Hi there everyone! I was debating about posting this but I was wondering if anybody could help. Ok, so last year I purchased an authentic Polly kit by Rachel Maynard from a lady on Facebook. I was so excited to get her since Polly is a sold out limited edition kit. I was having my room renovated and so when she arrived, she was placed in my stash in my closet.
I recently got her out and I noticed she had some black specks on her face/head. Here are some pictures:
I had looked up some posts here on the forum and I think I saw some had said they have had black specks in the vinyl as a defect? Would I be able to paint over it? Could I turn them into birthmarks?
I should have checked the kit over as soon as I got her. The seller never told me she had the specks. It’s disappointing as the kit was not cheap. There’s also a spot on her belly plate:
Not sure what to do. I’ll admit I already tried some zit cream and it didn’t seem to do anything. Wanted to mention I use air dry paints.
Thanks,
Julie
Looks like possible mold (?). I wonder if a bleach soak or dipping in boiling water would kill it, if that is what it is. I have never done either of those, so wait until someone else responds here. I’ve never had to deal with mold but I think some others on here have.
I have no suggestions. But this is heartbreaking to see. Hopefully you didn’t pay a lot for her. I do know that kit sells high. But no kit in that condition should sell high, no matter how rare it is.
Have you tried to “wash” them off? Are they imbedded in the vinyl or could they be something like “fly or spider” poop? I know that sounds weird but it sure would be an easier solution.
Oh my goodness. I have dealt with some random black dots, but nothing like that. The dots I had were embedded in the vinyl. I was baking and every bake seemed to bring them closer to the surface. But in my case it was only a few, so I was able to work around it. I hope someone has a suggestion. I am sure this is disappointing.
That’s an awful lot of black spots and will be hard to cover/camouflage. She might not have had the specks when you bought the kit. I’ve had some show up later but never like that.
Yeah I think they were there when I bought it and I didn’t see them when I got the kit. I should have asked for more pictures. It’s disappointing. I paid $200 plus shipping for her
Are there specks on her limbs, too? If they’re just on the surface you might be able to sand them off with superfine sandpaper or one of those cardboard nail files. Try it on the back of the neck. If they’re embedded in the vinyl, the only thing I can think of to do would be to paint each individual dot with paint the color of the vinyl after sealing so it can’t bleed through. Do you use Genesis or air dry paints? I’ve read that heating can make black specks worse. Did you try acetone on a Q-tip?
That looks like mold/mildew to me as well. I would give all the pieces a long soaking in a tub of hot water with some bleach and washing detergent. I have personally ran kits through the washing machine on gentle cycle but my machine does not have the center post so I can do that.
I think it is wrong to assume that the kit was sold to you that way since you did not look it over when you got it. That is not fair to the seller. It could have been but honestly, not likely since something that bad would have been noticed right away . I think these developed over time while the vinyl was sitting. I have had mysterious random spots (though nothing this badly) show up on my stored kits before and I always inspect mine when they come in.
To be honest, I’m not completely sure. I think they are embedded in the vinyl because I have tried washing with soap and water and it wouldn’t come off. I also tried some acne cream.
My Chantal kit had a black speck and it drove me so crazy. I was able to get it out. But it was only one….
I wonder if you could lightly sand it like Jean suggested?
The specks are only on her head/face and the one small spot on her belly plate. I just remembered that the seller had forgot to send the belly plate originally and sent it a few days later when she remembered to and it had those specks on the belly plate. I use air dry paints.
I’ve dealt with a lot of embedded black specks, another artist told me they are actually tiny metal flecks that get into the vinyl during manufacturing, it’s definitely a vinyl defect. They come up more over time, heating brings them to the surface faster. I have never had this many on a single piece though! The only way I have found to really fix them is to dig them out, fill the holes with vinyl putty that you tint close to the vinyl base color and afterwards sand it smooth. If you do just cover them with paint over time they keep rising to the surface and eventually will be very visible again. I’m not 100% sure if that’s what these are, some of the specks look exactly like them, others not as much. How freaking disappointing!!
Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to use vinyl putty because I use air dry paints. I don’t have a nuwave oven and have nowhere to put one in my house. It is disappointing. I wonder if there is some kind of putty for air dry?
