So, I cut off a piece of Chloe’s leg stump. I did some testing with my materials. I’m glad I did because there are items I didn’t expect to inhibit that did. I took fresh silicone velvet from my bag of it and…it wouldn’t cure. That thing was $70 and can’t be used for platinum because I somehow must have gotten whatever in it. Likely from the tin ones I’ve been doing.
My sponges do not inhibit. Of course I opened a new package of those. I have new brushes and Swabs too. I have decided that I’m buying a new set of everything. I’m not trashing thousands of dollars over a few hundred. I mixed all of my pigment really good and then tried each one. They did not inhibit but I’m getting a second set before I actually start painting a doll. It’s too much risk that even though I mixed them well, I might come across some tiny speck of tin something and then an expensive doll is ruined.
I’m also not selling any of the AD dolls I currently have. They are not holding their matting. The paint part is not rubbing off but the matte is. I’m going to try one with RTV2 instead of the RTV1. I’m pretty sure I understand why they are peeling. It’s a very small but very important difference in the way RTV2 behaves after curing. If the RTV2 doesn’t work, I’m not bothering with any more AD dolls. I’m glad to have had a cheaper source of dolls to learn painting but there is no point in continuing to paint them if they won’t last past 4 months.
Last tid bit, platinum is SO much easier than tin!!! I’m super excited to paint a platinum doll!! All the problems tin cure has doesn’t exist with platinum. I’m going to fully neutralize a piece of Chloe and paint it up to a finished state. Then I’m gonna paint another practice piece to finished. THEN, I’m going to paint her.
I’m kind of nervous to paint her but after a practice piece, I’m sure I can and that she will look much better than the tin ones I’ve done.
You guys have been amazing help and encouragement along the way and I appreciate you all more than you’ll ever know!
Exciting progress, and a wise idea to restock your tools than to risk the more expensive projects!
Can’t help thinking that what you’re figuring out now will help so many others because of your bold experimenting.
Well…I mean…you could fix her booboos and give her nice hair. Matting them is the same as platinum. Put on thin coat, wait until half cured, lightly powder with a soft make-up brush. She could still be a nice doll.
So, I’m staring down this Mini Mac I got and trying to figure out how it was that I thought painting a tiny one would be easier…
Suffice it to say, I don’t think a sponge is the answer for his mottling. I’m still doing him first. I’m intimidated but he’s $100 not $1,000. I’ll post some WIP once he gets neutralized and has some kind of flesh tone.
That’s something new to me because AD dolls don’t need neutralized.
I ordered an oven but I made one to fit a tiny kit until it gets here. This works better than I thought it would! 5 minutes to complete cure with the heat and power all the way up.
It’s actually a hair dryer. I don’t have a heat gun yet.
Also, the tiny 6 inch partial silicone kit I got has limbs that fit underneath that cup. The ceramic cup works on the same principle as a brick oven for bread or pizza.
You don’t have to but if you don’t, it takes a long time to dry, like hours. That is for Smooth on. Heating tin cure won’t do anything to it because it doesn’t use heat to set, it uses moisture. I’m just impatient.
Those are just pigments. I got tired of getting pigment all over my hands because the little jars are a mess. I’m kind of a mess myself because I’m clumsy. I stick a toothpick down in them to get pigment out. Cleanest method I’ve found so far. They are the kind that you give kids medicine through.
A heat gun is coming. A hair dryer takes too long and covers things in dust.
That thing was $70 and can’t be used for platinum because I somehow must have gotten whatever in it. Likely from the tin ones I’ve been doing.
