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Tutorial Tutorial on dyeing your doll. (with pics)

Jan 2, 2006

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    1. *MOD NOTE: Please be aware that the original photos that were with this tutorial have not been available for quite some time. We finally removed the placeholders, but are keeping this tutorial because people can always use more hints and ideas before trying dyeing.***

      STOVETOP DYEING METHOD

      Heres my tutorial on dyeing a doll using RIT dye, It is very long I wanted to get the most details in. I’m sure other fabric dyes will also work using this same method.

      WARNING: if you want your doll to be brown I don’t suggest using RIT cocoa brown dye the color that it leaves behind is a weird purple like color, so unless that’s what you are going for using the tan kind is the best way to go you can also get a lot of brown variations from using the tan version. Also the bucket method won’t give even color I found out the hard way. Trust me.


      A. Tools
      1. RIT tan dye (or other color) you may need more than one box.
      2. A pot large enough to at least comfortably fit your largest/longest doll part.
      3. String and lots of it.
      4. Wire to pull the string through with.
      5. A large towel.
      6. Stove.
      7. Sink.
      8. Testors dull coat or MSC.
      9. Gentle soap to clean the parts with
      10. Tea kettle.

      B. Instruction (And we all know they should be unstrung first)

      1. Wash all of your doll pats with soap make sure they are good and clean.

      2. Give all the parts a good coating of Testors or MSC. I did one coat of Testors, let dry and then another coat. (I had to do three for Lotta who is our participant today) I have also tried it without coating and it works fine that way too.

      3. After all parts have dried fill the kettle with water and wait for it to go off.

      4. Fill the pot with the water from the kettle, and add hot water form the tap (if needed) to the pot leaving about one inch of room in the pot. Turn the heat on the stove to somewhere between HI and LOW to keep the temp up.

      5. Pour some dye in the water until it is a deep brown color (or whatever other color you choose make sure its deep) don’t worry your doll’s color will come out the way you want it. Stir until all of the dye has dissolved.

      6. String up your first doll part. In my case I start with the head and match all other parts to it. She’s strung like this so her forehead won’t be darker than the rest of her.

      7. Submerge the part in the dye making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot. hold it there for one minuet or less and check the color, if it is not as dark as you want it re submerge and wait until it is to the color that you want. (basically just keep checking it until done.)

      8. After you get the color that you want immediately remove the part rinse it with hot water to get rid of excess dye and then cold water to cool it down.

      9. Place it on a towel to dry, string up the next piece and repeat 7&8 making sure to match all parts to one another (you may need to add more water and dye to the pot depending on the color that you want to achieve)

      10. Doing the hands an feet were a little tricky so here’s what I did. I used a piece of floral wire and wrapped it around the hook of the feet until it was secure. I made sure the foot didn’t move and put the other foot on the other side in the same way, bent the wire like and upside down U and submerged both feet at the same time. I did the same with the hands but I used string and did both at the same time.

      11. All other joint parts (foot and hand Caps) were put on the same string and submerged together.

      12. wait for all parts to dry and coat again don’t spray your coating too close to the doll the dye might start to run if you do, just give it a light misting that should be enough.

      13. Faceup string, blush, whatever you have left to do and enjoy ^_^


      In all it took me One and one half hours total to do Lotta who is a mini for Lyre it took me just over two hours. Also for Lotta since she’s small I was able to do the tops and bottoms of her arm and leg parts together (one side at a time) because she’s so small.

      I did however have to use more dye and water for Lotta be cause I wanted a deep color for Lyre I only used a half pack of dye. Both colors were achieved with the same type of RIT tan dye.

      good luck <3
       
      #1 nimue77, Jan 2, 2006
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    2. I missed one more point.

      the box of RIT says to wash the pot out with bleach and then a powder cleaner if needed. I suggest getting a inexpensive pot at a garage sale, the goodwill, or some other place, just incase because no one wants to be poisoned right?
       
      #2 nimue77, Jan 2, 2006
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    3. Oh wow, they look great!

      I'm really curious though, since you said you coated them.... does the coating not chip off around the joints and take the dye with it?
       
      #3 zoi_no_miko, Jan 2, 2006
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    4. zoi_no_miko - Lyre did rub a little but I covered the spot with a little pastel mix and re coated the spot. I put her together right away so I think that was what did it. Also I have been posing her alot since I dyed her and I havent seen too much rubbing or wearing going on but time will tell. What I like about this method is that you can spot fix by cleaning and redyeing.

      Im happy with them the way they are now but Im still looking for a way to get the color to stay permanent.

      HeatherC19 - Thanks for the comment Lyre is a Soudoll Clara the first doll I went gaga for.
       
      #4 nimue77, Jan 2, 2006
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    5. Kojoro Daisuke
      I say go for it! one trick that I did do was to leave the headcap un dyed that way when or if I have to do a clean up I still have the original color to refer to.
       
      #5 nimue77, Jan 2, 2006
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    6. Does is work without coating the doll first? I want to do this too someday... but I'd want it to be more permanent. I don't care for the option to remove it later. Jsut curious.
       
      #6 Mandiiv, Jan 2, 2006
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    7. Actually I just did Eros without coating him first and it worked fine.
      As for the dye comming off as I was finishing Lotta's faceup yesterday I goofed and went to clean it with winsor&newton brush cleaner, the dye barely came off! its good news to me. I was able to take off the acrylic paint without having to clean and redye her entire head.

      The paint I am using is reeves acrylic water based paint and Lotta had been dyed the previous day before I started her faceup.

      So maybe the more the dye sets the more permanent it becomes, or at least I hope so.
       
      #7 nimue77, Jan 3, 2006
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    8.  
      #8 Belladurmiente87, Jan 4, 2006
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    9. I used this tutorial but I wanted a doll that was very dark brown, as I was customizing him as Tyrone-Cloak of Marvel Comics. (and yes I have a doll I've customized as Tandi- Dagger too, their costumes are almost done now.) I used a mix of tan and black rit dye, and after doing a test piece I discovered 3 minutes submerged was perfect for the larger pieces and 2 minutes for the smaller. I did not coat the doll before I dyed him. I think the color came out quite well. I was really nervous before I did it, but am so pleased with the result I'm glad I did it. He was originally a Bobobie white resin Long. I dremeled and sanded his elf ears down too! The dye didn't take that well where it was sanded on the ears, but that's covered by a wig so you can't see it. I'll post a picture up on my deviantart page soon.
       
      #9 Ciarda1966, Feb 19, 2011
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    10. #10 Twilighterleah, Feb 22, 2011
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    11. Here's a picture of my Cloak (Tyrone) and Dagger (Tandy). Tyrone's dye does change in shades a bit, but to me it makes it look more like natural skin color. As I said, I'm pretty pleased with the results of my first try at doing this kind of mod. Tandy is a white resin Yun Bobobie (with again the ears dremeled down).

      http://ciarda927.deviantart.com/art/Tyrone-and-Tandy-198237760
       
      #11 Ciarda1966, Feb 25, 2011
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    12. I don't know why but my doll's body has streaks in it when I followed the directions. It's not from using the sealer and having it run, it happened while I was rinsing the limbs.
       
      #12 garrenn, Jul 16, 2012
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    13. Does anyone know what I have to buy to make a subtle green color? and how exactly are you supposed to dye a doll? ._.
       
      #13 Saia, Oct 11, 2012
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    14. Put water and dye mixture in a bot, bring to a boil, then dip your doll pieces in the water, bits at a time.

      My method is to bob the piece in and out of the water. Dip in, pull out, dip in pull out, and stir regularly, so the dye doesn't sit at the bottom of the pot.

      As for subtle green... I'm not sure what you mean? If you mean like, green-tinged in places? You're better off blushing. If you mean all through, you probably only want to use a little bit of the dye in the water and dip probably only one coat or so.
       
      #14 Teru, Jan 6, 2013
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    15. Does anyone know if this method/product works with Obitsu vinyl doll parts too? I've been desperate to match a light head to a dark body for ages, tried submerging in hot tea/coffee solution but nothing happened and I'm scared of using chemicals in case it melts? Any advise is welcome, pretty please?
       
      #15 enathema, Apr 24, 2013
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    16. You could use RiteDye to color a obitsu or Volks doll, but since they are made up of different types of plastic the dye does not take evenly. I tried it with a plastic/vinyl Volks NEO-EB, which is very similar to obsitu, and her elbows and hands came out way darker than her limbs and torso. Also, sanded plastic took dye differently than unsanded. It looked pretty awful. :/ It definitely didn't melt though.

      I haven't heard of anyone doing this, but I suppose you could try just spray painting it? Good luck! At least those bodies aren't too expensive, right! :P
       
      #16 allurose, Apr 24, 2013
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    17. Would this work on a white doll? I got one second hand and I didn't know she was completely white.... I just wish she was a more normal color. And if so is it possible to use less dye to get more of a normal skin tone with it? I just want to make sure before I go dying a doll. XD

      Also, what is the best way to prevent streaks?
       
      #17 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    18. You can dye white dolls yes... but you'll probably have to mix a few different colors together to get more of a normal type skin tone and not soak the parts in the dye that long. Try searching the customization section for dyeing/dying dolls or restoration etc. I think some of the zombification restoration things might be of a good look because they have formulas for dying dolls back to a more normal color after they've yellowed if I'm remembering correctly. So those might help you dye a white doll a more normal color ^^
       
      #18 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    19. Hey! Thanks so much! I've been in buyers remorse for awhile because I just can't like the pure white skin so I'm glad that I can not only get color in her but also learn more along the way. :D
       
      #19 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    20. You're welcome ^^

      EDIT:
      http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...lor-Restoration&highlight=zombification+serum

      Here's the de-zombification thing I was talking about :] If you read through the posts on there people have dyed white doll parts to match normal skin parts and also to cross match/correct yellowed parts to be the same color as dyed white parts :]
       
      #20 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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      • x 1
    21. AGH! LIKE SERIOUSLY HELPFUL!!!! ^___^ Thank you thank you thank you!
       
      #21 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    22. You're welcome :] Oh some of the questions in the posts on there are answered in some of the other dying threads [like the whitening stuff... basically people just wrap their dolls in paper towels with baking soda and I think a peroxide mix? and it lightens the yellowed white skin ^^]. There is a customization thread about someone doing the whitening process here somewhere.
       
      #22 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    23. NO NO WHITENING! LOL I don't know what my problem is I just can't stand her white skin. I got her on auction cheap and I didn't really even pay any attention but I have two other dolls and they are both a more normal color. I like that. But then there is she. Lol. Whiter than can be. I don't even like her body! I don't know what I was thinking. Hopefully by dyeing her a more natural color I will be less inclined to be bothered by her. :) She can be my experimental doll.
       
      #23 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    24. I only mentioned the whitening in case you got a different doll later that was more of a cream white and it yellowed more than you wanted ^^ Figured it would be useful to mention just in case you might need it later :] But yeah that de-zombification serum should work pretty well ^^ I would definitely look at all the different pink dyes very closely though so you make sure you find one that isnt too pink [also make sure you get a yellow to balance it out well ^^]. Oh and I forget if that says what kind of pan to use, I'm pretty sure it's steel [NOT aluminum] so you dont end up with a weird blue colored doll.


      these threads here will point out why you shouldnt use aluminum:
      http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?485130-Dyeing-Tanning-Adventure-(DOT-Camine)

      [Towards the bottom on this one]:
      http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?551633-Island-couple-Souldoll-Lester-%28normal-skin-dyed-to-dark-skin%29-and-IH-Benny
       
      #24 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    25. Yeah, I will. :) It will be a very fun, albeit messy, day! XD Now to gather supplies...
       
      #25 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    26. I edited my last post with some info just in case you didnt see that XD
       
      #26 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    27. OMG You are like amazing. Lol. I'm lost in DoA looking for everything everywhere! Thanks for taking care of me! ^___^ I usually just go into things all gung-ho without researching things like this. I don't know anybody in this hobby so I'm on my own going into this! If I just went in to dye August without reading all of this stuff... It would have been disastrous!

      Thanks for being a godsend! :D
       
      #27 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    28. lol XD I'm just naturally helpful so yeah :) hehe. I figured I'd try and make your first try at dyeing as painless as possible. Customizing dolls can be scary enough but even worse when you have no idea what you are doing :)
       
      #28 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    29. Which is me. No clue! At least I can experiment on the girl since I am not so attached to her. It'll be awhile before I can do it since I have to get more sealer and then find a store that carries RIT dyes. Yay for the middle of nowhere!
       
      #29 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    30. You should be able to find Liquid RIT dye at Michael's if you have any near you. Ours carries a small selection of colors. You can also find it at walmart but I cant remember if that's only the powder form or both. The powder can cause mottling/spots so it's best to go with the liquid since then you wont have to worry about getting the powder to completely dissolve [which is what causes the mottling].
       
      #30 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    31. The closest Michael's is about forty minutes away. :) And my car is a gas eating beast. I'll hitch a ride out there for some dyes but it's pretty small. Fingers crossed it has the dyes! And I will ABSOLUTELY make sure to NOT get an aluminum pot for it! I'm glad you mentioned it! (along with the powder)

      EDIT: Walmart online says the liquid is in stores. I have one about fifteen minutes away so I will try there first.
       
      #31 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    32. Wow that is a drive O.o... XD At least there is a Walmart close to you though :) I'm not sure how large a selection they will have but it's worth a look ^^ And yeah I figured I'd warn you about the aluminum cuz that kinda freaked me out when I first read about it. lol
       
      #32 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    33. For real! I wish it was much closer! Now to save up money XD
       
      #33 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    34. :) I hope everything turns out well when you can dye her ^^ You should post a progress thread on here in the customization forum when you try it :D
       
      #34 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    35. I will try! Thanks! :D
       
      #35 mixofdays, Jul 3, 2013
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    36. You're welcome ^^
       
      #36 The Raven, Jul 3, 2013
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    37. Posted this up top, but will repeat it here:

      *MOD NOTE: Please be aware that the original photos that were with this tutorial have not been available for quite some time. We finally removed the placeholders, but are keeping this tutorial because people can always use more hints and ideas before trying dyeing.***
       
      #37 hobbywhelmed, Jul 21, 2013
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    38. Does anyone know which color RIT dye would be good to use for Iplehouse Real Skin?
       
      #38 Dilly1109, Apr 11, 2017
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    39. I wanted to share a dying tip I saw in a project journal thread. They used one of the nets people use for pet goldfish to dye small or hard to string pieces. You'd want a dye only net if you have fish though. Don't poison your pets!
       
      #39 Leo Pheonix, Jul 8, 2021
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    40. thank you so much for this thread. im working on saving for a VERY yellowed doll right now and i was planning on dying her a fawn color!
       
      #40 FenTreefern, Jul 9, 2021
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