Sending faceups in Winter - MSC

Hello everyone,

I would like to address a topic, and I hope not to repeat it in the forum.

I woke up this morning with a very stressful idea in my head. I sent my doll head to the buyer, but it's extremely cold outside in this period of the year, and I'm worried that the MSC sealant could be damaged.
Even though I've protected the head well, the cold would maybe still reach it.

How do you usually handle this? I’m curious about your experiences and any advise to handle this situation.

Auctions and make-up comissions don’t stop in the winter and artists still send their heads to people … I'm really concerned about this issue!

I appreciate any insights or suggestions you may have in this matter. 

Thank you all 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Shirayuridolls
Police issue

Quick question because I'm a little uninformed, what issue does the cold cause for sealant if it's already dry? Or does it not dry in the cold?

Hello, 

I've heard that the sealant could be damaged if exposed to too low temperatures, but I don't know at what degree it might become problematic and cause cracks.

I personally never experienced a situation when one of my dolls stayed in a cold place.
 

Perhaps I'm just worrying for nothing? 😖

I think it's more of an issue during the sealing application in itself. I once sprayed in wonderful cold British winter weather, and it caused like.... speckles? all over her faceup. If it's already sealed fine and dry - I don't think transit would damage it if it's properly packed.

This is just my two cents on the matter. It's been a few years since I last did a faceup so I can't say for definite - but I imagine it would be fine. 

I only know that you should, if you receive any vinyl doll from the cold in a package, get it at least warm up to room temperature before handling it, to avoid any cracks or similar, because the vinyl will be hard and not pliable.

The same thing might be true for sealant like MSC, but I wouldn't be familiar with it causing problems during shipment.

2 hours ago, Cazzie_Bliss said:

I think it's more of an issue during the sealing application in itself. I once sprayed in wonderful cold British winter weather, and it caused like.... speckles? all over her faceup. If it's already sealed fine and dry - I don't think transit would damage it if it's properly packed.

This is just my two cents on the matter. It's been a few years since I last did a faceup so I can't say for definite - but I imagine it would be fine. 

Yes, as for the application, I indeed avoid cold and humidity and use it only in a dry environment.

However, my concern was solely about transportation. It reassures me to hear that!! These kinds of things tend to make me quite anxious! 🫣 

8 minutes ago, MoiBakaDesu said:

I only know that you should, if you receive any vinyl doll from the cold in a package, get it at least warm up to room temperature before handling it, to avoid any cracks or similar, because the vinyl will be hard and not pliable.

The same thing might be true for sealant like MSC, but I wouldn't be familiar with it causing problems during shipment.

Ah, I never thought of that! Thanks for mentioning it. I'll make sure to leave my future dolls in the room for a while before handling them.

Thank you for your help 🙏🏻

On 11/26/2023 at 3:17 PM, sunlightandtea said:

Quick question because I'm a little uninformed, what issue does the cold cause for sealant if it's already dry? Or does it not dry in the cold?

It "frosts"--instead of drying clear, it gets these matte white patches. I found it out the hard way, but luckily it wasn't on a doll--I have a Toothless action figure from the first How to Train Your Dragon movie, I customized him a bit, but first try on his wings it was like 56 degrees F. The frosting effect was really bad on him, since he's a pitch black. Had to strip it all off with 91% Isopropyl alcohol and redo it. 

I have managed to spray in cold weather by spraying outside, then bringing indoors to dry. That has worked but it's kind of nerve wracking lol. 

But yes, once the spray is fully dried/cured, cold doesn't effect it. It's specifically the drying process itself that's affected. 

13 hours ago, Poofiemus said:

It "frosts"--instead of drying clear, it gets these matte white patches. I found it out the hard way, but luckily it wasn't on a doll--I have a Toothless action figure from the first How to Train Your Dragon movie, I customized him a bit, but first try on his wings it was like 56 degrees F. The frosting effect was really bad on him, since he's a pitch black. Had to strip it all off with 91% Isopropyl alcohol and redo it. 

I have managed to spray in cold weather by spraying outside, then bringing indoors to dry. That has worked but it's kind of nerve wracking lol. 

But yes, once the spray is fully dried/cured, cold doesn't effect it. It's specifically the drying process itself that's affected. 

Hi!

Oh, I can only imagine the struggle with the white patches glad it wasn’t a faceup that you loved!

It's good to hear you found a workaround by spraying outside and bringing it indoors to dry. I personally spray the heads in the basement and then bring them up to a room that has constant temperature and no humidity.

Also, it’s reassuring to know that once it's set, the cold weather won't mess with the MSC. Thanks for clarifying that and sharing your experience and tips! ✨❤️

I've worked on one of my girl's faceup with MSC in a -5 celsius or so weather, and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. As far as I've seen things it seems to only be humidity that ruins it, and that's probably only before setting. Below freezing there's no humidity in the air, so my girl's face was fine.

Well if my imomo blindbox heads for practice arrive before the really harsh temperatures (arouns -15 ~ -20 celsius) here warm up, I can do some testing with more extreme kind of cold.

 

11 hours ago, Kissamaagi said:

I've worked on one of my girl's faceup with MSC in a -5 celsius or so weather, and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. As far as I've seen things it seems to only be humidity that ruins it, and that's probably only before setting. Below freezing there's no humidity in the air, so my girl's face was fine.

Well if my imomo blindbox heads for practice arrive before the really harsh temperatures (arouns -15 ~ -20 celsius) here warm up, I can do some testing with more extreme kind of cold.

 

It's fascinating that you've tested faceup work in extreme colder temperatures without issues 🫣! I wouldn’t be able to move my hand haha 
 

I never alter the temperature in my doll room. And I rely on an electric heater in the winter to ensure a constant environment and avoiding the temperature to drop below 18 degrees. But maybe I’m too extreme sometimes 😆 

Edited December 6, 2023 by Shirayuridolls

14 hours ago, Shirayuridolls said:

It's fascinating that you've tested faceup work in extreme colder temperatures without issues 🫣! I wouldn’t be able to move my hand haha

It's no issue if you work fast! I just go out, spray a few thin layers and then go fast inside and my hands freeze only a little bit 😆.

On 12/5/2023 at 3:07 PM, Kissamaagi said:

I've worked on one of my girl's faceup with MSC in a -5 celsius or so weather, and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. As far as I've seen things it seems to only be humidity that ruins it, and that's probably only before setting. Below freezing there's no humidity in the air, so my girl's face was fine.

Well if my imomo blindbox heads for practice arrive before the really harsh temperatures (arouns -15 ~ -20 celsius) here warm up, I can do some testing with more extreme kind of cold.

 

Seconding this as well, it is possible to spray below 15°C (or above 30°C) but you must be fast- ideally under 4 minutes outside. When its that cold your MSC is very prone to having bigger droplets as well, so be aware if you are spraying thicker coats.