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Secondhand doll... need some advice

May 7, 2023

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    1. Beware, the post maybe a little dramatic... And I hope so I post in the right place, because I need some advice what can I do with my "little" problems?

      So, I bought a doll from secondhand. (Soom Clozel head on Soom Breccia body)
      I got it yesterday and today I started to clean her. Now I know why she was cheap... (Not because she is around 10 years old...)

      [​IMG]
      [​IMG]

      The first, smaller problem was with her hand. Broken finger, bad repair... Okay, maybe some sanding and painting..?
      [​IMG][​IMG]

      Then next was the head. Nothing big, just khm... "not my taste" face-up. Her piercing was glued, but what type of glue, I don't know... It didn't want to come off. I sanded a little bit, now it's smooth but still there is a small pinkish patch (blushing under the glue). The other problem that thick red paint is stuck in her mouth... I tried alcohol and thinner (Humbrol Thinner, I use this regularly for cleaning face up and dolls).
      [​IMG]

      I gave up at the moment the head and moved to the legs. (Little side note: The paint is on them sooo thick...) Here we are at my biggest problem. One of them is cracked at the ankle, and I never repair crack before. I don't know what to do, and I'm afraid it's just matter of time before it's break fully...
      [​IMG]

      Sorry for the long post.
       
      #1 Shalamic, May 7, 2023
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    2. #2 Human-Doll, May 7, 2023
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    3. #3 Shalamic, May 7, 2023
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    4. Try Windsor and Newtons brush cleaner with a mr clean eraser for stubborn faceup remnants. You can even let the cleaner sit on the stubborn spot to loosen it.
       
      #4 legend_to_none, May 7, 2023
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    5. If you don't have the Windsor and Newton brush cleaner, and if you have isopropyl alcohol, let it sit for a couple of minutes in the lip recess and use and old toothbrush to scrub the paint. Have had similar issues in an old head which was caked in multiple layers of thick paint.
       
      #5 kyukyukyu, May 7, 2023
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    6. Hopefully helpful Tip: to get into tiny places like the mouth, you can soak a wooden (not bamboo) toothpick in whatever cleaner you are using, then 'scrub" gently with the tip of it. It is soft wood, and shouldn't harm the resin especially when it is softened by soaking in solution. This is how I've cleaned dolls for years.
       
      #6 Rosslyn, May 7, 2023
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    7. I second the toothpick tip! If the tip is too thick or the wrong shape for the spot you are trying to reach you can even carve the tip sharper. It's a great way to avoid getting solvents on areas that don't need them. Great if you are using very strong stuff like pure acetone and need the control.
       
      #7 Lillith, May 7, 2023
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    8. Thank you for the helpful answers :) Unfortunately I didn't find anywhere Windsor & Newton Brush cleaner, so I did it with isopropyl alcohol. The soaking an toothpick method worked perfectly.
       
      #8 Shalamic, May 12, 2023
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