Email from Secrist about their oily vinyl

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Do you have an oily or sweaty doll kit? If so, we can help.
In this email you’ll find answers to the following questions:

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  What is an oily or sweaty vinyl part?
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  Why is my kit oily?
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  Is the oil harmful?
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  Has the problem been fixed?
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  How are you going to help me?
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  Are my finyl parts eligible for replacement?
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  What if my doll is already painted and has oily spots?

What is an oily or sweaty vinyl part?
An oily vinyl part is one that develops a thick coat of a clear, slick, and oily release agent that collects on the surface. This oil will leave a harmless residue on your skin if you run your finger over it. An oily vinyl part will become oily again if the oil is wiped off and the part is left without sealer. Temperature will influence how quickly the oil collects on the surface as heat speeds up the process.

Why is my kit oily?
Release agents are added to all vinyl dolls to allow molded pieces to be extracted from a mold. All vinyl products from any manufacturer have some amount of release agent in them as part of the manufacturing process. A vinyl supplier we used to buy from put an excess of release agent in some batches of our vinyl and failed to tell us. After a period of time, the excess release agent seeped from within the vinyl to the surface.

Is the oil harmful?
It is completely harmless and non-toxic, but we agree it’s quite a nuisance! Release agents are in all molded plastics and the amount therein depends on how firm the plastic is. The softest plastics have the most release agent. Pure silicone is liquid and the plastics marketed as silicone are far more prone to oily problems than standard soft vinyl.

Has the problem been fixed?
It has been fixed by way of “firing” our vinyl supplier. Secrist will not work with the problematic vinyl supplier ever again to ensure there won’t be a repeat of this issue. Many kits were made during the period of time in which the oily kits were produced, but not all of those kits were made from the problematic batch of vinyl.

How are you going to help me?
If you have an oily kit, Secrist will replace it for you at no charge. You will need to contact us for a return authorization number.* In addition to that, we’d like to extend an apology to you with a special offer for retail customers who suffered because we didn’t catch this issue sooner. See the bottom of this page for details and information about how you can get 40% off of the kits in your next order!

Are my vinyl parts eligible for replacement?
We cannot replace vinyl parts that are blemished or shiny for reasons unrelated to manufacturing (such as overcooking). The only parts that are eligible for replacement are those with an obvious coat of oil that came from within the vinyl as evidenced by the problem occurring under normal use and storage.

What if my doll is already painted and has oily spots?
If you have a finished reborn with oily spots you have the option of fixing the doll if you don’t want to replace it with a new blank kit. We were actually confused for a while as to why most of the finished reborns made from the problematic batch of vinyl had no problems with oil. We discovered that the oil can be permanently sealed inside the vinyl with our Matte Sealer.

Secrist will give a FREE petite jar of Matte Sealer to anyone who can prove they have an oily doll they want to rescue. If you have an oily reborn and just can’t prove it Secrist will still give you 40% off a petite Matte Sealer. If all else fails we will still be happy to replace the kit for you and give you 40% off of the kits in your next order. See the bottom of this page for more details and information about that offer as well as some simple instructions for curing your reborn of this issue.

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