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I think Loves said it all! I agree totally with what she said. Thanks, Loves!

Depends on the company. Secrist vinyl is non-toxic. Kits made in Germany & Spain should be non-toxic -- those countries have tighter controls than we do in the US. I don't know about stuff made in China or any where else.

i use a bench top oven thats dedicated entirly to cooking baby's - its pronto convection oven 22L copacity. I have this in my work area which means i'm not running back and forth to the kitchen as i work. It also is cheaper to run and given that i'm always working i'd be tying up the kitchen oven allot.

see this link to view the oven i use
http://www.breville.com.au/products_detail.asp?prod=356

the little convection oven also heats up much quicker and finally means that i risk nothing cooking into food that might otherwise be cooked in the oven after i've been working on a baby.

It cost me $119 (AU$) and has been more than worth it.

I did my first 2 babies in the kitchen oven, the kitchen and my work area are at oppisite sides of the house, like in two seperate wings. I like having my little oven in my work area. It means i can work allot quicker also... i do a kind of assembly line - while the head is cooking i can be letting the legs cool and be working on the arms, rotating round and round.

I've never considered using a heat gun, even though we do have one. I worry that a) i'd over heat some areas and b) not get a consistent over all bake. Oven is deffinetly the best i think - either using the kitchen or getting a bench top oven like myself.

Hi Naomi and Pat,
So nice of you ladies to help me out. I'm still waiting for my first order of supplies to arrive, have two lovely dolls to work on and really look forward to starting.
Not sure if we have a pronto? convection oven here in British Columbia. I'll be spending some time thinking this one through.
My thoughts are that the oven is better for setting the paints evenly than the heat gun.
Will find out soon!
Greetings from B.C.!

I know people who use the heat guns for touch ups (like eyebrows) and fingernails. I know if I used one I'd get to impatient waiting 8 minutes. I have to be able to walk away and listen for the oven timer!

Not all companies will say if their vinyl is non-toxic. That is one good thing about Secrist, they put it right on their website for all to see!
Other places where you can purchase doll kits are not the manufacturers and may not know. They only know what the manufacturers tell them. Best bet is to get your information right from the manuf instead of the dealer.

Also, some doll kits contain silicone or are a vinyl/silicone mix and are toxic. Silicone in most forms used is toxic when baked. You need to be aware of that fact. Also, plastic dolls when baked do give off toxic fumes even if you can't smell anything. They contain PVC's (poly vinal chloride) which is toxic when heated.

I have a counter top oven that I will move outdoors when I bake ANY doll kits other than Secrist (or some German made kits). My brand oven is a Hamilton Beach, and there is also Black & Decker (amongst other brands). It goes to 500 degrees F, has bake, rotisserie, broil, convection. It also has 2 cooking racks/levels. Do not use a toaster oven as they are not the same thing.

As far as the heat gun, I do have one. I do not recommend it for overall curing of the Genesis paints (although Pat C. will beg to differ with me as it works for her) lol. I only use it for touch-ups, eyebrows, lips, nails, and the mini 6" triplets. You don't use it for the 8 minutes required by the oven method, it's only just a few seconds in each spot.

Hope this helps

-- Edited by Buffington at 18:10, 2008-09-08

Here is the one I have hun:
http://www.nextag.com/Hamilton-Beach-31197-Countertop-66736994/prices-html?nxtg=493f0a240526-10C9BE8E65CF403B

At least you now have some guideline for your search. I googled countertop ovens and just clicked on the sites until I found something that looked like what I was looking for.

Good luck on your search.

Buffington wrote:

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Not all companies will say if their vinyl is non-toxic.

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 Nope, that is why, to be safe, only work with companies that say theirs is!

 

The reason I trust the one's from Spain & Germany is because those European countries are much more picky about chemicals than we are in the US.  My sister lived in Germany for a year and you can't even by bleach there!  (They came back to the US for a year and now are back in Germany indefinitely.  Her husband is working as a patent lawyer, there.)

Wow!
All the information added has been so helpful!
Thanks everyone!
Linda