Newbie Questions; thank you in advance!

Hello there! I'm kinda new to the BJD scene and I discovered Dollfie Dreams after I found Smart Doll and Figure.fm and all that good stuff. I've looked around lots and I think I want to make my own girl in part, as opposed to getting a pre-made character. Though I have few questions that I hope people can answer.

 

1.) Does Vinyl yellow at all? Has anyone with a white skin or semi-White skin experienced yellowing?

2.) Do Dollfie Dream clothes fit Smart Doll and vice versa?

3.) What products are safe to use when styling a wig?

4.) During a Volks Pre-order project, when do you pay?

5.) Are there any other groups to join? Maybe Skype or Discord groups?

 

Thank you!

1.) Does Vinyl yellow at all? Has anyone with a white skin or semi-White skin experienced yellowing?

Yes, vinyl will yellow, but it does take a considerable amount of time. Frequently vinyl aging can be described as more of a discoloration than actual yellowing. Doll vinyl (and resin) like most plastics is subject to degradation from ultraviolet light. It is not recommended that you keep your dolls on that sunny window sill. But don't get too worried, taking your vinyls out for a few hours will not significantly yellow them. With the right treatment your dolls will go for years without any noticeable shift in color.

I have a few 8+ year old vinyls whose color has not significantly changed when compared to dolls of the same color which are less than a year old.

 

One thing to be aware of is that all batches of vinyl (from the same company) may not be an exact color match. If you purchased a body (new or used) and also purchased an optional part (like hands or a bust) they are almost certain to come from different vinyl batches and may have been manufactured months or even a year apart. Doll companies do their best to make sure their colors are consistent but that is not always possible as the material they get from their suppliers can change over time.

 

 

2.) Do Dollfie Dream clothes fit Smart Doll and vice versa?

Some. You would need to pay attention to which DD size the clothes are for and the bust size. DDS and MDD will be too all together too small for a Smart Doll The default bust on the Smart Doll is their small bust so DDDy and large bust DD fashions will be a bit baggy in the bust.

1.) Does Vinyl yellow at all? Has anyone with a white skin or semi-White skin experienced yellowing?

Yes, vinyl will yellow, but it does take a considerable amount of time. Frequently vinyl aging can be described as more of a discoloration than actual yellowing. Doll vinyl (and resin) like most plastics is subject to degradation from ultraviolet light. It is not recommended that you keep your dolls on that sunny window sill. But don't get too worried, taking your vinyls out for a few hours will not significantly yellow them. With the right treatment your dolls will go for years without any noticeable shift in color.

I have a few 8+ year old vinyls whose color has not significantly changed when compared to dolls of the same color which are less than a year old.

 

One thing to be aware of is that all batches of vinyl (from the same company) may not be an exact color match. If you purchased a body (new or used) and also purchased an optional part (like hands or a bust) they are almost certain to come from different vinyl batches and may have been manufactured months or even a year apart. Doll companies do their best to make sure their colors are consistent but that is not always possible as the material they get from their suppliers can change over time.

 

 

2.) Do Dollfie Dream clothes fit Smart Doll and vice versa?

Some. You would need to pay attention to which DD size the clothes are for and the bust size. DDS and MDD will be too all together too small for a Smart Doll The default bust on the Smart Doll is their small bust so DDDy and large bust DD fashions will be a bit baggy in the bust.

 

Thank you! This answered a lot of follow up questions I had about discolouration too! I only ask because I'm really interested in an older doll, but I don't want to get her if she's all yellowed. I guess finding decently matching hands and stuff is still in the cards too. Thankfully Vinyl doesn't appear to be as bad as resin for yellowing, so buying older dolls isn't as much of an issue.

Just adding my $0.02...

 

Smart Doll vs Dollfie Dream

The SmD "small" bust is closer to the DD-M bust imho, and the SmD "medium" is closer to DD-L so keep that in mind when shopping for clothes. Stuff designed for DD-S and DD-SS are probably not going to work for SmD.

 

Styling a Wig

In general, try to avoid products containing oil as it can damage wigs or seep into vinyl and stain. Volks makes special products (water wax is basically styling cream, oil spray is anti-frizz, and wig mist is hairspray) that are wig-safe if you're particularly worried. I use something called "Turn Up The Heat" spray on my wigs, both when I'm applying heat (on heat-resistant wigs) and just to reduce frizz/tangles, and I've not experienced issues with it.

 

Pre-Order Projects

VolksUSA requires either a deposit or full payment up front. International used to be no payment until delivery but I'm not sure if that's changing...? We should know the details in about a month or so.

Thank you! This answered a lot of follow up questions I had about discolouration too! I only ask because I'm really interested in an older doll, but I don't want to get her if she's all yellowed. I guess finding decently matching hands and stuff is still in the cards too. Thankfully Vinyl doesn't appear to be as bad as resin for yellowing, so buying older dolls isn't as much of an issue.

Yes, vinyl does not yellow as quickly/badly as resin, but vinyl will stain much faster than resin. Staining is the big issue with vinyls. The dyes in some fabrics can leach out and be absorbed by vinyl. This process can take as little as a few minutes to as long as months. It's kind of a craps shoot figuring out which fabrics are going to stain. Some typical culprits are dark colors like blacks, purples, blues (like jeans), and reds. This can include the fabric of wig caps, which is frequently heavily dyed. Leathers can also be heavily dyed.

 

One of the problems with the staining issue is that not all of these colored fabrics are going to stain and you never know how fast it will happen. My girls have a number of black and white school uniforms that some of them have worn continuously for months without problems. Whereas one of my girls has a t-shirt dress that produced staining in about 30 minutes. Staining can frequently occur where a fabric is pressed up against the vinyl, like under a tight waist band.

 

But don't loose heart, there are things that can be done to prevent this and remedies you can take once it does. Prewashing/soaking/rinsing can get rid of some of the excess dyes in washable fabrics. Soaking the fabric in a bath of 50% white vinegar and 50% ice water can help set the dyes. There will of course be articles that can't be washed like shoes, belts, etc. In these cases adding a barrier between the clothing and the doll is the answer. This barrier can take the form of a full body suit, lining the back the garment, or in the case of shoes, wearing socks.

 

Once the inevitable happens, stains can be removed by treating with products like Remove-Zit from Twin Pines of Maine. Remove-Zit was made by a chemist specifically for cleaning vinyl and plastic dolls. For the worst of the worst stains you can frequently buy replacement parts at very reasonable prices, rather than replace the entire doll. Much more information on staining and cleaning can be found on this site and others.

 

Okay, enough of the scare tactics. In close to 9 years and 40+ vinyl dolls, I've had only a couple of severe staining issues, only one of which where the vinyls was stained beyond cleaning and that was my fault (sorry Diamond). So don't let all this prevent you from enjoying your vinyls. It's just good to be aware of the potential problem before it happens.

Thank you! This answered a lot of follow up questions I had about discolouration too! I only ask because I'm really interested in an older doll, but I don't want to get her if she's all yellowed. I guess finding decently matching hands and stuff is still in the cards too. Thankfully Vinyl doesn't appear to be as bad as resin for yellowing, so buying older dolls isn't as much of an issue.

Yes, vinyl does not yellow as quickly/badly as resin, but vinyl will stain much faster than resin. Staining is the big issue with vinyls. The dyes in some fabrics can leach out and be absorbed by vinyl. This process can take as little as a few minutes to as long as months. It's kind of a craps shoot figuring out which fabrics are going to stain. Some typical culprits are dark colors like blacks, purples, blues (like jeans), and reds. This can include the fabric of wig caps, which is frequently heavily dyed. Leathers can also be heavily dyed.

 

One of the problems with the staining issue is that not all of these colored fabrics are going to stain and you never know how fast it will happen. My girls have a number of black and white school uniforms that some of them have worn continuously for months without problems. Whereas one of my girls has a t-shirt dress that produced staining in about 30 minutes. Staining can frequently occur where a fabric is pressed up against the vinyl, like under a tight waist band.

 

But don't loose heart, there are things that can be done to prevent this and remedies you can take once it does. Prewashing/soaking/rinsing can get rid of some of the excess dyes in washable fabrics. Soaking the fabric in a bath of 50% white vinegar and 50% ice water can help set the dyes. There will of course be articles that can't be washed like shoes, belts, etc. In these cases adding a barrier between the clothing and the doll is the answer. This barrier can take the form of a full body suit, lining the back the garment, or in the case of shoes, wearing socks.

 

Once the inevitable happens, stains can be removed by treating with products like Remove-Zit from Twin Pines of Maine. Remove-Zit was made by a chemist specifically for cleaning vinyl and plastic dolls. For the worst of the worst stains you can frequently buy replacement parts at very reasonable prices, rather than replace the entire doll. Much more information on staining and cleaning can be found on this site and others.

 

Okay, enough of the scare tactics. In close to 9 years and 40+ vinyl dolls, I've had only a couple of severe staining issues, only one of which where the vinyls was stained beyond cleaning and that was my fault (sorry Diamond). So don't let all this prevent you from enjoying your vinyls. It's just good to be aware of the potential problem before it happens.

 

Thank you! Though I've never heard of zemove-zit (maybe not available in the UK) I would assume the volks treatment works just the same.

Thank you! Though I've never heard of Remove-zit (maybe not available in the UK) I would assume the volks treatment works just the same.

The Volks stain remover has not been around very long, maybe about 2 years. Remove-zit has been around as long as I've been doing this, at least 8+ years. Remove-zit was engineered by a chemist for his wife who loved to restore dolls. It was purposely made for one thing: restoring vinyl and plastic dolls. One of the issues with the main ingredient used in Remove-zit, the Volks product, and pimple cream (a common home remedy) is that it has a shelf life. It looses it's effectiveness with time. When you order Remove-zit, they mix you up a fresh batch and it is effective for about a year. It will still work after a year, it just takes longer and requires more treatments. So if you ever decide to buy some, buy directly from Twin Pines (the manufacturer), otherwise you don't know how old the product is.

I have used this product (3 tubs worth) and it has never let me down. I can't recommend it enough. Worth every penny.

Does Vinyl yellow at all? Has anyone with a white skin or semi-White skin experienced yellowing?

 

My Nia has 'yellowed', rather she's slightly green haha! Her left leg is the worst offender, here's some pics to give you an idea (nude doll warning)

 

https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8118/29284648115_dc97fdc934.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8314/28662038224_18c37c820d.jpg

 

I personally don't mind it, but it's something to consider if buy a WS, I hope this helps

Does Vinyl yellow at all? Has anyone with a white skin or semi-White skin experienced yellowing?

 

My Nia has 'yellowed', rather she's slightly green haha! Her left leg is the worst offender, here's some pics to give you an idea (nude doll warning)

 

https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8118/29284648115_dc97fdc934.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8314/28662038224_18c37c820d.jpg

 

I personally don't mind it, but it's something to consider if buy a WS, I hope this helps

Nia Teppelin's batch of vinyl was notorious for yellowing, so sadly it's to be expected. I have other WS girls (two older DDII bodies, a newer 03 head and a Saber Alter II) that haven't shown yellow patches so far.

 

Linda S.

galatia9

Does Vinyl yellow at all? Has anyone with a white skin or semi-White skin experienced yellowing?

 

My Nia has 'yellowed', rather she's slightly green haha! Her left leg is the worst offender, here's some pics to give you an idea (nude doll warning)

 

https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8118/29284648115_dc97fdc934.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8314/28662038224_18c37c820d.jpg

 

I personally don't mind it, but it's something to consider if buy a WS, I hope this helps

 

Oh my goodness! I feel very fortunate that my Nia has yellowed and not greened now. Like galatia9 said though, it's a weird quirk of the Nia batch, I've noticed the WS doesn't yellow quite so extremely unless you try to stain treat them. That's when things go wrong apparently.

Oh my goodness! I feel very fortunate that my Nia has yellowed and not greened now. Like galatia9 said though, it's a weird quirk of the Nia batch, I've noticed the WS doesn't yellow quite so extremely unless you try to stain treat them. That's when things go wrong apparently.

I've heard that too. It's nice to have the good WS bodies to compare to, they are a pale pinky peach color without obvious yellow tones.

 

Linda S.

galatia9

I think smart dolls are a little bit longer in the leg department. I bought a Tora Kigurumi from his shop in Japan and it seems a bit long for my dollfies. The bikini, and shirts should fit though. Again just check the sizes. I think if you email Smart Doll company they will tell you what will fit and what won't.