So last week I wrote you guys a tutorial on how to put in your doll’s eyes with putty, but what if their eyes are glued in?
I know some people would like to know why we glue in the eyes in the first place. It’s simple, really. Glueing the eyes in is the safest, most secure way to keep your doll’s eyes in long term. It’s great when you want to keep your dolls in a certain look, and low-temp hot glue poses no risk to your SD’s material.
Even so, you might want to change them, and you might be the kind of person who wants easy access to your SD’s eyes, for ease of changing and posing. If you’re this kind of person you might want to know how to remove that glue easily.
If so, keep reading as I explain the process to you. It’s fairly simple, but time consuming, and you do have to be careful. But we recommend caution doing anything of this nature with your SDs
You only need a few things for this project.
Thanks for helping, Link!
-Your SD (of course, take their head off for this!)
-Tamiya X-20 Enamel Thinner (This thinner is generally safe for your SD’s makeup, but try not to get it on their face as it can leave behind faint traces where it has made contact.)
-A flat bladed tool. I am using the ZM Scalpel PD-20, but the MINESHIMA Carving Knife TM-102 also works very well.
-Paper Towels, or a Rag (to wipe things off/set things on.)
-Optional: Towel, or other soft, light colored fabric. I find it helps if I have fabric or something I can rest the doll’s head into if I need to. It’s not good for them to make contact with hard surfaces, even accidentally.
Step 1: Dip your tool into the thinner. It shouldn’t be dripping, just coated with the thinner.
Slide it.
Step 2: Slide the tool in between the hot glue and your doll’s head. You will want to press fairly firmly, but be careful and go slowly. Be especially careful of the eyelashes as the thinner can loosen the glue there too and you don’t want to mess them up. This part takes the longest, so patience is a must.
Basically, you will want to work the tool around, pushing it in between the hot glue and your doll’s head until you loosen the glue enough to pop the eye out. Dip the tool back in the thinner as needed. The eye will probably come out before you remove all the glue, especially if it is a glass eye.
The thinner melts the glue, and does a good job of it, so you’ll have some glue residue and maybe even small pieces on your tool. This is what the rag/paper towels are great for. You can usually just wipe the tool off, but if it gets really messy you can dip it in the thinner and rub it lightly with your rag/paper towel.
One down. One to go.
There we go. Halfway done!
Ooey Gooey Glue
Step 3: Take the other eye out just like you did with the first one. There will most likely be excess glue that will need to be removed. You remove this glue using the same motions you used when removing the eyes. Slide the blade in between the head and the glue, dipping your tool into the thinner as needed.
When you’re done there is usually a little bit of glue hanging around. Most likely this won’t be a problem, but if it bothers you, or you feel like it’s impeding the placement of your eyes you can use an Eye Beveler of appropriate size (12mm, 14mm, 16mm, 18mm, 20mm, 22mm) to get it out.
Empty!
Step 4: You’re finished! Your doll is ready to have new eyes, and a new look!
Link is ready for anything!
Tags: Tutorials
