02/27/2023
Veda: I started customizing in the dark ages of the internet when tutorials were few and far between and we didn’t really know the long-term effects of some chemicals on plastic and vinyl. Allow me to share some of what I’ve learned with you so you can avoid my mistakes!
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Originally posted on Cryptid Craft: https://cryptidcraft.com/customizing-tips-what-not-to-do/
Don’t use zit cream remover, EVER.
Back in the day, it was common to use zit cream to fade otherwise permanent marks from pens, Sharpies, and so on. Benzoyl peroxide does fade marks beautifully in the short term, but no amount of soap and scrubbing can fully lift it from plastic and vinyl once it has been applied, leaving it to work its fading magic for years to come. It will leech the color from surfaces and yellow anything that was white to begin with.
Don’t use Mod Podge as a sealant.
Seems pretty obvious, right? My sealant selection was extremely slim when I was starting out, so I did indeed use watered down layers of Mod Podge to seal early customs. Mod Podge looks fine when it’s fresh, but it almost inevitably becomes sticky and gross over time. If you’re working with acrylics and can’t access a real sealant, don’t seal your work at all. Unsealed acrylics are sturdy enough as long as they aren’t rubbed or scratched, and they definitely beat the sticky mess that Mod Podge becomes.
Don’t use Sharpies/nail polish/random stuff you have laying around your house (at least not without doing some tests!).
If you don’t have much money to invest in art supplies, it’s extremely tempting to use what you have on hand. Sometimes this is a great idea, but sometimes you can ruin your work by using the wrong tool for the job. Sharpies, for example, fade to a purple and bleed into vinyl and plastic; nail polish yellows and chips if it’s used as a sealant. Test anything you’re not sure about, and remember that some flaws won’t be apparent until a few months (or more) down the line. To be safe, consider sticking to tried and true tools.
Be careful with bleach.
If you take up restoration, you’ll find yourself trying to get rid of marks that you can’t scrub away. Bleach has its uses, but it can interact with plastics and glues in unexpected ways. It can, for example, yellow vinyl, strip varnish, and destroy the glue that holds flocking in place. Safer alternatives to bleach include Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Oxyclean (and its storebrand alternatives), and sunfading.
Use caution when working with hot water.
Hot water can be great for rinsing gel out of doll hair or making plastic pliant enough to manipulate, but it can also damage glues, some artificial hair, and tinsel. Some synthetic hairs like saran have low melting points; if, for example, you try to give a doll with saran hair a boil perm, you could end up with a melted clump. Almost all tinsel, in my experience, is damaged by boiling-hot water, and the tinsel in the most recent line of Rainbow High dolls was fried by hot water from the tap (around 120 degrees fahrenheit). If you don’t know what kind of synthetic hair you’re working with, test a few plugs in an inconspicuous place. If you’re rehairing toys, look into hair types and learn what kind of heat your preferred fiber can take.
Lay down a base coat.
This is something I never did and I have regrets. Bold pigments, especially reds, have a tendency to bleed into surrounding paints and plastic. Consider applying a base coat with gesso or in white before going in with colored paints and pigments. You can’t stop all bleeding, but this will give the surface you’re painting on a fighting chance.
Don’t use MSC in bad weather conditions.
Mr. Super Clear (MSC), the preferred sealant of doll customizers and anyone else who works with soft pastels and watercolor pencils and needs a sealer that will provide from tooth, is notoriously temperamental. Sometimes it applies like a dream no matter what the weather’s doing; sometimes it cracks or flakes or fogs even if it was used in the very best conditions. Increase your chances of success by spraying MSC on dry days that aren’t too cold. Too much moisture and less-than-ideal temperatures decrease your odds of getting a good coat and preserving your work.
