Resin + MSC + Cleaning solutions. Tested methods for face-up removal

Alright! I've read this whole thread and I have a few questions...I hope you don't mind. I know you said there were some other threads...>.< But, I've found you're thread incredibly helpful so I thought I'd ask here.

Okay...I need to clean off a Volks body. I'm not sure what is on it exactly so far as MSC or paints. But it is painted on and blushed.

I've used W&N on a doll before but wasn't a fan of the kinda oily feeling it gives. Also reading some of this thread made me not want to use it again. I'm not confident enough to use Acetone so I've swayed towards using Isoprophyl Alcohol.

SO! Here are my questions...

If you don't have a head cap to test on what part would you suggest? (I'm only cleaning the body at the moment so no head cap to test. Plus, the head is a RML so it won't even be the same resin.) The resin is about 5 years old and NS (I believe.) I know it's not tanned though. So shouldn't have any problems there at least.

Also what am I looking for when I do the test exactly? How do I know it won't damage the doll any?

Is there any type of weather that isn't good to do it in? Or is it okay to do it inside. I know with acetone it would probably be best to do it outside but wasn't sure about Isoprophyl Alcohol. It's kinda cold here so wasn't sure it that would have any effect.

And is Lemon Joy dish soap alright to use? I've looked everywhere for a plain joy but all I've seen is the lemon one and I think a orange one... >.<

I'm so sorry to ask so many questions and even more if they've already been answered here and I missed it.

Thanks so much for starting this thread as well! I was very informative! ^.^

 

Hi! I'll be getting a Event head when I order my first doll this december, and I plan on using it to practis face-ups on. Since its a practis head (that I do plan to keep, and give a face-up once I'm good) I'll be taking paint/pastels/pencil/sealent off and putting it on quite repetitivly. So, I was wondering, whats the best remover to use? I really will need a good kind that wont damage the head because I do want to keep it in my collection. As well, I want to do tattoos and manicures on dolls in the future, and in case something goes wrong I want to be able to remove it without risking recking it.

Please let me know what you think!! Thanks!

 

Ugh... I reeeally hate removing factory face-ups... It takes SUCH a long time and there's sealant ALL over the head, so you can always see a little patch of it here and there... It takes FOREVER to get the paint off. I've been scrubbing and dabbing at this MSD DZ head for almost a week now and there are still bits of paint left. I'm really paranoid about continuing to use nail polish remover, though, but what else can I use to get the rest of this paint off...??? I'm using cotton swabs, toothbrush, magic eraser, but it still is taking -forever- for everything to come off... All the while I'm absolutely paranoid about jabbing my finger through an eye hole or something...

My sister will sometimes hold the doll head up to the light and she says the resin looks very transparent around the eyes. I'm not touching that portion of the head at all anymore, even though I can still see bits of sealant there...

Are factory face-ups always this frustrating to remove...?

 

Piper, I'd recommend getting pure acetone instead. You don't have to scrub that hard with it so you can be gentle and not worry so much about the eyes. :3 Just make sure you're rinsing thoroughly because if acetone is allowed to pool and puddle it will soften the resin and make it more vulnerable. I used to use the IsoPro + magic eraser route and it took forever to clean out the nooks and crannies of the face. When I switched to acetone everything came off in about ten minutes of cotton balls and toothbrush.

 

Straight acetone would make me nervous, though... Wouldn't that essentially dissolve (or "melt"?) the resin if used too much...?

 

Hello...
I am looking to do face-ups and find your research into these products very helpful, but I still seem uncertain on which to use. I was thinking of using magic sponge to clean off the worst, then finishing off with isopropyl alcohol.

My main issue is that I am not entirely sure where to store the alcohol. I read that it can explode when it heats up, as it is flammable and even sunlight can cause this if hot enough. Is this true? The only safe-ish place I can think to put it is in our garden shed for storage, but it can get pretty hot in there over summer. Where I live it doesn't tend to go over 30 degrees outside though.
The other thing is, I am going to assume as it evaporates i am going to need a mask for it? what sort of safety grade do i need to look for do you know, if so? (in terms of what the definition of the code is, rather than a number as the ones in UK are probably different)
Your advice would be very much appriciated!
I can't wait to try face-ups but i'm so worried about damaging my doll, it almost seems like there is no 100% safe option with no draw-backs. heh. So long as i am prepared, I know i can manage and this is why i could do with a little extra information ^_^

 

Thankyou very much for your reply whitewings! I realise now that I have asked before about this but i've had no time to get started with face-ups and I did have the extra questions to ask too ^^ I can't wait to paint my doll, which I am doing in about 2 weeks time when I have some visitors over to help just incase . I'll give the alcohol a go then, and yeppers gloves is a very good idea haha! Thankyou for the link too! I'm glad I can just store it indoors. I'll probably clean it outdoors or something too. that'd be ventilated enough and I already have masks at the ready =3

 

I really appreciate this rated guide. All I really know about BJD's started from my friend who first turned me onto them but she abhors acetone and uses nail polish remover for removing face-ups and the like and I'm glad I can learn some better methods. I'll definitely have to try isoprophyl alcohol when I decide to do a face-up c:

 

For uk dolly-folks, you can get isopropyl alcohol in Maplins! £14.99 for a litre! ^_^ It's for cleaning computer parts. I dont know the percentage, but it's completely safe on resin as I've just cleaned my Dolkot boy with it. Only problem with it is that it takes a while to get the gloss of and you need to use a little elbow grease.

 

Ohhh I see! I must have been confused then *blush* I knows you both have a vesuvia and maybe thats why? >.>
Oh thankyou for clearing that up for me, that makes much more sense! It's so confusing and I couldn't see it explained anywheres. That makes sense, asking for them without faceups I like doing faceups too... It looks like I should get me some fine grade sandpaper then. I think I need to sand some seam lines on my unoa chibi too... yikes so scary to think about sanding resin. I think I'll do it in a big bowl of water to make sure there's no dust and use a face mask and everything ><
Also.. I see on the front page that it lists isocol as a more cosmetic brand of rubbing alcohol, but has anyone ever used it for removing faceups? Mum brought some home after I was talking about getting some alcohol for faceup removal, but I'm a little suspicious of it because there don't seem to be detailed ingredients on the bottle. I googled it and it just says; Contains 640mL/L isopropyl alcohol. Maybe the rest is water and that bitter yucky stuff?

edit: okie well I got impatient (naughty me) and just poured some out and it was clear, and just smells like that horrid stuff they put on your arm before you get a needle... didn't smell like anything else. So I tried it, and it took that faceup right off! The msc flaked and I was able to use my fingernail and shave it off, or peel it off with my fingers. It was really very impressive. The face appears to be fresh now without anything on it, though there are a few shiny spots which I suspect to be remaining msc (but I'm not sure). They're very small shiny spots and barely noticeable at all. All of this however took a lot of elbow grease and my neck is so sore o_o

 

Just tried denatured ethanol (ethanol 90-100%, isopropanol 1-5%, methyl ethyl ketone 2% and methyl isobutyl ketone 2%) for cleaning for the first time, always used isopropanol before -- ethanol is WAY better. I had used both MSC and Games Workshop purity seal on my old CP whiteskin's faceup and usually scrubbing that away with isopropanol takes a terrifying amount of rubbing, with ethanol you just need to wet the area and wipe and it comes clean off even the inside of her head is spotless, even though it was coated with years' worth of leftover sealant. Makes me wonder why ethanol isn't used more widely...?

 

I just have a quick question, I have two resinsoul girls (one normal skin and one light tan) and their deep lip creases never come clean! I can't get in there with the magic eraser, and I'm a little afraid to use the brush cleaner I bought now that I've read this thread, I don't want to soak them, what can I do? I've tried toothpicks and toothbrushes with the nail-polish remover, but that doesn't seem to help either.

 

Huzzah I'm glad that isocol's okay cos ive used it twice *whistles*.... in fact I just removed another faceup.

 

I've cleaned my doll's faceup using thinner. When brushing her face afterwards it would stain in certain parts and look uneven. Looks like the constant usage of the thinner has altered the texture of the resin, as said in the first post (I didn't know thinner could damage the resin until I read this). How do I fix it? =/

Also, I use Mr Super Clean as sealant.

 

I wonder if high-proof vodka would work? Unfortunately it would be less than 50% alcohol, but might be easier to obtain, depending on where you are. But a bit pricey, though!

Seriously, though...I had a Machina cyborg that I wanted to have painted bluish-gray to suggest metal, and sent it off to someone to do it. The problem was, she was French, and my French is, to say the least, imperfect, so instead of saying blue and gray, I said "blue et gris." I was appalled when she came back paint in blue and gray diamonds like Pierrot! I did everything "by the book" to get it off it off, but finally resorted to acetone, figuring that since she was a battle cyborg, she should stand to be beat up a bit. It was still a long, hard process, but it came out okay.

 

Really? It's widely used in camping stoves, blowtorches and cleaning glass and tiles in Europe and the U.S., and here it's available on almost every gas station and hardware store... I believe australians call it methylated spirits?

A light sanding with extra fine sandpaper and some rough cotton/linen could help unify the texture again, if you're sure it's the resin itself and not just leftover sealant...

 

Can you use Testlers Dualcoat (or starved it is) instead of My Super Clean? And can you used the Testlers Pain Thinner for removing the face up? Many thanks!!!

 

First off, just like to say thank you for all contributors to this thread. It really helped me a lot removing my first face-up (I started panicking when I saw the white flakes). I used mr. clean magic eraser first, tried brush cleaner for the small space between the lips (just that area) and finally soaked my grey resin Bygg head in 99% alcohol over night - which turned out to be almost 20 hours. It pretty much cleaned 99% of the MCS. There are very few faded areas left but I think that's because I initially scrubbed it too hard before I ended up using alcohol). There is also one spot on his face that I scratched but overall, I am glad I could clean him up

But I do have a quick question, after using the mr. clean magic eraser to partially remove face-up, do you have to wash it off with soapy water, or is it safe to leave it dry and then re-apply MSC?

Thanks!!!

 

if the eraser was damp with plain water you're safe to leave it unwashed, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a quick dunk in soapy water. :3 Sometimes you can put isopropyl on the eraser, too, and if you do that I'd definitely wash it.

 

Thank you Zenn! In the end, I wiped it off a bit with damp q-tip, just in case. I only used mr. clean spunge with warm water - no alcohol. I just sprayed the head with MSC and waiting to see if it worked LOL

As for my Bygg head, it is definitely faded. After I sprayed MSC last night and let it dry, there are patches that just look a shade or two lighter. There is no bubbling or chipping off. It's just as if someone took an eraser and went through.. I will account this to me scrubbing off too much when I was removing the face-up

 

I read through all these posts and I saw a few mention methylated spirits (denatured alcohol). I use this to clean glass at work but it comes with a purple dye in it.

Those that have used it...are you using coloured meths? As far as I know you cannot get clear meths here in NZ and isopropyl alcohol is impossible to find in stores (I have found places to get it online but it is like $30 including shipping...which is insane).

I also found acetone in an art store but I am nervous about using it. I am about to start work on my grail doll and I am terrified of ruining her.

 

fairyspit: Yeah you should be very careful with both dyed denatured alcohol and non-acetone nail polish removers, although not all dyed products leave markings on the doll. I used a purple nail-polish remover on my WS for a few years and it didn't dye the resin at all, but some reddish nail polish removers leave a pink tint on the resin you can only get off by sanding, so it's always good to test the stuff on the headcap or some other hidden piece before cleaning the rest of the doll. Our denatured alcohol usually comes with a blue dye but there's also clear brands available around here, I haven't dared to try the blue one yet.

Have you checked the pharmacies for isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol? That's where I got mine, although the bottle says it's for "cleaning disks, tapes and electronics", wikipedia also claims it's used for disinfecting pads, DNA extraction and biological specimen preservation

HarleyQuinnBJD: Testors Dullcoat? It used to be a pretty widely used spray in Finland because of the cheap price, but it gets sticky easily and collects dirt faster :< Also, the cleaning solutions provided here might not work exactly the same since it is quite different from MSC. I used isopropyl alcohol for cleaning Testors, and it worked quite well.

 

Thank you all for sharing your information, I think I will be getting some Iso Pro from Dick Smiths here in Australia, because it seems like the safest option... and cheap!

However I did come across some polish rectified spirit (95-odd percent alcohol by volume, and drinkable!) in a large Australian chain liquor store. At about $50 a bottle you wouldn't want to waste it cleaning dolls, but if you happen to make your own liqueurs as a hobby or something and have some lying around.... I'd love to know if it would strip MSC from a doll! =D

 

Hello there I have a question. My little boy has a body blushing but I really want to remove it. When I researched on how to remove the body blushing, many sites have said that it's also the same thing like the face-up removal. With that, many have recommended me to use windsor and newton's brush cleaner. Is it advisable? If it is, how can I use it? should I apply it on a magic eraser then apply it to the blushed areas?

that's all. :"> Thanks in advance!

 

I'm a new at his hobby and I like doing the face ups on my dolls. I have used acetone on vinyl so I used it on resin. Then I read conflicting information on what to use so I wondered if I had made a really bad mistake. It's a relief to read acetone is fine. Thank you for the time and effort it took to share your experience.

 

Hi,

I have a Hujoo and a Volks E-B beauty and both have faceups. I was wondering what would be the safest way to remove a faceup from them is? Thank you

 

I used nail polish remover very carefully but it's still stained my bjd face. Is there any way I can remove this staining? Can I lightly sand it back perhaps?

 

Can anyone tell me if it's safe to use W&N and/or magic eraser on tan skin, particularly Volks Sunlight? My little guy has some clothing stains that are driving me nuts!

 

I use both all the time. Try the magic eraser first for clothing stains, just use a very light hand when rubbing since they are mildly abrasive. But you'd have to rub really hard and long to make a dent in the resin itself.

W&N shouldn't bother Sunlight tone resin. I've used it liberally to remove a faceup on tan Delfs, and they only have a top layer of tan resin. The trick with W&N is to let it sit for a minute to a couple of minutes to soften whatever coating/paint is on, do your rubbing and then clean in soap (plain Dawn works great) and water, and rinse thoroughly. I haven't used it, though, for clothing stains. They usually come right off with the magic eraser.

 

I heard that certain solvents can either ruin or bleach an Iplehouse doll, is this true? I can't remember which one it was, but I recall seeing pictures of the doll having patchy bleached resin.

 

Is equaline Isopropyl rubbing alcohol okay to use to clean off faceups? I have some 70% that I planned on using to add effects to watercolor paintings I have planned but if it's okay I think I'll pick up some stronger maybe 90% kind to use for faceup removal. I think this is a generic brand... the only ingredients appear to be the alcohol and water.

 

Yup. Isopropyl alcohol is the one to use. Sometimes I use the little pads, which have 70%, and I have a bottle of 90% on hand. Generic brand, name brand = no difference!

 

I am not sure if anyone knows the answer to this, but does anyone know about using other types of alcohol to remove faceups? I am in Japan and based on what I have found online, isopropyl alcohol is only available to medical professionals. They do have other types of rubbing alcohol in which contain methanol, ethanol, and isoproply alcohol combinations. However, the percentage of isopropyl is always very, very low.

I just wondered if there is a reason why everyone says to use isopropyl alcohol or if its just because (at least in the USA) isopropyl is the type we have in our rubbing alcohol.

 

seconding Jem25, i was unable to find isoprophil alcohol lady in drugstore was like - woot O.o no idea what it is but i have bottle of 96% Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol /coppyied from wikipedia
and i am totaly not sure if i may use it or not also i have

 

Just going to repost this here since I wrote it for a different thread.

In regards to W&N brush cleaner,

yes it does dissolve certain types of plastic. I have used it for a year and a half and I have not had a problem with it. It is formulated to dissolve dried on acrylic and oil based paint. Here are issues I've read about in that thread.

1. It can dissolve the PAINT on the brush handles. It's a brush cleaner. It was formulated to dissolve paint. This should not be a surprise. Yes it made a mess in the person's art drawer. However if she had used it to clean off the brushes again, she would have found that they were still usable. It does not dissolve wood or metal. You are supposed to leave your brush bristles soaked in it and most ferrules are metal. I've done this and not had a problem. I paint with acrylics on my dolls and oil on canvas as well.

2. Acrylic paint is plastic. It's latex. It is a specific type of plastic. So yes as a brush cleaner for dried on paint it will dissolve certain plastic containers. But it also comes packaged in plastic. It doesn't dissolve all kinds of plastic is the answer and resin is not the same as acrylic latex.

3. While one person has mentioned it leaving an oily residue, I would like to point out how many ppl use it without a problem. It is oily to the touch but if washed off properly it leaves no residue. There was one incidence when I first started out where I did't wash it off as cleanly as I should have. It didn't hurt the resin but it did cause the faceup to flake off much more easily. I cleaned the head thoroughly the next time and the faceup stayed on perfectly.

The other thing in regards to oily residues is that ppl assume that oily residue means it's bad for resin. I'm not sure if it contains oil I know it contains ethanol. However since it dissolves dried oil paint I will assume there is some sort of oil. Truth is, oil does not hurt your resin.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-polyurethane-resin.htm

Resin is known to be resistant to oils. The misconception came from the fact that touching faceups with hands and oils will wear the faceup down faster.

However, resin is reactive with organic compounds so I wouldn't recommend soaking your dolls in isopropyl alcohol, acetone or brush cleaner(ethanol). I don't believe brush cleaner or alcohol is anywhere as reactive on resin as acetone is. I have left my heads covered in brush cleaner for an hour with no adverse effects at all and they are all covered in brush cleaner for at least 20 minutes during a faceup removal.

I think alcohol is the safer alternative to W&N brush cleaner. I still prefer brush cleaner to alcohol because i find it to be a better remover and rarely requires magic eraser scrubbing. Alcohol also seems more reactive and volatile to me than brush cleaner because it evaporates so quickly. As such, since I've only had good experiences with brush cleaner, I prefer it to alcohol.

 

This thread is the best reference for good-sense instructions I've seen -- it's the only place I've found that discusses lots of materials without a lot of unfounded fright-stories of mishaps. When you're working with potentially dangerous solvents and valuable items -- quality information is priceless!

I've cleaned quite a few heads and I took some photos during my last cleaning-session. I put together a short tutorial with some pictures on my blog--I think it will be helpful for new painters. There is waaaayy more technical info here in this thread so I recommend getting the serious scoop here. I tried to put together a nice little overview of what works for me, and I hope it will help some new people:
http://madwifeintheattic.com/2013/05/22/tutorial-cleaning-a-resin-bjd-head/

 

This is the first time ever that I've ever heard someone cleaning their doll with Kerosene D:

Who does that???

 

Kerosene? !!!!

 

I'd be delighted if you linked to my little tutorial. Thanks! Robbin

 

As I know resin is different for each company that makes dolls. I have a Doll chateau doll head i want to face up and it has the default make up it came with. I was wondering what I should use to remove this face up. My first time and im still learning

 

Has anyone in here tried something like this yet?

http://www.tatabjd.com/en/goods.php?id=2028

http://www.tatabjd.com/en/goods.php?id=1835

since they have no label nor anything on it

Do these kinds of remover have any bad effects on dolls?

 

I Just bought a second hand doll and she's got some popping lip gloss that will definitely need to be removed when she arrives. I'm not sure how to remove glosses since I only work with pastels and paint on my dolls. I think it might be nail polish. Do you have any tips for removal?

 

I'd just like to recommend Bon Ami on this thread. I love it, and find it especially useful when cleaning the faceups off of tinies, when the magic eraser can't get in the little spots around the nose or between the lips. I just use it on a soft bristled toothbrush with some water. Hope this helps someone

 

I have, too. Something to consider for that green - test it first in some innocuous place on the doll. I had to remove a blue stain on a vinyl doll's face. OXY 10 was recommended. You just leave it on for a day or more. It worked on this doll, but I don't know about the resin. It's just a thought.

 

I've read through all 12 pages of this and have a couple of questions/clarifications that I couldn't find direct answers to.

I have an incoming doll that is one of my grails (Impl Miguel the Demon Hunter). His former owner spray painted his grey resin black with Army Painter paint (it is acrylic). The doll was sealed (not sure what was used, MSC/Volks/Testors?) prior to spray painting. When I told the owner of my plans to remove the paint, he helpfully tried to remove the paint on the bottom of the doll's foot to see how that would go (I had no idea he was going to do that for me). The previous owner said it came off fairly easily with non-oil, non acetone nail polish remover (and showed me a pic of the result).

I intend to use isoproply alcohol (99%, drug store brand) to remove the paint. Should some areas be more resistant even after lots of elbow grease is used with the alcohol, I'll see about using some stronger stuff, but will cross that bridge when I come to it. I saw some people recommended that gloves be used while doing this. Is this necessary/recommended? I ask as I have rather long natural nails and they generally go through rubber dish gloves after only a few uses (which is why I don't do dishes with gloves on anymore). I would assume that thinner gloves like latex would have my nails poking through in very short order making the point of wearing them for protection moot.

A few people have mentioned soaking or leaving heads/parts in alcohol to help loosen the paint. This doll has a TON of tiny nooks and crannies that will be... challenging to get all the paint out of. Is it safe to soak parts in alcohol? If yes, what sort of time limit should I keep in mind? This guy is my grail (I've been looking for him for 7 years) and he was limited to just 100 dolls total so my doing damage to him through my own ignorance would be heartbreaking to me.

Finally, how frequently should I wash parts off during the cleaning process? Some smaller parts like elbow/knee peanuts theoretically shouldn't take long to clean just due to size and the relative smoothness of the piece. Other pieces that are large like his torso or have a lot of grooves/nooks will require more time exposed to the alcohol to get clean. Would I be okay dunking the semi-clean pieces in a bucket/bowl of warm water, swishing it around and then going back to scrubbing with the alcohol? Or is it a better bet to wash thoroughly (I plan to use Dawn dish soap) every... say 15 minutes or so as I work?

 

@Iron_Dog

Gloves might be helpful if you want to avoid getting irritated skin. I find that I myself don't generally need them, since I don't spend hours with my hands in the stuff. It might also help with not making your fingers taste nasty.

Most people generally suggest not really soaking things if it can be avoided. If you really find that you need to, I'd recommend maybe no more than 5-10 minutes at a time. You can try scrubbing at the nooks and crannies with a soft-bristled toothbrush (or maybe even a baby toothbrush) to work it out better.

And I think your first thought for rinsing is good. If you are only using alcohol, it isn't as strong as other materials, so you shouldn't need to wash with soap that often.

 

Awesome! Thank you. I'll try with gloves and see how badly my nails mangle them. Really not into having my food taste gross because of the lingering alcohol.

 

@Iron_Dog Ughhh the worst is non-acetone nail polish remover. /shudder/ Rubbing alcohol is usually pretty OK - a quick normal-style hand washing cleans it all up pretty well, but heavier-duty stuff lingers forever - especially underneath fingernails. I have the bad habit of biting my nails, so I always get a nasty surprise after I've been cleaning off faceups with non-acetone nail polish remover.