Removing Hot Glue: How to Remove Eyes that are Hot Glued

I aim the hairdryer at the hotglue and moving it around so the heat doesn't concentrate on one spot and damage the resin. When the hot glue is soft and pliable I use a tweezer to try and pull out the hotglue. if youre lucky you will get most of it off but it took me like 6 tries. you'll need to repeat with the hairdryer so the hot glue will soften again.

I use blu-tack to put the eyes in.

 

hair dryer is the best for it. I also used my nails to pry out the glue, keep heating it and prying it and it works wonderfully .. and clean too! make sure you use long nails .. then I re-attach it with UHU white tack.

 

removal: A swiss army knife, small blade; tweezers; elbowgrease.

I use grey kneaded erasers as well to keep eyes in. Great stuff.

 

Use a hairdryer to soften the glue enough to pry it out. I've heard of lots of eye-putty options (I still use what came with my doll, which is gross but works XD) - Fimo, plastic tack, Super Sculpy, kneadable eraser, silicone earplugs...

 

Yup, blow a hairdryer back and forth. It shouldn't take long to soften the glue enough to either grab the eyes by the stems, if they have them, or slip the tip of an Exacto blade under the edge of the glue.

Emera listed a lot of options. I haven't tried the last one, but still like the Volks putty the best, although I've tried white Primo (didn't have the Sculpy brand).

 

Just use a hair blow dryer on med heat...that should soften the glue up enough to get to peel off.

 

Hey, you should've just asked me. I can get them out along with the glue and I have stuff for eyes here.
You can literally pick the hot glue with the eyes out. It doesn't damage her face up or anything.
If you have any problems with her, I can help you knows?

 

Does anyone know how to remove hot-glued eyes?? My boy came to me from Angel region with his eyes (you guessed it) hot-glued. I never had the courage to try and remove them til now, cause I just received his perfect eyes.

I tried using a hair dryer, and the darn hot glue didn't soften at all!!

EDIT: Oh! And I felt like I had to mention, they have a LOT of hotglue in them?? Nothing like the tiny dots my Kuuta has X_x

Added picture:


Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

Oh man. Maybe try pouring hot water into the head and letting it sit for minute or two. Like... really, REALLY hot water. X3

 

I need to know too. I ask them not to glue it though, do you think they'd ignore me and glue it anyway?

I read that goo gone works. Hmmmmmmm but you don't want that all over the face-up.

 

ok, I'll try that!! It won't hurt the resin or his face-up, right? O_o

Yikes!! I hope they listen to you! Cause really, they went all hotglue happy with my boy's eyes

Goo gone? What exactly is that?

 

okay, many methods, but my fav is to take the thinner from the Mr Color paints, and dip a small metal spatula in it and work it around the glue.. it the thinner loosens the glue and you can pry off the glue in one clump

hot hair dryer works but is a bit messy as that melts the glue, and sometimes frizzes the dolls lashes if you are not careful

and someone has said freezer and then pick the stuff off, but never tried that method, just the two above

 

Thanks, rolopuppet!!

uhm, I don't have Mr. Color thinner, but... will regular thinner work? or any other product?

 

I would think, I don't know what is in the thinner, acetone? it's all in japanese so cant tell

just make sure once you get everything out you rinse the inside of the head really good with a little soap and water.. just in case..

good luck

 

I have used Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer to loosen the hot glue and it works.

http://www.dickblick.com/zz057/06/

 

The hair dryer worked for me, and there was a lot of hot glue. I used a pair of needle nosed pliers to grab chunks of it and peel it out as it softened. Just be patient, it takes a while. And I definitely wouldn't pour hot water in O_o That just sounds like a bad idea.

 

Hot water definitely won't damage the resin or the faceup -- but thinner definitely could. Your safest bet would to place the head into a bowl, then pour hot water into it's head, let it sit for a minute, then immediately drain it.

Be careful not to press the head in any way, because like with all things that get hot, you can mis-shape the resin. It should take no more than another minute or two to cool down though. And if the water was hot enough, it should soften the hot glue enough to make it so you can take the blunt end of a pen and poke them out (front to back).

I've taken many glue'd eyes out of baby doll heads, and this method worked the best for me.

Water will never damage resin -- especially after it's cured. Thinner, however, may cause the resin to either melt or may remove the faceup. Water will not remove a faceup if it's been sealed.

 

Maybe I just got lucky with this, but when I got the Cien boy, I got a really, really dull butter knife and carefully worked my way under the hot glue globs. Once I had enough leverage, I started to try and pull the globs away from the resin. It took a while, but... it did work, didn't damage the head in any way, and I was eventually able to get the glue off of the eyes, too.

Hope whatever you try ends up working for you! ^^

 

I've used the hairdryer method to soften the glue, then pick at it with a dull knife. I've had no problems with this method, other than being time consuming as you have to re-soften the glue. You also need to make sure that you don't melt the eyelashes. This has never happened to me, but I've read about it.

I've heard the freezer method works best though. Put the head in the freezer for an hour or so and the glue apparently comes out easily with tweezers. I'll be trying this method the next head I get with glued in eyes.

 

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions!!

ok, this is what I'll do, I'll put my boy's head in the freezer and if that method doesn't work, I'll go with the hot water *scared of mis-shaping the head!!*

And I do have some Brush cleaner, but... I might risk damaging his face-up ;_;

Thank you!! I actually started something like this but I didn't want to go on, Ithought it could damage the resin or the glass eyes! I'll try it too.

Well, my haird dryer did nothing to the hot glue -_-
and the head got really HOT!! So that's when I stopped O_o;;

but I will definitely try freezing!

I'll tell you all tomorrow if it worked and what method I used! *hugs her little tanned boy*

Thank you all again!! *gives everybody cookies*

 

I was worried about that, too--but hadn't heard about any of these other suggestions. XD; So I was just really, really careful about it. It did take a long time and my fingers were really sore, but... it worked, which was the only thing that mattered to me. And now Ifrit has new eyes! :3

 

I just did hot water (from the bathtub, it didn't have to be boiling) to get my boy's Zouks out. It worked like a champ, his faceup still looks fine, eyelashes are still attached, it just made the glue soft enough for me to poke the eyes out. I put the head in a coffee cup, ran hot water into the head, let it sit for like 30 seconds and then poked.

 

Be careful with the AR resin and heat.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128940

If doing blow dryer/aim only at under part of eyes. From inside head.

You need volks metal spatula tool to use thinner. Dip sharp part tip of tool in thinner. Only work inside head and bottom of eyes.

Thinner will take off face-up ...so be careful. Hot blow dryer can melt eyelashes...and change head shape.

I haven't done the freezer method ..yet. Good luck.

 

OMG!!! Scary!!
Good thing I stopped using the hair dyer when I noticed my boy's head was getting hot!!

And it's also a good thing that I was just about to use heat methods, but came to the thread to reread O_o

I'll just go with the freezer one... *grabs boy head*

Freezing method... from now on I'll swear on it!!!

I put my boy's head in the freezer for an hour, and then I used this pen that has a staples remover on one end, and BAM! In a minute, the hot glue had come off almost in one piece!! No damage to resin or the eyes at all XD

I'm so happy, thanks so much for everybody's help and suggestions!!!

Oh and congrats, fuminshouneko! Your Ifrit boy looks so cute! XD

 

Hmmm, freezer method. I"ll have to keep that in mind. Last time I had to use hot glue I removed it with one of those scalpal type exacto knifes, it took a long working around edges, and percision but it eventually worked.

 

Try dipping the tool in hot water. I found it works rather well. Using thinner was scaring me.

 

Pliers and a lot of force always does it for me. The glue doesn't much like sticking to either the head or the eyes and one or two pulls and the glue comes away from both usually in one piece.

 

Different twist on a common problem: what is the best (and least damaging) way to remove hot glue from a doll's head... if the eyes have been modded?

Inside my boy's head:

As you can see, the darker yellowish areas are where the eye holes have been modded to be smaller. My doll was won from Yahoo!Japan, and I'm not sure what material exactly was used for the modding, nor can I easily contact the artist to ask. I've read up on the various recommendations (hair dryer, freezer, Mr. Color Thinner, just plain ol' force and patience), but all of them seem to involve dolls that are new and/or unmodded.

My worry is that the mods won't stand up to the usual methods. Heating the glue using a hair dryer might also weaken the material used in the mods; freezing the glue could cause the mods to become brittle; force would quite possibly break the modded area right through. I just don't know how strong the material is. It's my assumption that the artist knew that the glue might need to be removed eventually and wouldn't have used it if she knew that the head might be damaged in its removal, but I'm not sure what kind of method could be used safely.

Any advice? Keeping my doll intact (mods, faceup) would be the number one priority, so I won't chance removing his eyes if it means ruining him. But I would like to give him the correct eye color someday, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance! =^^=~~*

 

I would just carve at it, bit-by-bit, with an X-acto knife.

 

I second this, carefully carve away at it, pulling it gently away from the modding material.

 

Possibly you could carve away at some of the glue with a low-speed Dremel to speed things up a bit, but the bottom would need knife-work. Buy a 50 pack of blades and keep replacing them.

 

You could try a soldering iron (if you've got one) to melt the glue. It would give you a bit more contol over the application of heat as opposed to hot water or a hairdryer.

 

I'm with krisome, try sticking a long sewing needle into a cork, heat it untill its glowing and use it to "cut" through the glue, then use a knife to remove the leftovers once the eyes are out of the way

 

Goodness. That was much easier than expected!

Thank you to everyone who offered suggestions. In the end, not having a Dremel, soldering iron, or even such a simple thing as a cork, I went with very carefully using a combination of X-acto knife and jewelry pliers. Much to my surprise, all six of the pieces came off in whole clumps and with a minimum of fuss. I can't even say that about the hot glue I've removed from factory-new dolls!

I'm feeling a little silly about being so worried and not doing this sooner, but I'm glad that it worked out. =*^^*=

Again, thanks! ♥

 

Hi,

I removed some eyes from a porcelin doll of mine but the hot glue is still around the actual eyes. I got the eyes out of her head but the glue wont come off. I tried freezing the eyes and cutting the glue but it still wont give up. Should I use the hair dryer or will the heat harm the eyes?

Sorry if I sound stupid, Added Pictures

 

Are the eyes glass or plastic?

A lot depends on whether its the older hot-temp glue, or the more widely in use dual-temp (aka low-temp) glue. I'd say put the eyes on a surface where they won't roll around. Aim the hairdryer on them, but not right on top of them. Wave it around like you'd be drying your own hair, and keep touching the glue. As soon as it gets tacky, you're on the right track. It should soften long before the eyes. You don't have try and burn the stuff off. Just the hot air should start the softening.

If you can lift a tiny corner before you start trying to soften it, do so, otherwise keep trying. once you get a corner lifted, while the glue is soft, it should lift off in a strip once you start pulling.

We used to use the hairdryer method to get errant glue strands off craft pieces, including things with dried floral items. Nothing ever burst into flame!

 

The eyes, I think, are plastic. I got the porcelin doll a few years ago, brand new. I can't lift any corners as of now because the glue is about as hard as the eye Im just worried Ill melt the eyes or something will go terribly wrong. I will try the hairdryer though... thank you

hair dryer didn't do anything. >_<

 

Hi everyone! If everything goes right, I will finally own my dream doll: Sweet Dream Nono. But while I love this version of her, I'd like to change her goldenish eyes for blue/violet ones.

I've never removed doll eyes before, and I've heard about how hard it is to remove Volks' hot glue. I don't want to damage the faceup or the attatched eyelashes as I do it, so I was wondering if any of you had some advice as to how to remove them without too much fuss.

I'd be grateful for any tips you may have. Thanks!

 

1.) Take off headcap and grab a blow dryer
2.) Set the head down carefully on a clean and non-staining surface and blow hot air through the back of the head for 30-45 seconds (I advise setting it down so you don't hurt your hand from the hot air ^^")
3.) Pick at the hot glue with some tweezers or hemostats (carefully so you don't scratch the resin or bump the lashes... but in my experience the lashes are pretty sturdy)
4.) Repeat as many times as it takes you to get the eyes and hot glue out. Since it's a SwD you'll be removing the eyes from, I don't think it'll be too easy to push the eyes back into the head from the front when the glue is soft, but in other dolls it can work too xD.

Anyways, that's just my method ^^" not saying it's the only way but that's how I removed my Luna and Suiseiseki's eyes ^-^.

 

Thanks! I'm definately nervous, and I don't even have her yet! I'm so afraid of somehow damaging my dream doll. But I'll be as careful as I can! Thanks again!

 

Cammy, you might want to read through this whole thread; the opposite of heat also works. Like some other people who have posted here, I feel safer putting the head in the freezer for a while, then using needle-nose pliers to pull out the hot glue. My Masha's hot glue came out in just a couple of pieces, after about half an hour in the freezer. But the freezer method doesn't work for everybody, so it's great to have options!

 

I used pliers to get the glue out of my AR bada's head. Just find a big clump and pull! It should come out in once piece. =)

 

Don't worry, I have, but I'm actually more afraid of putting her head in the freezer then of trying the heat method. I'm not sure why. When she comes home I'll see what works best for me. Thanks!

 

That's what I did too. So easy ^_^

 

I usually boil some water and dip a metal cuticle pusher or minishima carving knife from volks until it's hot.

I work from the bottom up slowly prying out the glue. The hot tool softens the glue if it cools redip in the hot water.

It's a modified method of the one volks shoes using thinner

 

hmmm i still have excess hot glue left in the eye area, and i intend to remove the faceup does thinner clean that off?

 

No.

The only way to remove hot glue is with more heat or prying it out, sadly.

 

I have had the freezer trick recommended to me highly, FWIW!

-- A

 

BIZARRE - READ THIS-

I was sent a doll I had bought that had the eyelashes gun-glued to the acrylic eyeballs!
I kid you not, never have I seen such a quick-fix sloppy job. The hot glue sizzled on the acrylic eyeballs and left terrible deep scars. One would think a seller examines their dolls before they send them.
I contacted the seller, after telling him what an insult this doll was, I demanded to be sent new eyes, eye putty, everything needed to replace the eyes. The seller did send the eye replacements, but I will not buy from that seller again.

Is anyone else familiar with a method where the dollmaker gun-glues the eyelashes to the eyeballs (acrylic eyes mind you-!) then the 2 glued pieces are gun-glued again into the doll's eyesocket?

Has anyone ever received a doll like this?
Did the eyes and eyelashes last in the doll?

thanks

 

I have to say it baffles me why, when they know we are going to eventually customize the eyes, any seller hotglues eyes/eyelashes in a doll? For that matter, why hot-glue anything except sueding?

 

Well that's cool (pun intended). The only thing I have ever personally used the freezer for is superglue. THAT works like a charm, the superglue absolutely shatters once it has been in the freezer for 24 hours.

 

Does the doll already have a faceup done? It really would depend on what kind of glue it is... But, you could always try using a blow dryer on high, and if all goes well, it should soften the hot glue enough.

Good luck!

 

I had a Yo-SD at one time and I tried a hair dryer with little success, though it did soften the glue a little, so I was able chip it away with a little screwdriver and pull at it with a pair of pliers. But it was still a total nightmare and took me like an hour and some to do and I never did get all the glue off.

 

The best thing you can do is just go at it with something like a small screwdriver. I've had to pull all my dolls eyes out that way, it just takes a lot of patience. Take it slow and you won't scratch anything up. ^^

If it's super tough, try heating up you own glue gun and use the tip to melt away at tough to get sections. I've had to do this on Yo-SD primarily, and the glue has never melted the plastic eyes or damaged the resin.

 

If you're very careful, try using a dental pick or something similar. Or even needlenose pliers. I used both of those on my last doll, and it was easier than the tweezers I'd been using. I swear the next Volks doll I get, I'm flying to Japan and making them remove their darn hotglue themselves! My fingers always end up swollen and aching afterwards.

 

I used hot water to get the acrylic eyes out of my Mark. It softened the hot glue enough for me to get the eyes out :-)

 

Heat or cold and a lot of patience. Hot water would probably be safer unless you are afraid of messing up the faceup. Some people have had luck with putting the head in a freezer overnight--the rationale behind this is that the resin and hot glue shrink different amounts when frozen and that makes it easier to pry the glue out.

The freezer method also works brilliantly for superglue. In this case, cyanocryolate glues actually get very brittle when cold, and after freezing your can generally break the bonds with a good sharp tap.

 

I've heard of this kind of solution (big risk to stain/damage resin):
Take a big needle or a nail. Then take a candle. Put the nail or needle into the flame (be careful, I suggest to use pilers for that). When it's still hot stick it into the hot glue. After repeating it in several places try to peel glue off. But I warn you, the hot needle or nail can easily damage resin on leave stain on it. So don't tell I didn't warn you. Use this method when it's the only one left.

 

Interesting discovery - I make my own (and my doll's) jewelry, and I have a pair of wire nippers (the flat kind, not the jawed kind) that are fine enough to fit in her head.

I'm using those to gouge out a toehold for my chain-nose pliers, and they seem to do a very good job of grabbing onto and pulling out chunks of hot glue without involving heat.

Just slide them into the groove of the eyewell between the resin and the eye, onto the glue, and pinch down on the hot glue, then pull away. It'll eventually get the hot glue ragged enough that you can use chain-nose pliers to yank it off in globs.

Unfortunately it looks like I'm pulling threads of dried snot from her sinuses, but them's the breaks, I guess.

- Mel

 

I don't have any dolls that's got default eyes attached,
all I have is Volks classroom limited (unpainted, disassembled... nothing)

I've heard many people moaning about taking out the default eyes from limited dolls or FCS...
The eyes are attached with hot glue right? (or hot stick, hot bond... whatever)
I'd really like to see how it looks like, or the process of taking it out.

Thank you
x