I think). I do keep my dolls in a wardrobe, so on their daily basis they are away from the sun. And I honestly think that some cleaning / sanding might help with the greening!

If my doll would be turning green, I would try a good rub with isopropil alcohol, just to see if it did something, and then I would try some soft sanding too, to see if it fgoes trough the layers of resin, or is just the surface. Perhaps the resin would be slightly paler there, but I think same color and paler > green.

I think I will re-spray my boys this weekend with UV cut spray, they are already covered by Citadel and the regular msc on their faces, but I think it won't hurt to have the three of them treated; perhaps won't help for the photos in the sunlight, but at least wouldn't have me paranoid to take photos in the daylight >_<. What a pity, the real skin is so gorgeous!

 

I lol'ed about 'Mr. unstable-realskin-akando'. What a poor name for such a gorgeous man, but funny XD
anywayz, thank you so much for sharing your thought with me :-) I think I'll store him in a closed cabinet when he arrives! This cabinet has a glass door, but I'll put a drape or curtain to block the light, and I'm not using this cabinet much right now, so it's a perfect spot for him!!
I stopped worrying about it too much, right now, I'm just too excited to meet him finally XD! Will post photos when he's home!

 

Good luck Grumpy.Thai! : And congrats!

@Nan, I was wonering about that - /would/ the dreaded sanding actually serve as a remedy for greening, like it does for yellowing? If greening is pigment-breakdown, does it go all the way through? Top layers only? I'd love to see Mr Incredible Hulk Akando get his green bits experimented on... If only these weren't such pricey experiments...! ;;

PS I am happy that your barbarian clan lives in a nice dark wardrobe. The sun isn't worthy to touch those glorious men.

PS2. Tell the Irish government that selling isopropyl alcohol legally in shops would be a great way to help control the population of stupid people. :P Srsly, we Yanks can't fly in planes with a bottle of lotion in our bags, & you can't buy steel wool-- why are governments so weird?

 

Have any of the Evans greened? I haven't heard of any of them having problems, could be because they are a couple of months younger than the Akandos, or it could be Iplehouse got their realskin production more standardized. I just stripped mine down and gave him another good check and he's fine. He normally lives in a dark room with the curtains drawn, but he is not covered up. I did have him outside once in bright sunlight for probably about half an hour before I got him coated with UV cut, and briefly a couple of times since then. Needless to say, I'll be a little more careful from now on, and I'm going to keep an eye on him for any changes. I have access to UV lights (the burn your exposed skin in a matter of seconds to minutes kind) so it would be neat to see what would happen to the resin with some torture testing under them.

 

i have an Evan, and honestly.... i have not been very careful with him.... he is out in my living room, with big picture windows open..... and so far, he is not green, but.... i have now started to cover him up during the day.... poor fellow has a vampire cape draped over his head......

 

For what it's worth, the regular non-Realskin Iple tan part I've been testing under direct sunlight does look like the greening/fading goes below the surface: I'll need to try sanding or slicing it to be absolutely certain, but if you squint at the edges that weren't directly under the sun, they also show a thin discolored "rind" about a millimeter wide.

Oooooh...if you do end up doing that experiment with some spare parts, please share or crosspost your results to the greening torture-test lab thread! I'm sure the folks following those ongoing experiments would love to see your results.

 

I can say that my evan is way more stable; he hasn't changed, not even to yellow, as my akando, and he still has a beautiful warm color, where my Akando is now more golden. Apparently, Evan's mix was more stable, as suggested above.

 

It occurred to me that I probably hadn't mentioned this about my process for tan sanding... but the steel wool and oil is the last stage before cleaning, so prior to this I would sand as normal to make the seams smaller or whatevet. Maybe use a cera canna if the seams are big, but I find that just wet-sanding with 240 grit sandpaper will take seams down. You'll probably want to go over with 400 and 600 grit as well before starting with the steel wool, because this step is only intended to polish the surface.. if you were to try to sand the seams down with steel wool it would take forever. Also if you go straight from 240 grit to steel wool, you will see the scratches from the 240 after you clean off the oil, the steel wool is so fine it won't be able to take the surface down enough to remove those.

Still, if anyone is thinking about trying this, you'll want to try just the steel wool and oil on or in the headcap first, to see if the steel wool works the same as it does for me.. it should only alter the texture and make the surface more glossy, but not make the colour any lighter. If this is successful, then try again (still on the headcap) with the sandpaper before using steelwool and oil.

 

Amazing what some paint can do....
I think he is so versatile.
Barely even looks like the same head...





L-R
Sleeping head modded chin and eyes opened
No mods
Sleeping head added ears and eyes opened

ALL painted by me.

 

love the elf! (or Vulcan but I think the ears are too long for that...)

 

The eyes shape on #1 is fantastic, can't decide if they're seductive or dangerous.

 

let's go with dangerous...lol
It's going to be my super hero head...he's about to become Batman, then Thor, then Aquaman...you get it.

 

Picks for you all: The Sun Exposure for IH RealSkin
The control was kept out of sunlight so if your doing that it will work!
Just as the photos say:
It is a deep fading rather than a simple yellowing of the surface.

Without Flash


With Flash

 

Thank you for doing this experiment!
It's hard to tell from the picture, can you tell me if there's any changes on the NS piece?
it looks like there has been slight green on the edges, is it?

 

man oh man....what a bummer about the Realskin.
It so pretty without exposure.

I am glad now I waited for NS.

 

NS has no change at all

 

Eww, yuck. Just curious, do you know if this was some of the earlier realskin they made, or a later batch?

 

its one of the original limited Akando I think. Wiccat can answer for sure.
Oh and the NS is about 3 years + now (from my Iris).
No problem all to do this test, I had no idea how to insert these things anyway!

 

Soooooo... anyone planning on turning their Akando into the Hulk, or the Green Giant? I'll volunteer to do a similar resin test on the realskin UV resin when I get my hands on it.

 

Good to know - I was growing paranoid and starting to wonder whether my NS Akando's fingers were starting to look slightly green or if it was only the lighting ... Whew. :p

 

i have one of the original LE realskin Evan's, and earlier in this thread i said he was fine, but now, a while later, i do see some color change on him. i did have him out a lot, but not in direct sunlight, never outdoors, and mostly i draped something over him. so indeed, the resin is sensitive.

 

Oh Miss A, no! The resin does seem to be extremely sensitive. As I said, mine greened after one afternoon in English spring sunshine. And that experiment is very, very scary. Yes, I perhaps wish I had waited for NS now. Damn my impatience! Well, Horse gets to stay in his box then. And there goes the resale value.

This is like a creeping pandemic, isn't it? The dolly equivalent of swine flu. Aaarrgghh!

 

Micha's never coming out in daylight again. Luckily as a musician, he probably won't mind getting up in the evening rather than the morning. ^^

 

awww, but yes... 'fraid so... it's not too bad really. just a touch of sort of yellowish/pink here and there... not green, and hardly noticeable, but since i scrutinize him every day, i can see it.

i do think i will not invest in any more realskin dolls. i just can't deal with a doll i have to handle with kid gloves.

 

Just for Fun: I showed my Akando to a friend of mine who was not familiar with ABJD. Her first words: "He has a winky!"
LOL! Well ya, of course.

We have gotten to serious about all of this. Lets remeber why we love these boys!

 

Yes he does have one...though for his overall body mass...a small one.
I always seem to be stuffinghis pants.
What's that quote?
"Socks are to be worn on your feet, not in your pants."
*sniggle*
Aaron is actually better...uhmmm...equipped...*GIGGLE*
and harder to fit properly because of it....making undies for him was a real...experience.

 

Really? SOOOO tempted to ask you to prove that. Or maybe the mods would kill us?

 

No killing necessary. Here:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4059554#post4059554
(Specifically here.)

It only looks smaller because the rest of his body is so huge-- and the YIDs look spectacularly-endowed for the same reason (they're so skinny). It's always the skinny ones, isn't it? Meat or resin men. I swear on Science. Every time somebody's unveiling makes you go "whoa!", it's always some 135-lb wonder who's been hiding it under baggy jeans the whole time.

Anyway. I don't find EID to be hideously underendowed, but then, I was never a size-queen. I think EID's is just big enough to make his pants fit nicely. Any bigger and it'd be comical a la Tom of Finland.

Of course, if Iples wanted to go the route of Unoa or Spiritdoll they COULD make changeable Option Bits in varying sizes. : Oh but I should not tempt them.

 

Yes you should D:

 

my super hero body is ready to prove he is one...
and yes...he stuffed!
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309183

I LOVE this Doll ! ! !

 

YES you should too!