Vinyl Tear

Hello. I recently purchased a used reborn which has a mouth that holds a pacifier. The seller said you squeeze her cheeks to insert it. When I received her, I noticed a small tear in the corner of her mouth, probably from placing and removing the pacifiers. Can anyone recommend how to repair it or prevent it from tearing more? (Aside from not using a pacifier) Is there a filler or glue that might work? Thanks so much!

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This is why it’s not recommended to modify kits by opening the mouth. This is a common problem. The vinyl will most likely tear. I just recommend you don’t use a pacifier and also let the artist know so she can hopefully not open any more mouths.

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Can you share a picture? Depending on how bad it is, You could try gluing it from inside the head with e6000 or vinyl safe glue. Idk if I would glue the outside

I appreciate the input. Here’s a photo…

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I tried super glue it worked for about 6 months. I would try e6000 and put some moleskin over it, inside the mouth. Then I would make a Vampire and put a cut or a little blood, hey just being honest, lol! :vampire: It’s October!

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Personally I would toss it and buy a new Gabriel kit when he is available. And use a magnetic pacifier.

If you choose to try to repair and repaint maybe Macpherson’s vinyl putty (not sure if it is in stock)

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I think it would indeed be better to just buy a different one. I hope you didn’t pay a lot of money for this one, it also looks like the paint has rubbed off all over…
If you’re really set on fixing him, your best bet is taking the head off and gluing the entire mouth shut from the inside. You can then also glue a magnet in and use a magnetic pacifier.

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This is my first reborn…I bought it on eBay with plans to repaint it. Figured it would be a good practice doll so this is probably a good time to test that glue, too. Or I could just take the advice, add a set of fangs and skip the painting altogether. lol

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I don’t think he is worth saving either so what a better time to make an Alternative. Add the Glue first before applying fangs. :slightly_smiling_face: Sending you a PM!

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I know it used to be the norm to open the nostrils, but was cutting the mouth open common too? Is this an older reborn or just an artist that made a poor choice?
Btw, welcome to the forum, Missfiggie. :slightly_smiling_face: Very interesting first post.

@EmOh, there are a couple of artists who regularly open the mouths of their babies and market them as having this feature. At least one sells or used to sell on reborns.

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Thanks for having me! :blush:
I purchased the doll on eBay from a prior owner. I don’t know anything about about the history, and there are no markings for brand or artist. Being a newbie, I assumed the mouth was originally open and purposefully made that way.

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But cutting the vinyl is usually avoided for this reason, right?

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That would be a reasonable assumption.

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I know some people used to do this… but the end result was vinyl ripping over time. :cry:

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Oh, dear. I’m sorry to hear your reborn was damaged. I agree with @AnnieSokay that maybe transforming your baby into an “alternative” would be a fun way to keep her, but I think a long term goal would be to save up money to buy a reborn you would enjoy more that hopefully has less defects. This one has an incredible amount of paint rubbed off. I hope you can tidy her up and make her presentable! :smiley:

By the way, I love the name you choose for yourself. Missfiggie is so cute!

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This one wasn’t opened, he’s sculpted that way, but repeatedly squeezing the cheeks to insert a pacifier weakens the vinyl in the corners of the mouth. He works better with either a modified (nipple cut to fit) or magnetic pacifier. I think his mouth is fixable, but he kind of needs a complete re-do. A lot of his paint has come off. I think he was very well loved before he was sold.

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Do silicone babies advertised to squeeze the cheeks have this same issue with tearing?

Because silicone is so expensive, I think many baby mommas are super careful with them because yes they can tear. They have a lot of maintenance needs.

I’m finding that out. I have to powder this one every 3 days or so. Just to be clear, this baby spends most of the day in my arms. When you touch them you take away the powder. The more I touch him, the more frequently I have to powder him.

I may just cut binky to a shape that I won’t have to squeeze the cheeks or just skip it all together until I get one with a magnet.