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Dyeing Problems when dyeing small parts

Oct 11, 2024

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    1. Hello everyone:

      I've read a lot of forums and tutorials about dyeing bjds that have turned yellow by dipping the pieces in hot water with special dye for fabrics, and I tried with my pukifee (because I bought it second hand and it arrived in very bad condition).

      I liked the colour I got, but I found two problems:

      - The first, that the parts that I was forced to sand (it had scratches and stains) ended up much more pink; This problem is talked about in the forums and I know that the solution is to sand the entire piece to even out the porosity of the surface, but this raises a question for me: if I sand a hand or a foot will I erase the shape of the nails and the lines of the hand and foot? This worries me quite a bit because I have this problem on both hands and both feet.

      - And second problem: the bjd in question is a pukifee, and, as its pieces are so small, the ends of many of these pieces (like the ends of the arms and legs), being so thin, took on more color; has anyone found a method to solve this problem? If the thinnest parts were in the center and the thickest ones at the ends, you could try to match the color by soaking the ends for longer, but as it's just the opposite, I don't know how to solve the problem: how can you soak the center more than the ends or make the ends take less dye by soaking the whole piece?
       
      #1 Miss_Lizzy_Darcy, Oct 11, 2024
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    2. So I’ve only ever dyed SDs and MSDs before, so I’ve never encountered the issue you had with thinner parts taking more dye. What I will say, is you can correct uneven dye either by wiping the darker parts with a magic eraser and isopropyl alcohol or with a piece of paper towel and straight acetone. Be very careful if you use acetone to only use a little, as acetone can and will strip your whole dye job (and can harm resin) never let a part “soak” in acetone—that’s when you run the highest risk of damaging resin. But a gentle wipe down with acetone can be used to remove some of the excess dye and even the colour.
       
      #2 Chameleon, Oct 11, 2024
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    3. As for the first concern, the amount that will be sanded away depends on the strength and grit of the sandpaper. I think if you used a slightly finer grain and was careful about it, it wouldn't erase those nails
       
      #3 Emmacandyapple, Oct 11, 2024
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    4. You can also try a gentle dusting of color pastels on the hands and feet to color correct and seal them. If the doll will be wearing footwear/socks most of the time, you can leave off color-correcting the feet altogether.
       
      #4 hobbywhelmed, Oct 11, 2024
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    5. I don't have a pukifee so I don't know the exact teeniness of your detail. Model builders and miniatures use sanding sticks, you may even peruse their forums to see how best to handle small details. When I really with toes and fingers, I still with those and try not to go "over" the detail, but go with it. ( Like to do individual toes and best you can in-between)

      So just fyi, I personally find dyeritmore goes on slow versus idyepoly. The latter is excellent for faster saturated colors where as I've never been able to get any fast or really deep with ritmore. Going at a slower pace, or more diluted might help with dipping



      Here's a fairly good visual on how to dip and get a gradation.

      A little bit what you're asking for might be advanced if you're a beginner. The blushing and socks/gloves might be the band aid solution until you're more comfortable. Take your time! Enjoy the process ! It's most of the fun. For me any way.

      Nothing feels better then looking at a completely new doll then what you got and going "I did that"
       
      #5 Vimes, Oct 11, 2024
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    6. Thank you very much, I think this is a great idea!:3nodding: I will try alcohol first and use acetone very carefully if necessary.

      Thank you very much for your reply. In this case, I will proceed to sand the hands and feet with fine-grain sandpaper and very carefully. I feel much more relaxed.:3nodding:

      Thank you very much for your contribution. I hadn't thought of using pastels. I'm going to try sanding, but if the difference in colour is still noticeable, I'll use pastels.:3nodding:

      Thank you very much for all your advice, especially about not stressing myself out and enjoying the process. I think I was really making a drama out of what really is and should be a hobby. I'm going to try to smooth out my hands and feet with those sticks you mentioned and I'm going to follow the advice in the video. I'm going to take up this project again with more enthusiasm and without stress.:3nodding:
       
      #6 Miss_Lizzy_Darcy, Oct 12, 2024
      Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2024
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