Preparing the doll

Categorized | Doll Preparation

Posted on22 November 2009. Tags: acetone, preparation, preparing, reborn doll, reborn dolls

Requires: GoofOff (or paint remover), old cloth, felting needle, acetone, old toothbrush, warm water

Before you can start painting the base color of the doll you will need to remove any existing color or features the doll already has. This is an important step and some recommend skipping this. However, features are often visible when the doll has been completed which takes away some of the charm.

Please note: I would highly suggest you read the information on the paint stripper you use as they can carry health risks. Use rubber gloves, and do this in a well ventilated area. Consult the instructions on the can for more information.

Also, be careful not to use too much, and certainly don’t let any areas of the doll collect acetone or paint stripper as this will leave shiny spots behind.

Using your Goofoff, or other suitable paint remover, and a soft cloth remove all of the factory paint. You will need to do this over the whole doll including the finger nails, lips and other areas. Some of the areas will be quite fiddly so you may need to use a Q-tip here, or one of the felting needles wrapped in the cloth, so you can remove any paint in the creases.

Once you have done this, you will need to remove the dolls hair. If you intend on adding a wig to the doll, then you do not need to do this step, although it is good practice for when you start microrooting instead.

If the doll has painted on hair, then you can get most of this off by adding a small amount of GoofOff to an old cloth. Rub away at the painted hair and you should notice that it comes off quite easily.

If you doll has fake hair it can be a little tricky to get off, but you need to do your best here or it will ruin the effect of the mohair you will be applying later. You should be able to get a fair bit away by rubbing at it with your thumb and finger quite vigorously. Get off what you can first as it makes the rest easier to remove.

Next, using the acetone, you can get rid of the remaining hair and any glue that is on the head. You will most likely need to keep rubbing away with your thumb and you need to make sure you remove all of the glue.

This can take some time and it’s a fairly tedious task – if you start getting bored, remember that you the fun parts to deal with soon.