Maintenance Submerging Dolls in Water for Cleaning or Bath Photos

Aha...so that's the solution right there.

Akkhima, I think it'd be possible to tape it without it touching the doll at all, if it's done carefully...Say if you wanted to submerge the doll to his/her waist; just pull the bags to the waist line and tape it tightly enough over the bags that it can't slip down or leak. It might take a bit more tape and a few more tests to make sure it's waterproof, but might save the doll from the residue problem.

 

I took my DM Momo to Hawaii, and took photos of him playing in the sand etc. I had to get the sand out of his joints and didn't want to mess with re-stringing him while on vacation. So he had a bath in the hotel.

I live in Arizona and am not familiar with rust! Everything dries fairly quickly here. I used shampoo to wash his fur wig.

 

Um a while ago I saw a cleaning kit for dolls on ebay but missed the auction. So I was wondering where would I find one of these cleaning kits? I found these leather boots had left marks on my doll and I'm kinda scared of using soaps and what not and a damp cloth didn't really work : ( So if you know where I could buy one or how to clean him that'd be great.

 

er... i have a bigger problem than last time and this time it's worst far worst.

Rae's turned brown. I thought it was yellowing because if you lift up his mid torso the resin is very different.

I thought it was staining at first but he was wearing red that day and white pure cotton most of the time. Then i notice his arms and legs had it as well, it's a slight darker shade of resin. So thought must be yellowing. Then when i stripped him i found his little boyhood is the same colour! Which is odd as it's always covered with white knickers...

the more i look at him the more likely he is dirty but very very very dirty! Can someone suggest a solution. I've brought some magic erasers but they're not shipped yet by Luts and i wiped him constantly with a teeny bit of soap and tonnes of water, it made the mark lighter but not much. I've spent hours on cleaning and yet he is dirty.

I don't think it's yellowing as the colour change is only on oneside of the lower torso on his back, the front and top is perfectly clean and the arrival colour (strange as the chest is usually exposed due to the opening)

 

Just to echo Raouken, Acetone free nail varnish remover (I use the orange cutex stuff) is fantastic for cleaning dolls up, assuming you're using it somewhere that isn't blushed/been coated in MSC it should work fine, just be sure to give the part a rinse afterwards to get rid of any residue (might be worth taking him apart for a proper scrub down or at the very least taking his head off to protect the face up).

 

Are you comfortable taking him apart and putting him back together? If so, unstring the poor boy and put all his parts in a container filled with water and mild detergent, then scrub! Afterwards just carefully let the pieces FULLY dry before putting him back together. This might work better than just rubbing him down with soap and water...I hope you get him clean soon ;_;

 

i use windsor and newtons brush cleaner...works to take off faceups, and whatnot, goes through testors...and then i used it to clean all my dollie's parts and omg never seen them that clean since i the day i got each of them. ^^ works like a dream. you can usually find this at a local art shop, or perhaps even a craft store like micheals. ^^

 

white skins will get dirtier quicker- kep them as covered as possible clothes wise. It wonlt hust them to clean them

 

Thanks, I feel much better now. Weekly baths/touch-ups it is. Neal's just going to need to deal with the indignity. (He's been glaring at me all day now.)

 

Kiril, my El, seems to get dirty a lot quicker than my Wu.. I think it's as Kyrie Arashi said, about the slickness of them. Regardless, once a week or more often than that I clean them both with MCE, and yeah, it's really weird seeing dirt and such coming off a seemingly clean arm or leg

 

All I know from experience is that Testors + blush + water = VERY BAD IDEA.

 

I'm in an old house, too. I find that my dolls need baths rather frequently. I learned the hard way about the testors too. NO MORE Testors here, either, LOL. The MSC doesn't seem to attract as much dust. So now, everyone gets a good layer of MSC, even his action figures.

 

...that happened to me, too when I used to play with Barbies and make them go underwater. I remember being like, "O_o" when I found the little holes on the bottom of her feets.

 

sorry if this has been answered somehwere else
but someone before me said that dark clothes can stain the resin.
would it help if we wash the clothes before we put on them?

 

Someone from this thread: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2397089

Said...

Hope that helps.

 

You can just try soap and warm water!

 

The photography tricks are a great help. I also had questions about getting dolls wet, especially for a "underwater" shoot. But, I have an old fish tank that should be perfect. Thanks for all your help.

 

I have read that people use detergent to clean their dolls. Is this safe? What type of detergent should be used?

 

When people mention detergent, they probably mean dish soap. I use a tiny drop of dish soap (the brand happens to be Caldrea) diluted into several quarts of hot water to degrease sanded heads before the initial coating of MSC. This would be safe to clean uncoated parts of a disassembled doll or to lightly wipe down the surface if necessary.

 

GUUH!! >__<
everyone keeps talking about how if you submerge it they'll get all ruined unless you dry them properly, AKA restringing them.
I, me, am an idiot who cant even tie her own shoes without screaming and flailing about how the devils in my shoelaces.
I wanted to put Twin-B in some water with a white flowing dress and make him look all angel-pretty-OMG-me-so-hat-everyone-loves-me.
will my dream ever come true?? *cries*

 

As others have said, as long as you properly dry everything out afterwards, I don't see any problems. Just take the doll apart after the photoshoot and let the pieces dry completely and then put him back together. Not too terrifying.

 

I didn't disassemble, I just put spacers in his legs to let air get into the elastic inside and left him naked for a couple days.

 

The whole submerging a BJD is just to scary for me. I would stay way from that and try something else because water mixed with a plastic doll bring back bad memories....Like I submerged a Barbie doll of mine but I thought she would be fine if I let her dry out. A week letter she smelled weird and my dad detached her head to fine a huge collection of mold. My advice...stay away from submerging dolls completely in water!

 

I once took pictures of my Haitula (Serendipity AGA Fairy Cookie) at a swamp, and the poor boy fell in face first! I got him out in a few seconds, and he suffered no ill effects, but he was not completely submerged, and he had clothes on, so I assume the water did not get inside. It happened over a year ago, and there are no signs of mold or other damage.

 

Ok if your doll has some resin dust on them when they come and you want to give him or her a quick wipe over.

What's the best thing to use? and when you open your doll for the first time what are the chances of inhaling resin dust and how dangerouse is it?

 

I've never known a doll to come with loose resin dust on it.

Though a quick wipe over with a wet magic eraser or damp paper towel would quickly get rid of it. Resin dust is incredibly toxic, the slightest bit inhaled is enough to give one a headache for hours which is why modifications are always done while wearing a mask.

 

Thanks yeah I was worride as someone mentioned they did I think o.O

heh need to be careful. Yeah a wipe should do. I was wondering but sometimes you can't use certain things for materials so you know.

 

I've had a doll come with resin shavings packed into the ball sockets. I just carefully scooped them out and threw them in the trash. But if it's dust.... you can wipe it up with a disposable rag/napkin or even use a little vacuum.

 

I use a facecloth dipped in warm, soapy water to wash my girls. Use dish detergent because people soap has perfume and colouring and stuff in it. Its kind of like giving a 'real' baby a quickie wash!

 

This is a bit of a stupid question... but has anyone ever taken photos of their dolls actually *in* water, for example, paddling in a river, or a bath, etc?

I don't actually know whether some kinds of water would actually be bad for them or not - I'm just curious!

I have no intention of doing this to my girl when she arrives, lol, as I am far too nervous and ful of paranoia - but the concept intrigues me. Is the chlorine in swimming pools actually dangerous or harmful? I wouldn't think twice about letting my Blythe paddle for a short while lol, as they are, well, firstly less expensive and secondly pretty darn resistant and non-resin beings. ^^

If anyone has, please post your pictures here! 8D

 

Water won't damage the resin, but if you get the elastic wet it can rot. People often take their dolls completely apart to clean them in order to keep the elastic from getting soaked.

 

I took my Dollmore Momo on vacation with my family.



I forced my kids to take Momo to the shore


Momo getting sandy....


bath time in the condo sink!

I live in the hot dry arid southwest. I don't have to worry about moldy elastic.

 

Dawwww. ^.^ Is salt water fine then? :S Dunno why, I just would've though it would be... bad? XD

 

All rubber rots if it gets wet, but I suppose if you dry it out fast enough it might not rot right away. If you look at any rubber parts on boats you can see how they crack. I know even just salty air can eat through rubber, happened to my moms car. Though I'm probably making this sound scarier than it actually is.

Really, it's just best not to get the elastic soaked or if it does get wet, dry it out quickly. Over time you'll probably need to change out the elastic anyway and that's not that big a deal. I have no idea how resin would react to salt water.

 

Mods, if this is better suited to somewhere else I'm sorry. I had no idea where it'd go.

I'm curious to know if there'd be any ill effects if I were to subject my dolls to... well, salt water. I'm assuming that their body would be getting fairly wet, though I would be trying rather hard to keep their face as dry as possible.

As far as the fact that the doll would need to be clean and restrung afterwards, I know that much already.

 

As long as you don't leave them soaked in salt water for prolonged amounts of time I think the resin would be fine. Just was you said, clean them after to get rid of any residue and don't leave the wet doll strung.

 

I put my Twin-b in the ocean and he didn't sizzle and melt or anything XD I think its sand you'd have to worry about. It got caught in Ailills foot joint and when I moved it it had a little teeny tiny scratch. And it getting in the stringing, but I'm guessing it can come out easy with a little stretchin'.

 

I would also make sure to rinse the elastic and let it dry completely before re-stringing the doll. The salt might make the rubber in the elastic wear out faster, and damp elastic in a doll would just lead to mold, mildew and other nastiness.

 

Alright i searched and searched and still can't find anything so i'm adding a thread since i can't find anything helpful.

My question is this is water bad for our dolls? I've read lots on beachs and how the salty water is bad for them but what about ponds? Lakes? Pools? Or just sittin the a tub?

I wouldn't think putting them in for long periods of time would be good and diffently making sure they're all dried off but if someone could help with this that would be great since my poor Odessa is a water fae...and well i'd love to take pictures with her actually in the water.

 

I think it's ok as long as you wash them off afterwords. I've seen dolls at the beach, lakes, and tubs, so they should be ok.

 

Some water for photoshots is fine, but you obviously want to avoid getting a faceup soaked. Even if they are sealed you don't want to chance it.

Pools, though? No way. Having owned a pool I can tell you pool chemicals are nasty.


You need to make sure the insides get dry, that's the main thing. Wet strings can get moldy. I've heard about people buying dolls from the market place and finding their innards were a bit... Um... Nasty. You get the point.

 

To be on the safe side, you'd probably need to restring the doll afterwards. Even if the interior seems dry, it would be hard to completely dry the elastic.

If it was a pond, river or canal, I'd wash the doll afterwards as well just in case of water born diseases. We can have outbreaks of Weil's here, which is NOT something you'd want to catch. Probably pretty unlikely a doll covered in river water would give it to you unless you licked it afterwards But you never know.

You might also want to be wary of watercourses in urban areas, as the water may be heavily polluted.

 

I remember seeing some wonderful photos on DevianArt of a doll in a pond-type pool (maketh that sense?). It's taking me a while to find the link, but if I'll keep looking. I can't remember whose the doll was, that's the problem, and even though I have a few people in mind they all have lots of pictures of pretty dolls which are both distracting and taking a while to... browse sort through.

 

No sooner have I said that when I find what I was looking for.
The doll belongs to Onnawufei on DeviantArt and here are the links:
Journal post explaining how she made sure her doll was OK after his pond excursion:

And the photos:

Just so as not to offend anybody, I want to make it clear these are NOT MY PHOTOS/DOLLS/POND. I just remembered them and thought they were relevant. Hope it helps and you don't mind me linking.

 

I live next to a river and have so far done two photoshoots with dolls in it
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227314&highlight=yaso
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247848&highlight=brenna

I did need to take them apart afterwards to clean and dry, but apart from that they were fine

 

If you want a more "underwater" type look without worrying about getting your babies wet, try putting them on a clear glass table, laying beneath the table and photographing. It can give them a more floating look. Adjust the lighting in photoshop, maybe add a light texture and voila! underwater! 8D

 

Hello everyone^^ I just received a doll whose eyes were held in with super sculpey and from what I have heard this is a very abrasive substance on resin. I've actually seen it eat away at wood and plastic(including said doll's eyes!) I got all the sculpey out of my doll's head but now I'm concerned about residue from the clay still lingering inside his head o.o Can anyone direct me to the best and safest method of cleansing? I'd really like to get it all out >.<

 

I've photographed my Volks MSD Nori in water (a local stream)
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213068

When I got her home I took her apart, rinsed her off well, dried out her stringing/wig etc and she was fine. You do have to watch out that your dolly doesn't float away! I was surprised at how well she floated, if I put her in the ocean, she could swim all the way home to Japan! XD Well, in theory...

Raven

 

I have heard it is okay to get your dolls wet, though you have to take the doll apart afterward and let it dry before restringing again or it could rot inside the doll. don't do it in chlorine at all though.

 

Dear Mods, if this thread is in the wrong place, feel free to move it if needed.

After reading some photostories and viewing pics of dolls in the water (pool water, river water, etc.) I began to wonder if I'd ever be brave enough to put my precious dolly in the water.

It's a pretty risky thing to do, taking into consideration that your doll standing in water might fall over and land face first in the water. Terrible things water can do sometimes. =|

If someone placed their dolls in the water it must be ok right?

So would you DoAers ever place your dolls in the water? I probably would, possibly, if I felt brave enough. And for those of you that have, what did you do to protect your dolls from getting damaged?

Thanks ^^

 

I'm sure there's a thread about this somewhere.

I would absolutely! But only if I had planned to restring him/her anyway, because I'd unstring the doll completely to let the doll and string dry very well. I'd be more wary of chlorinated pool water than any other sort of water, but in any case I'd follow up with a bath and restringing. I'd also be super-careful not to get the head wet if it had eyelashes or piercings glued on, since the glue would eventually dissolve if it stayed wet long enough.

I wouldn't worry much about the faceup, I've washed a faceuped head with soap under running water before with no damage, I'm sure a quick dip or splash is unlikely to damage a well-sealed faceup.

 

yes, to clean them XD

but, when I find a gorgeous place for a shoot and they have to stand in the water I will probbably do that as well.
not in the sea though, I don't think salt is very good and there might be high waves and strong currents.

 

Water won't hurt bjds--you just have to make sure the elastic dries out afterward, or it can rot. It's usually suggested to unstring your doll after getting it wet so that the elastic can get completely dry.

 

Just spent the weekend with dolly peoples and dollies in the river. We had unstrung dolls all over the place drying in the hot sun.

 

I don't believe I'd put my girls in the water unless I planned to restring them anyway. Roting elastic just doesn't sound fun.

 

I would only put a doll in clean water.

I would worry that any pool chemicals would harm the resin.

As for creeks and whatnot around here...they're too gross in South Eastern PA for me to want to put a doll in, even to take pictures. I'd have to go someplace a little cleaner.

 

It wouldn't/doesn't worry me in the least, I did exactly that last weekend and took photos of my tiny elfdolls in my pool. I didn't plan for them to get wet and they didn't but I wouldn't have panicked if they had. I want to play with them so I take that chance.
I've also stood one of my dolls in the edge of the sea and again, no problems. This was almost three years ago now and her elastic is still fine, no rotting, no mould or anything.
I wouldn't deliberately get their faces soaking wet but if it happened I'd just carefully dab them dry.
I like to take every photo opportunity that I can and water just seems to play a bit part in our lives here!!

 

I'm sort of a clean freak, so I wouldn't put my dolls in natural bodies of water without scrubbing them down afterwards. I might put them in a bathtub if I had a specific idea for a shoot... but I'm also really lazy and try to avoid taking them apart when I don't have to.

 

I not only would, I have. Even her face. The worst thing that happened was that her eyelash glue almost gave out, but I left her be while it dried and even that was fine. Un string until the elastic is completely dry and you have no problems.

 

I had a look and i couldn't find a thread like this XD
feel free to delete or remove mods.

I got some really cool floating rose soaps to put in my bath and i was thinking
about photographing my doll half submerged or running her hand at least through the water with them in it.
So my question to the public is:

1: Do you think putting dolls in water is okay? or are you worried that they would get damaged with their elastics being wet etc

2: If you do put your dolls in water how to ensure they are clean after the photos?
ie: completely unstrung and squeeze water out of the elastics, dry with towel etc.