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Barb · Member

Please help

Play Days Dolls · Guru

Hi Barb,

I'm so sorry you feel your doll is ruined. Try not to despair yet, okay? Would you mind giving me some further details about what steps you took to paint your doll?

he Authentic Reborn paints are very transparent as they are already pre-mixed with thinner. The object of the paints is to apply very light layers of various skin tones and blush, baking (curing) each layer to achieve the appearance of lifelike baby skin.

The base coat of the flesh color paint is to be thinly applied to a small sponge and "pounced" into the vinyl until it is very light and even. After it is cured and cooled, another thin layer is added and cured, and so on.

Prior to curing (baking at 265 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes), the paints may be removed from the doll with odorless paint thinner or dishwashing detergent and water. The exception is very dark colors such as the veining color. Most of the dark color can be removed, but there is a good chance some of the color will seep into the vinyl leaving a slight stain. If it isn't possible to remove all of the dark color, it can add even more realism after subsequent layers of paint are applied as it can provide some depth.

If you baked (cured) the paint, it is necessary to use a product like acetone to remove the paint. Sometimes it is hard to remove all the paint, but it should mostly come off.

Do you have a good close-up photo of the doll? If so, I think it would help if you could post a link to it. Or, post it in the "Artist Showcase" section of the forum.

Please don't be too hard on yourself or the paints. They are unlike all other paints, and you really need instruction/directions before you use them.

I have to have surgery later this week so please do not despair if I'm not able to answer right away. We have lots of excellent members here who will help, as well as, "Buffington" the senior moderator.

Linda

sara zata · Guru

There isn't anything else that I could add to this but I know Pimple Cream removes Biro and other inks, so dose Nappisan, with the pimple cream, you put it on the spot that needs to be removed and lay it in the sunlight to let the ultra violet rays help with the removal, You can only try. I have a few promlems too that I am going to post next. XXXXXX June.

Barb · Member

Hi Ladies,
Sorry, i wasn't specific enough yesterday, I did not bake the parts at all, but the color still wouldn't come off. I eventually used A LOT of acetone, and then washed and sanded the head. My big concern was the parts of the head that wouldn't take paint at all, it was very strange. This was aflesh 08 auth. reborn paint, and when I tried again with other flesh colors, it seemed to be just the one color with the problem. The limbs have no color adhesion problems. Anyway, I think i've fixed the prblem well enough to ensure the final doll will look ok. By the way, while I've never used the Genesis paints, I studied art all the way up to university, and have worked with oils many times before, so I am not unfamiliar with paints. Unfortunately, vinyl is a new medium for me, and I have nver even heard of a problem like the one I had from other online reborners.
Thank you for your encouraging words!!!!
I think my Brook will be o.k., especially when she has hair...most of the spots where the paint didn't adhere were on the back of the head.
Hugs, Barb smile

Buffington · Guru

All vinyls are not created equal! I'm sure it wasn't the paint but the doll kit. Almost ALL of the doll kits on the market as a general rule should be washed in hot (not boiling) sudsy water and dried thoroughly before painting. Most have a factory residue on them that can react with the heat-set paints.
I have heard many times that some of the vinyls out there have paint "adhesion" problems and what most do is to pounce a very thin layer of the matte medium on those areas, bake and then paint over them. Usually works.

Also, some kits that people think are vinyl are actually a silicone/vinyl mix so those have been problematic in the past. But it sounds like you have the situation under control. And how Linda said the paints come off before baking is pretty true to form. Reds and blues are highly pigmented so have a tendency to hold on or sink into the vinyl.

The heat set paints (Genesis) are "thixatropic" which means that in the jar they are thick and pasty like oils but then as you mix them (always mix before using) they become thinner and more acrylic-like and should flow on smoothly. I think hair hides a lot too lol