How to change eyes?

So I’m not sure what’s happened to my reborn but she’s gone a mess. She’s always been handled carefully, kept in a safe place etc but somehow she’s no longer the doll I originally bought. All the stuffing has sort of dropped down the body so there’s nothing in her shoulders, I can actually feel the neck as there’s nothing around it at all and the body feels way too heavy. I’ve ordered a new body but when I swap her I want to also either change or reposition her eyes as one in particular has moved (think it’s loosened or dislodged).

I don’t yet know how they are fixed in until I remove her head. Are they going to be glued in or just slid into the sockets? Will they be easy to remove if they’re wholly round? If I do get them out how do I put new ones in?

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There’s no one way to put the eyes in, so you won’t know until you take the doll apart.

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Can you post pictures please?

I have noticed the magnets on a couple of my reborns have shifted down over time. I think E6000 glue must shift with temperature.

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It certainly does Angie!!

What other glue can we use that will stay put and hold the metal though? I imagine that is shifting on eyes too.

That’s happened to me too. I started using strips of moleskin over the magnets to hold them in place.

I’ve done that too but the moleskin shifts too.

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Hmm, I’ve painted over the moleskin with glue like glue-all or rooting glue before so maybe that helped it stay?

Has anyone tried this glue? Wonder if it would work for the magnets and such?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/DAP-RapidFuse-0-85-fl-oz-Super-Glue-Clear-Multipurpose-Adhesive/1000142517?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-ggl-_-LIA_PNT_221_Glue-Adhesives-Caulk-Repair-_-1000142517-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAjw77WVBhBuEiwAJ-YoJIFK2ozMAuc8WLVei-QU3VtzP3s7VfgP_ggo8jeNxieNpgm92yjUYhoCDNsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Looks like a version of “SuperGlue”? I don’t think I can “set” my eyes or magnets in 30 seconds.

I did think the same thing about super glue and sure would not want to glue my fingers together. I dunno about the 30 secs. If there is a magnet held on the front of the mouth to grab it to the right place when it goes inside the head it might work. I am considering it… The other option would be some type epoxy but I hate to have to mix that.

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Not great as I’ve tried to hold a light in front of the camera but you shouldc be able to see:



The left eye (the doll’s left) looks “off”, the pupil seems to be looking down. It didn’t used to be like that so can only guess it’s slipped :thinking:.

I’m sure her face would alter with new eyes… Not sure these will be usable once I’ve removed them!

Now that you pointed it out I can see it is a little off. However, babies often have unfocused eyes that look a bit “off”. So unless it is really bothering you I would just leave it alone and wait to see if it gets worse.

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Her eyes are beautiful and look like glass. Her lashes would get ruined if you take them out. She’s so pretty :heart:

They look like applied lashes. They would just peel off.
I have taken out rooted lashes and used a magnifying glass and used the same hole with very little to no problem.

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Yes they are glued in eyelashes not rooted. Sure I could remove them carefully and put them back without too much difficulty. It’s the eyes themselves I’m a bit unsure about, it’s bothering me and I want to reset it right if I can. Will tacky glue work to fix eyes in? Tbh I’m not even sure what the sockets are like as I’ve not yet removed her head, hoping I can just turn the eye a bit or take these out and slip another pair in.

It would depend on if the socket backs have been cut. Then the eyes would have been inserted from the backs (inside the head) and glued in place. Usually if you are inserting from the front you need to heat the head a bit to get them to go in too.

Thank you :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:. I will take some better pics when I’ve fixed her up, these aren’t good as I was trying to hold the camera and the light in front of it and her head up so the eyes would show! I’m very fond of her, she was a custom and I feel rather guilty for taking her apart but her body has gone seriously out of shape. It’s kind of stretched and looks way out of proportion (held too much? too heavy?). Is it frowned upon to fix up another artist’s work though? It’s still their work in the painting and rooting and obviously I’m not going to sell her, but she needs a little tlc. I mean no disrespect or upset to her artist.

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Nothing lasts forever so a little upkeep over time may be needed. I have had to go back and update my own work on babies that I have had here a long time. It can happen so don’t feel bad.

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