Repainting a silicone ashton Drake

I hoping one of you ladies has done this before. I like the look of the Ashton Drake silis but don’t like the paint or the atrocious hair. I want to buy one and repaint it, weight it properly, and root it nicer. I’m still at a beginning level but this is a bucket list item. That or a silicone kit from an artist. Please tell me I’m not nuts?!

If you get one of the Ashton Drake silicone dolls they are tin based and therefore you need the tin based silicone paints to paint them. I am told these paints dry faster and are a little more difficult to work with than the platinum silicone paints. I have only painted with the Platinum. I have a repainted AD silicone baby that was done by Debbie Henshaw in my collection though.

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Yes I’d heard about the tin. Is it safe to handle? Can I please see your baby?

Here are a couple pics. He has 1/4 hands and little full front load legs. I am not overly crazy about the body she put him on as I think it is too fat but I have never changed it out.

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O)MG he’s so cute. He’s an AD baby?

Oh and she left him bald because the heads on these dolls are not solid silicone. They have some sort of foam or plastic core that is hard and she said you can’t get a needle in it. Also, his head is not smooth because of where he originally had a wig that was glued on with silicone. She sanded the glue residue best she could and just gave him a lot of head mottling/blushing.

Yes he is Ashton Drake. One of the Emily dolls in silicone.

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He’s gorgeous and looks real. I might need to move this to the top of the list. I’m sad about the hair. Maybe I can put an extra layer of silicone on the head and try to root it? Did she sand him down to paint over? I just realized why it has a core! They probably use a sculpt for facial features or to keep costs down.

I am not sue if she sanded his old blushing off or just painted over it. I do know to remove any color you have to sand it.

Here are her original post on him. I am his 3rd Mom and forever Mom. I got him for a lot less than what he sold for originally.

http://www.theynevergrowupnursery.com/benson.html

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Yeah you have to water sand in one direction, very gently. It’s slow and tedious.

I love him!

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Right? He’s too cute. I looked at the artist’s page and she’s really amazing. I want to try my hand at one. I wanted Gabrielle but the dark complexiion might be harder to sand off fully. Her hair is the best and she’s too adorable. Cheryl is adorable too.

I don’t know much about silicone but I do know that Tin Silicone deteriorates!!! Buyer Beware!!

You’re right. I wonder if I can do something to preserve it?

This one is holding up well no deterioration. I think AD mixes something in with theirs but not sure.

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I sure hope that’s the case. Cause most things made out of it go south!! I have read some very sad stories about ladies silicone babies losing fingers and arms etc. and they were made by a very well known artist. So Sad, they cost so much money.

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I saw a Chinese silicone doll that ripped in the armpit. All of the cheap ones have strange coloring. I want to try this cheaper doll but I’m in love with the ecoflex 20 dolls. They move so nicely. And I wonder how it feels. I’m tempted to buy a trial Kit, sculpt a baby and cast in silicone. I know how. I’m just not loaded in dough and worried about my skill as a sculptor.

Some sculptors sell blank kits, I know of a few that are selling blank tiny silicones (like 8 inches or so) for much less. Then if you decide you like them you can save up for a bigger one. I lucked out and got my tiny 8 inch silicone in a partial trade I did for a doll I was selling. I sell local so I was able to see him in person first before deciding to trade for him

Do you know of any good sculptors? Wow you did get lucky. They cost a lot, at all sizes lol.

Melissa McCrory sells smaller silicone sculpts pretty reasonable for the blank baby. I bought a couple from her before

I have some links for blank ones that I can pm you. The doll I have is painted, however fairly poorly. His sculpting is rough also but he’s pretty cute for what I “paid” for him. For me, I only got him to see if I actually liked silicone before I spent 1000+ dollars on one lol