Water scenes? Risky?

I've put my doll's feet or hand in water before with no ill effects. I do dry it off right after though.

 

I've put my dolls out in pouring rain before lol. As for bodies of water, I'm sure it would be okay. Just make sure everything dries off well and maybe unstring the doll after to let the string dry properly too.

 

I've read that if you submerge your doll in water, afterward you should definitely unstring it so the elastic can dry unstretched. Apparently it might mold if you don't? I don't actually know, I just read it here on the boards somewhere. XD

 

It depends on the type of water. If it is salt water (aka beach or something), then you definitely have to make sure you take your dollie apart and clean him/her thoroughly with warm water! Chlorinated water is probably about the same as salt water. Fresh water is different. If it's clean water (bath tub, sink, whatever) just unstring your doll and let him dry. I think what overlordu was thinking is that the elastic might mold or simply loose its stretch if not dried properly. But if it is a one time thing, who knows. I rarely ever restring my dolls, even when working with water, snow, sand....it's a bad habit, but I'm lazy. They are all fine.

 

Though unlikely, if the elastic can't dry out completely it can weaken or harbor mold. Give your doll a post-shoot rinse and a chance to dry out thoroughly and you'll be fine.

 

Faceups are usually sealed up pretty well, and soaking in some water for a shoot isn't going to harm it. Chlorine in the water isn't going to do much harm either, as the doll is only in the water for a few minutes.

 

For the company photos for the Ringdoll Armand they submerge him in water! (water mixed with red dye I might add) http://ringdoll.com/product/RingSpecial/Armand.html the effect is quite lovely

I don't have any ideas for a water shoot right now, but I don't think I would be afraid to put my doll underwater at my cottage; it's not like there's anything on him that could rust. I do agree with what Kate says about drying/rinsing your doll out properly after to prevent mold.

 

I might in the future with my one doll but prob just near the water not exactly to much inside the water XP. Has any1 accidently knocked there doll in the pool before? Im scared to death of that possibley happening if i was doing a water shoot X>x

 

hey do you think that if you got your dolls hair soaking wet, it would ruin it??? im not sure if it will or not because my friend on deviant art had a picture of her doll in a bath tub with bubbles in it....and all of the photos after that one looked like her hair was okay....
oh i have another question....i personaly dont have a BJD...yet.... but can you touch the wigs alot and they wont get ruined? Because i have an ordinary doll (that is just for show) that i once touched her hair and the curls got all tangled and are now forever ruined..-_-

 

That depends on if the wig has been given some treatment to allow it to hold some certain style, that soaking would wash off. Other than that, wigs should not take any damage from photographic exploits near ordinary water.

The quality of a wig is the deciding factor for how much it can withstand handling. But this is a question I would first and foremost suggest you post in the General Discussion forum, where I am sure you will find lots of helpful answers!

 

Actually, there's already a discussion thread on this general subject:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...ng-Dolls-in-Water-for-Cleaning-or-Bath-Photos

 

I've seen tons of pics with dolls in water, I always thought it was a bad idea but I guess I was wrong. thanks for the posts everyone!

 

for tub scenes, i fill it up with bubble bath and drain the water and leave the bubbles. it works well, easy clean up.

i've taken my dolls to the beach and placed them near the surf, i had back up and one person watched if the water started coming up while i was taking pictures they'd run up and pick up the resin brats. this was cause i couldn't bring restringing on the airplane.

i've also stuck my resin's feet and butts in fresh water creek and rives, and man made lakes and waterfalls, just need a bath to get off the germs and mud afterwards.

and submerging should be ok if you make sure the insides dry and get cleaned out.

 

I've taken photo's very close to salt water, but I would nottrust putting a doll into salt water or chlorinated water. Either fresh water from lakes or taps or rivers or rain seem like the best idea.... though make sure you area doesn't have acid rain! Just makes sure to wash them after if they have been in an 'uncontrolled' (natural like a lake or puddle or rain) body of water and in all situations as soon as your done dry them off well.

 

Yeah, I think with fresh water it should be fine, as long as you clean them and dry them properly afterwards. As for getting wigs wet... I think it would depend on the wig, you'd have to research more. I know wigs are washable... But I think that depends on the type of wig you have, and there's so many wigs made of so many different materials and in many different ways...

Also, I would personally be afraid of getting faceups under or near water...

 

I have cleaned my dolls in large buckets of water before, but of cousre unstrung and in pieces. I'm planning on doing a few shots with the doll I'm waiting for in water. I'll just have to unstring her and dry her out good. ^_^

 

I'm so relieved, I've been avoiding all the elements, but looking around I'm starting to realize these dolls are much tougher than I thought. I can't wait to take more water shots now!

 

What if I decided to take a bath with the doll? This means the doll would be in the water for a long time. Would it have any ill effects on the resin?

 

Oh, I've been afraid of putting my doll in any kind of water, because I'd heard that you absolutely HAD to completely REPLACE the elastic after you get it wet (And though I'm sure it's ideal, I'm relieved to know that you CAN just let it dry out properly and not have to replace it ^-^ But still, I wouldn't think that chlorinated water would be good to put your dolls in, as it could damage the wigs or clothes, depending on the material and whatnot. I'd also be afraid of putting a White skin doll in Chlorine for to long, as they might turn green or something >.> But I might just do a couple of Water shoots now that I know they're okay ^-^

 

I've been wearing wigs for years and all wigs are pretty much made out of the same acrylic material. Water won't hurt them, but I've been told to never expose wigs to chlorine. Not exactly sure why, but my guess is that it dries out the fibers or something. Chlorine can hurt plastics too if they're exposed long enough, so if you're doing a pool shoot, make it quick just to be safe. x:

As for fresh water and salt water, can't see how they would hurt a doll considering resin's pretty much expensive, high-quality plastic, right? But as everyone else has suggested, always unstring and dry out your doll afterward. I hear elastic rots when exposed to too much moisture. I plan on doing water photos someday, and when I do, I plan to use it as a good excuse to restring the doll with fresh elastic. Personally, I just don't trust using elastic that's already been soaked. ^^;

 

I am so scared of a water shoot, I feel like it would go terribly wrong. Maybe I'm just a chicken. Fresh water I'm ok with, but I don't trust chlorinated water. My fear is that chlorine might slightly bleach resin.

 

Sound like a fun idea! ^^ But I think you should watch out for the color effect of the wig if you're going to put dye in the water too. That ringdoll wig look pretty good... Maybe I can use this method to dye wig instead!

 

This is wonderful information! I've been afraid to photograph in rain! Great information here!

 

This has been so helpful! I know nothing about dolls and water, but would love to pop a couple shots of my Cherishdoll Faith in the rain! Thanks for the help guys!

 

I guess other than the obvious, cleaning your doll good and drying the elastic... the main risk is currents if you're out in nature. I read a story once about a little puki falling in and getting swept away.

 

I've seen a person, Frankenwah, who shoots in water a lot.

 

most dolls have no issues with water from what i believe. i've put my AoD Yuki doll in a doll-size fountain/bathtub, getting her wet including water on her face-up and wig. i let her air dry afterwards and there was no damage to her wig, face, or body.

 

I taken shots of my dolls in a variety of water scenes. Granted I tend to do this around the time I need to clean and restring but it hasn't hurt any of them yet. faceups and string have survived. it is best to unstring so the resin and string can dry completely.

 

I'd only ever put a foot and hand in never the whole thing it seems to risky

 

I'm thinking chlorine and resin is a scary combination. I'd be too worried to try it > . < Photoshop can make miracles happen heh.

 

I've never taken any water related scenes that I can recall. I've taken photos of my dolls at the beach, but no generally anywhere near water.

I tend to be pretty easy going with my dolls and, if I ever did feel like taking them in water, I think my plan would just to be to take them in and then plan to un-string them after and lay them to dry.

 

I've taken my dolls to the beach, river, pond, out in rain. I've never dunked them, they've only ever gotten wet below their knees. With the ocean I unstrung her legs, rinsed the calves and feet then restrung her the next morning. The others I just took the feet off so the dampness would not be stuck in the legs (thank goodness for Volks' one-touch system! It made that so much easier than with any other brand I own)

I once got a doll in a trade that had small amounts of rust on his S hooks and on his elastic where the S hooks touched it. He has been fine for the 4 years I've had him. But I would suggest even if your doll might have gotten even a little bit damp to either unstring or take hands/feet/head off and keep limbs straight to allow good air circulation for drying.

 

I've taken photos of my dolls near, or in, water many times, and just had a problem once. I had a group of dolls positioned nicely on a rock by some rapids.....



When suddenly my Elin (on the right) fell into the water. She was swept down the rapids and sank in the pond below. Thank goodness for my husband who jumped in and found her.



She had no damage at all, and her wig was even still on. I was in shock for hours afterwards, but washed her, and took her apart as much as I dared, and laid her in the breeze to dry. That was in the summer of 2013, and I never had a problem with her afterwards.

 

IMHO, your husband is a hero. MB Lilac, I think that is the sweetest thing I've heard in a long time. The only other man that I know of that would do that sort of thing is the man I married. My hat's off to your husband's gallantry.

 

Holy cow! That would have scared the life out of me, props to your husband for getting her! As for water- my last shoot ended with heavy rain which I should of saw coming with the forecast...

 

I didn't know that water could ruin the resin, So one can't take a bath with their doll!?

 

oh wow thats lucky you were able to find her again MB Lilac, at least you got a really cute photo for all that stress haha.
this thread is really helpful, thank you all for the advice. good to know water isnt a complete no go

 

Water will not ruin resin. You should not take a bath- you sitting in hot or warm water with you washing yourself- with your doll, because oils used in your shampoos and some body washes, as well as all the oils off your skin now floating in the water, would not be all that great for the resin.

I recommend that you should not combine doll photoshoots with your bodily hygiene.

 

On the oil topic, I have looked hard and everywhere and I can find no evidence that oil harms urethane resin. In fact, good oil resistance is one of the properties of this material. All I can think is that this myth arose because of staining from pigmented products that also happened to contain oils. People then inferred it was the oil that was aggravating the staining. As far as I know, that doesn't happen either. If it is pigmented, it might stain. That is a fact. But no additional harm from oils.

 

I think there's a bit of confusion between harm of resin vs harm of face ups, stuff that got mixed up overtime? We know handling a dolls face will cause it to rub, and I would imagine that is partially due to the oils and grime on our hands. Maybe that's where this oil fear comes from?
I've handled my dolls bare handed since day one, I've taken them to doll meets with food, had them by the ocean, gotten various kinds of grossness on them (food, mud, probably gasoline and oil from handling them after putting gas in my car on the way home with them without washing my hands) I've never had anything happen to resin.
The worst I've had is rubbing face ups, and it never happened instantly, it was just a gradual thing over time. Testors being worse off, followed by model master, then MSC, while volks spray has always seemed to hold up the best.

There's also this fear of small amounts of direct contact heat can harm a doll. Like touching a low temp hot glue gun to your doll while hot glue sueding. I've been sueding my dolls since 2007 with direct contact from the glue gun point to resin for years and never harmed a doll in the slightest. Done myself harm, on the other hand - that's a whole different story.

I've owned AOD, DOD, FL, Luts, Soom, Iple, DZ, DC, Lati, CH, Leeke, Migidoll, Fdoll, Volks... and many others, all of which I've not been the most careful with and I've never had ill effects from water, steam, oils, handling, grossness getting on them etc.

Once upon a time I had a broken DOD hand and threw a finger in a cup of bleach to see what would happened. All it did was turn really really yellow over a week.

 

Yes, that might be it. The faceup coming off is just rubbing taking off the sealant and then the pastel. But, like the staining thing, people might have attributed it to oils on the skin, perhaps because the exposed resin looks shinier than the sealed resin. No idea.

And on the heat thing, I have reshaped fingers and it takes A LOT of heat to get the resin soft enough to bend.

Having said that, we do know that there are things that can yellow and fade resin over time, including heat and UV.

It is just a matter of being sensible, isn't it?

 

That idea with the bubbles, I wouldn't of thought of that, haha! Thank you!

 

I've even had one of my (white skinned!) dolls in LIGHTLY blue dyed water. A full rinsing after left her good as new.

 

As a newbie to the hobby, I'm curious too. I'm glad I've read this thread >_< thanks.

 

I have left parts(Bodies, legs, arms, feet) in tap water for hours wet sanding and never had an issue and I know city water here has chlorine. A pool might differ since the chlorine level can be quite a bit higher than city tap water.

 

I regularly photograph my dolls by and in the ocean, and most of them have fallen in completely at one time or another. A properly sealed faceup will not have a problem with getting wet briefly, but a faceup that is not sealed with a clearcoat (or enough layers) could certainly be damaged, especially if the faceup was done with watercolor pencil. Acrylic paint is fairly water resistant once fully cured. A doll whose head gets wet is also likely to have her eyelashes come off, if they are held in place with a water-based glue (most are).

Any time a doll has been submerged in water, it should be unstrung afterwards, so the cording can dry out in open air, otherwise you risk the cord getting moldy and the metal hooks rusting. If the doll has been in salt water or in contact with sand, it's very important to rinse them thoroughly with fresh water before letting the cord dry, or else the cord is likely going to stink and any sand left in the joints will scratch them up.

 

... I thought that the water was photoshopped ...not sure I'll ever try with my babies... It scary me!

 

I love the idea of water shot with my BJDs... I have plans for a little wading pool for my PKF... glad to read everyones tips and suggestions! :-)

 

i think the REALLY important issue is not the water.... but the DRYING.... ppl clean dolls, which means water... dolls get dirty, it's maintenance. But the key seems to be in completely taking apart the doll, making sure all parts are cleaned (last wet round) with clean clear water and lastly dried thoroughly... even if this means being allowed to air dry a day or two (remember to consider local humidity)... and if you want to be super sure... change elastic. If it was me (never done immersions) I'd consider using one elastic set for water shots only and swapping out normal use ones.
I will use the most minorly damp cloth wiping of dolls to remove dust (pollen season can be a nightmare and dry weather ... just means more dust) so I try to keep that down as much as I can.

 

Glad to see with proper preparation it is possible to do water shoots. I've had some cool ideas for this

 

I was really interested in making a mermaid/water nymph character this thread is very informative! Thanks

 

I put my dolls underwater all the time.

 

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YES YES YES!! the sealant/faceup could wipe off and worst of all... the strings could get moldy.. ew. please do NOT ever put your joints/ anywhere the strings are in the water. here is a picture of how to safely let your dolls hands and feet be inside water.


I hope this makes sense, basically don't get joints in the water unless you plan on changing the strings.