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Mega Negi

question about sealant(s) used to protect faceups

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Mega Negi

So, there are some commonly recommended sealants for protecting custom faceups.

 

Can you just apply this to doll body parts to protect them from staining, or are the pigments or dyes used in some clothing too powerful for that to work?

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Selenae

So, a couple things to consider with this is that full-body sealing has a tendency to wear off heavily around the joints, and will also yellow with age. The sealant may actually yellow to a point where the skin looks older than it actually is. It's also very much a genuine pain in the ass to keep up, because the sealant will get sticky, chip and crack if not applied right.

Also, the sealant will actually absorb stains over time, and the only way to fix that will be to remove all of it, and re-apply a fresh layer. Trust me when I say it isn't worth the labor-intensive headache.

 

Edited by Selenae

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Chocola
On 5/9/2021 at 1:22 AM, Selenae said:

So, a couple things to consider with this is that full-body sealing has a tendency to wear off heavily around the joints, and will also yellow with age. The sealant may actually yellow to a point where the skin looks older than it actually is. It's also very much a genuine pain in the ass to keep up, because the sealant will get sticky, chip and crack if not applied right.

Also, the sealant will actually absorb stains over time, and the only way to fix that will be to remove all of it, and re-apply a fresh layer. Trust me when I say it isn't worth the labor-intensive headache.

 

How do you remove sealants ?

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PolitelyNefarious

@Chocola  If it's a standard sealant like MSC, Volks ZM spray, or Vallejo, it should come off with Winsor and Newton brush cleaner. You can find this in big box US craft stores- if you're in Hobby Lobby, I know that they keep it near the watercolour painting brushes.

 

A lot of modern YouTube customizers use acetone / nail polish remover with acetone in it, but I personally do not recommend this as it can melt the vinyl of your doll, especially the longer it is left on. Because vinyl is a porous material, it can absorb that long-term exposure to the acetone and destabilize even after the wiping is done. No, it may not happen every time, but it's always a gamble. I always wipe my heads down with a lightly damped soapy cloth after removing a faceup too, and with vinyl, leave them to sit for at least a day before doing anything new with them. So far, Winsor and Newton has never harmed my dolls, and I can't find any record of it doing so, but like the acetone, I don't recommend leaving it on long-term. Better to get all your sealent wiped off in one session, even if it takes a few pads / q-tips / etc. Because you are removing the sealent, if you leave unwiped pigment sitting on the face long-term, it may just bleed right into the vinyl and stain. But if you take it off methodically at once, you are hopefully left with a clean, blank head, ready for future re-imagining.


1541664063_324SigUpdate(1).jpg.0e6f96def94bd21c61f91356e0bc8f92.jpg

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Chocola
9 minutes ago, PolitelyNefarious said:

@Chocola  If it's a standard sealant like MSC, Volks ZM spray, or Vallejo, it should come off with Winsor and Newton brush cleaner. You can find this in big box US craft stores- if you're in Hobby Lobby, I know that they keep it near the watercolour painting brushes.

 

A lot of modern YouTube customizers use acetone / nail polish remover with acetone in it, but I personally do not recommend this as it can melt the vinyl of your doll, especially the longer it is left on. Because vinyl is a porous material, it can absorb that long-term exposure to the acetone and destabilize even after the wiping is done. No, it may not happen every time, but it's always a gamble. I always wipe my heads down with a lightly damped soapy cloth after removing a faceup too, and with vinyl, leave them to sit for at least a day before doing anything new with them. So far, Winsor and Newton has never harmed my dolls, and I can't find any record of it doing so, but like the acetone, I don't recommend leaving it on long-term. Better to get all your sealent wiped off in one session, even if it takes a few pads / q-tips / etc. Because you are removing the sealent, if you leave unwiped pigment sitting on the face long-term, it may just bleed right into the vinyl and stain. But if you take it off methodically at once, you are hopefully left with a clean, blank head, ready for future re-imagining.

Thank you ! also, lots of people say that you need to seal the face beforehand , what happens if you don’t ?  Also do you know if this spray “Plaid Clear Acrylic Sealer Aerosol Spray, 6 oz, Matte” is okay to use on vinyl face ups? Thank you :) 

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PolitelyNefarious

 

@Chocola  Yes! Absolutely. Sealing the face beforehand is extremely important. Most people do a minimum of three layers. If you don't, you are just putting the pigment on the raw vinyl, and it will stain immediately. You won't be able to erase any mistakes, and worse yet, the doll herself will have that spot there semi-permanently. Stain removers like Dream Rescue may be able to help fade it, but applying a pigment to the vinyl directly is far more aggressive than a regular stain, and it will likely be hard to get out. This is why faceup artists apply so many layers of sealent- it helps them be sure they have covered the whole surface thoroughly before applying any art supplies.

 

Before you ever spray though, you will need a good respirator. Like Nichole says in the video, it would be wise to research this (Mostly because what filters and masks are available to you differ from area to area), but in general, you want something that will protect your nose and mouth securely so you don't breathe the sealent in, with a filter that protects against dusts and vapors. No, holding your breath is not safe enough. This will unfortunately mean having to replace the filters regularly, especially if you do a lot of spraying, but it will help protect your lungs. The aerosol chemicals that allow the sealent to be sprayed are toxic over time, and can cause serious breathing issues and even cancer, which is why it is important to also wear gloves to avoid getting it on your skin, to spray away from yourself and not in a direction where the wind can blow the spray back at you, and to let the head dry either outside or in a well-ventilated area that is not in your home. You shouldn't go near it again until each layer is completely dry. (At minimum it usually takes an hour, and I just wear my mask to go spray the next layer) 

 

Non-recommended sealent brands are iffy. Perhaps someone else has tested the Plaid brand and can provide input? I used a Krylon matte sealent on a vinyl head once, and it had a chemical reaction with the vinyl and made it forever-sticky, as well as partially melting the faceup onto the head. Nothing I did could wash it off or remove it, and I eventually had to throw the head away. But I've been using MSC UV Cut for about thirteen years, and outside of one weak batch, have never had an issue.

 

The other advantage with the recommended sealents is that if they're 'UV Cut', they protect better against sunlight, which can delay yellowing and help keep your work and your girl's vinyl looking fresh longer.

 

I would highly, highly recommend looking up suggested faceup materials and tutorials before diving in, both for your health and for the sake of your doll. Faceups are work, and are an investment in materials, but can be a lot of fun, done safely and right.

 

As a final bonus, you want to be sure you are getting soft chalk pastels and not oil. The oils in things like enamel paints, real makeup, oil pastels, etc. are another set of chemicals that can go right through sealent and stain your doll. This is also why we don't use ink. If you are looking at nicer pencils, Derwint might be a better investment than Prismacolor. I used Prismacolor for years, but recently have found that the magenta shade likes to stain, even with layers upon layers of sealent to protect the doll, and other people are finding stains from Prismacolor as well. They're great pencils... just not as great for dolls as they used to be.

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