Preparing a Doll for Reborning
By Lee Ann Macdonald
In the early days of reborning, there were no doll kits and a manufactured doll had to be used. Berenguer dolls were very popular for this as they are very realistic and can still be an inexpensive way to try your hand at this art form. The doll must be prepared before it can be painted. This preparation consists of disassembling the doll, removing the factory paint, sanding the head if needed to remove molded head lines, and washing the doll thoroughly.
The first step in this process is to disassemble the doll. If using a cloth body doll, this is done by cutting the plastic cable ties that hold the head and limbs on to the cloth body. For this you will need either a sharp pair of scissors, or a set of wire cutters. You will start with one of the limbs or the head. It really doesn’t matter which one that you choose. Taking the scissors or wire cutters, I prefer the small jewelry cutters, work the tip of the cutter under the cable tie near the head of it and cut through the cable tie. The heads of the ties are normally at the back of the head, the underside of the limbs, and can be identified by the lump they make under the material. Point the head of the cutter towards the body and away form the limb or head. This is to avoid cutting or scratching the vinyl of the piece.
Once the cable tie is cut, simply remove the piece and continue until you have removed all four limbs and the head. Then reach into the body and remove the polyfiber stuffing and the bag of poly pellets you may find there. This is done if you want to reuse either the poly pellets and or the body. If you wish to use a new body, simply discard the old one. If you are using a totally vinyl doll, you simply need to pry off the head and limbs. If you use a hair dryer to warm the joint areas first, it will make the job much easier and minimize your chance of tearing the vinyl.
The second step is to remove the factory paint from the doll. On Berenguer dolls, factory paint is usually found on the head, the lips, the back of the hands and the top of the feet. If you wish to sand the head smooth, then you don’t have to remove the paint there as it will disappear with the sanding.
There are several products that can be used to remove the factory paint. Most of these, such as acetone or Goof Off, are smelly and toxic. If you choose to use either of these, please make sure your work area is very well ventilated or work outside. I use to use either of these but now prefer Windsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer. It is non-toxic, non-flammable, low odor and water soluble. Therefore, it’s the product that I going to describe how to use.
Before you start, you will need cotton ball or the flat cotton pads and the Windsor Newton Brush Cleaner. Put something on your work surface to protect it such as wax paper or a strip of paper towel. Wet a cotton ball (or pad) with the brush cleaner and start rubbing at the paint. It should come off fairly easily. Continue doing this until the head is done, changing cotton balls as needed. You may have to use a tooth brush or squeeze the head to get all the paint out of the hair lines. Do the same with the hands, feet and lips. You may need to use a cotton swab or toothpick to get all of the paint off of the lips.
The next step is sanding the head and this is an optional one. If you are going to root thickly or use a wig, then you don’t need to sand the head. If you wish to root thinly or micro root, then you will need to sand the head.
I use a dremel (or rotary) tool with a sanding drum on it to sand the hair lines off. Learning how to sand off the hair lines without getting the vinyl too thin takes time and practice. I suggest that you pick up a few used play dolls at your favorite thrift store and practice on these before trying to sand the head you actually want to reborn. You can use these dolls also to practice other techniques on such as rooting or painting eyelashes.
You will need a dremel tool, sanding drums (coarse and fine), some fine sand paper, acetone, a cotton ball or two, and blue painter’s tape. You also need safety glasses and a dust mask to wear. It isn’t healthy to breathe in vinyl shavings or dust. You do not want them to get into your eyes, either.
Tape off the head below where you want to sand with the blue painter’s tape. I don’t cover the entire lower head but simply the ears and the edge of where I want to stop sanding. This protects the ears and below from getting nicked or sanded accidentally if the dremel tool skips. Then, place the coarse sanding drum on your dremel head. Please follow the directions for this that comes with your tool. Either work outside or some place you don’t mind getting vinyl shavings all over. Put on your eye protection, your dust mask, have your doll head handy, and make sure the dremel is plugged in.
If your rotary tool has multi speeds, start out on a low one. As you gain experience, you can speed up. However, the faster you go, the more you risk gouging the head or going too thin. A head that has been sanded too thin will crack when you try to root it.
Holding the doll head in your non-dominate hand and the dremel tool in your other one, lightly start passing the sanding drum over the scalp. Let the tool do the work for you and don’t press too hard. I normally go in the direction of the rooted lines and gradually move around the head as the lines sand off. It’s hard to describe this process but you get the feel for it as you practice. After you have the deeper lines sanded off, you can change to the finer sanding head to finish the sanding. Use the fine sandpaper to do a final smoothing.
Now, your doll’s head will be smooth but white looking. To turn it back to the vinyl color is where the acetone comes in. Moisten a cotton ball with the acetone and lightly rub it over the head. This slightly melts the vinyl and helps restore the color. Be very careful with this step! You don’t want to rub over long and avoid getting any of the acetone on the rest of the head and face.
The final step is to wash the head and limbs. This can be done in a basin or your kitchen sink if you wish. If you are going to paint the inside of the doll, cut out the end plug of the limbs before washing. Fill the basin or sink with hot water and add a mild soap such as dish detergent or laundry soap. Submerge the head and limbs and let them soak for a while. The time can be as short as ten minutes or up to half an hour. Scrub the doll parts and rinse them well. Pour the water out of them and place them a clean white towel or white paper towel to dry. You will want them to be completely dry before you start painting them.
Reborning is an art form that takes time. Many people try to rush through the preparation to get to the painting of the doll but the steps of dissembling the doll, removing the paint, sanding the head if you choose to do so, and washing the doll are important. They leave you with a clean slate for the work to come. You will be much happier with your finished doll if you take the time to do the preparation correctly