A gloss issue

I tried to look for an answer to this, but I can't seem to find any.

 

I recently did my first DD face ups but ran into problems when glossing the lips. I've been using Tamiya X-22 gloss on my resin dolls for years and I've read that people also use it for DDs. But when I put it on any vinyl surface it refuses to dry properly. It'll stay sticky no matter how long I let it dry. It's still winter here and the air is really dry, so it's not humidity that's doing it either. It just refuses to dry and it's actually so bad that every little dust particle will get stuck in it until she's got hairy lips. And if I touch them the whole thing will get mussed up.

 

I also have another brand of gloss I bought at a local craft store called "Lefranc & Bourgeois - water-based gloss varnish" that worked on a Monster High doll I customized some time ago (Tamiya gloss didn't). It works better with Dollfie Dreams, too, but doesn't dry properly either. It was manageable if I put a really thin layer of it on, but I still had to be careful not to touch the lips with anything at all, or they could get smeared.

 

Am I the only one with this problem? I re-did my first girl's face up and painted my second head as well and didn't put any gloss on either of them this time, but I feel like something's missing without lightly glossed lips.

Hmm X-22 is my go to gloss but I don't generally have that problem. I generally put 2-3 thin layers on depending on how glossy looking I want it, with a good 2-3 hours dry time between layers. Plus after the final layer, I wait for at least 12 hours, generally overnight, til I put the eyes in and the doll back together. I did get fuzzies in the gloss resulting in a redo by not waiting til the next day before I touched it again.

On my second try, I only put one really thin layer on the lips and the next time I touched it was well over 12 hours later (the next day). And because it still didn't feel dry I put the head away in a cupboard and checked it again a few days later but it was still sticky. =__=

I had this same problem when I first started doing DD faceups! I tried googling it but the only suggestion was buying a new gloss (same brand, just buying a new one). I use the same gloss as you, I purchased it from leekeworld. As I was looking into getting a new one I stumbled across BNA Model World (I live in Australia so was looking for something domestic) and realised there is x-22 clear acrylic gloss and clear enamel. I believe the one I purchased originally was enamel which might have been the issue. I bought the X-22 tamiya acrylic gloss and it works perfectly I'm not sure if it was because my old gloss was the enamel version or if it just needed replacing but it solved my issue. I hope this helps you!

That might be it. My bottle isn't very old (also bought through Leekeworld), so I think it's probably the type. My bottle says enamel, too. I'll have to try and get a non-enamel bottle from somewhere else and test that then. Thank you! It's definitely not something I would've thought to check.

Ah yes, that's likely it. If it's from Tamiya it actually should be X-22a for the acrylic version.

I had trouble with gloss staying sticky on DDs at first too. I was using a simple gloss that I had used on my resin dolls without trouble. I bought Liquitex acrylic gloss and started using that instead.

To speed up drying time, use a hair dryer.

I had this same problem when I first started doing DD faceups! I tried googling it but the only suggestion was buying a new gloss (same brand, just buying a new one). I use the same gloss as you, I purchased it from leekeworld. As I was looking into getting a new one I stumbled across BNA Model World (I live in Australia so was looking for something domestic) and realised there is x-22 clear acrylic gloss and clear enamel. I believe the one I purchased originally was enamel which might have been the issue. I bought the X-22 tamiya acrylic gloss and it works perfectly I'm not sure if it was because my old gloss was the enamel version or if it just needed replacing but it solved my issue. I hope this helps you!

 

I also have the Tamiya X-22 gloss bought from LeekeWorld and it says "enamel". Works perfectly on resin, but with vinyl I have the sticky problem as well. So it's quite likely that it is the core of the problem. Thank you so much for sharing this info! ^^

 

I bought the acrylic gloss, and will report back after it arrives and I've tested it. Hopefully with good news! :3

My Tamiya X-22 acrylic gloss arrived today and it dries fine. So, the issue was with the enamel version. Thank you everyone, for your help. ^^