Need Tips On Inserting Mini Ofelia's Eyes! Please help

My mini Ofelia is coming along really good but last night I decided at bedtime to insert her eyes. Easier said then done. It took me almost an hour to insert just one of her eyes at which point I was so tired and so frustrated that I didn’t even attempt to try and do her other eye. I’ve put eyes in a couple of other babies and never had a problem but they were normal size kits with decent size neck holes to get my fingers in the insert the eyes. Ofelia’s head and neck hole are so tiny that its a real struggle to insert the eyes. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the eyes in place without a lot of frustration and the urge to fling her poor little head across the room? :scream: I should have known that things were going to smoothly with her!! :smirk:

have you tried warming the head and inserting them through the front of the socket?

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Jackie, sounds like these ladies have given you some good advice. I have never inserted eyes from the front but I know lots of our members do. I am afraid the vinyl might tear in the corners, Maybe we should try it huh?

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I ripped the face doing this. I am wayyyyyyy to scared to try again!

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Are you using flatbacks or rounds? If flatbacks, you could try to secure the back of the eye with some sticky tack to the side of a popsicle stick and use the stick to position them inside the head.
What size eyes does she take?

Thank you for your suggestion! Her eyes are rounds not flatbacks. She takes 16mm eyes that were included as a special when I pre-ordered her. I’ll definitely try your method. First I need to pick up the sticky tack. :heart:

I did try to insert the eyes from the front but it never dawned on me to heat the head first. :confounded: No wonder it didn’t work!!

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They make special eye setting tools for full rounds.

Ok! Let me know how it works for you and I’ll do the same!!

Nikki…Did you heat the head first? Were you able to repair it? Yikes I can understand why you won’t attempt that again!!

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Have you ever tried it? Does BB sell the tool?

I can’t remember where I saw it.
Do you have a long pair of tweezers or something similar? You could use the sticky tack to hold it securely.

Actually I do have a long pair of tweezers that would probably work fine with the sticky tack!! Thanks so much!!!

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Sorry I can’t post a link with my IPad, but you can find the tool on EBay. Search “eye insertion tool”. It looks like a stick with a metal hole on the end.:grinning:

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No… Let’s just say I’m good going through the back! Lol

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I used to use an eye setting tool when I did porcelain, The tool is made by Kemper, they make lots of dolls tools and wigs.

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Well I just finished sealing mini Ofelia. This time I used the Satin Varnish and baked it x2 after sealing. Because of baking I took the one eye out that I was able to get in the other night. After I was done with sealing I tried putting her eyes in through the front while she was still warm from baking and it worked like a charm!!! So easy!! I was a little nervous about maybe tearing the vinyl but all went great! Thank you everyone for your

suggestions!! I did a little bit of rooting just to see her with some hair. This baby I’m using Slumberland wavy/curly and I love working with it!! My other two babies I had used Delta Dawn but I really like the Slumberland better. I still have Sugargliders that I haven’t tried yet so that will be used on my next baby. Anyway I’m having and awesome time doing this sculpt!! She’s a WIP but should be done by early next week…she’s so tiny! Here’s a picture of her progress so far. The one thing that I don’t like are her eyebrows. They came out too dark and to full. Has anyone here ever made a baby that came out perfect…where you loved absolutely everything about her? My first two babies I had the blue thing going on over the brows…I’ll never do that again!! Now this time I messed up her brows. I am used a medium shade brown mohair so once she has a full head of hair it may match the brows and not look so bad. Here’s a pic of her so far!!

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So SOSOSOSOSOSOSO adorable! She is a beauty!!! :heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️

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She’s a real cutie, good job Jackie!

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Thank you everybody! I’m having so much fun making her!