Hot Glue or alternative on DD

It took me at least 2hrs to produce a pair of decent foam persicom ears for my custom DD.

Now I'm wondering how to attach them safely to her head.

 

I read on the forum some folks use hot glue for the eyes & torso, but my BF fears using hot glue would damage the Vinyl or the faceup.

For eyes people suggested using Tack It from Faber-Castell (found at at local craft store), Blu-tack, UHU-Tac, silicon earplugs (found at any store/pharmacy place like Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc) kneaded eraser and NOT use super sculpy, fimo or other similar modeling clays because they can damage the eyes and the doll to a state of disrepair.

 

Would any of these work for my project?

And if not, what other alternative would you suggest?

Edited October 20, 2012 by Guest

The Vinyl of the dd heads is the same material throughout, eyes are glued in by Volks on the inside of the heads all the time, always have been, so glue on the outside of the head should be fine too.

 

I think the main recommendation is to use a low temperature if possible.

I'm hoping since it works with eyes, the UHU-Tac I ordered through Amazon will work for the persicom ears. But I'm afraid it'll leave residual.

Would Scotch Restickable strips for mounting or Command Brand damage-free hanging poster strips work, considering the packaging claims "removes cleanly"?

If not, what other alternative would you suggest?

I have a glue gun low temp 120V 10W

 

The Vinyl of the dd heads is the same material throughout, eyes are glued in by Volks on the inside of the heads all the time, always have been, so glue on the outside of the head should be fine too.

 

I think the main recommendation is to use a low temperature if possible.

I use Mack's Silicone Earplugs and they work very well! It's very easy to work with and doesn't stain or damage the eyes. Any residue that may be left on the inside of the head just wipes off.

 

archangeli did a quick video showing how to put DD eyes in with the silicone earplugs. She starts using the silicone earplugs at 3:30 (before that she is showing how to take out eyes that have been hot glued in by Volks):

 

Thank you Innocentsake, but the question wasn't about eyes; it was about attaching foam persicom ears to HDD-01 head.

 

I use Mack's Silicone Earplugs and they work very well! It's very easy to work with and doesn't stain or damage the eyes. Any residue that may be left on the inside of the head just wipes off.

 

archangeli did a quick video showing how to put DD eyes in with the silicone earplugs. She starts using the silicone earplugs at 3:30 (before that she is showing how to take out eyes that have been hot glued in by Volks):

 

Thank you Innocentsake, but the question wasn't about eyes; it was about attaching foam persicom ears to HDD-01 head.

 

I think what she meant is that you can use the silicone earplugs to hold the persocom ears onto the head. It's non-permanent and non-staining.

 

I use the silicone earplugs sometimes in doll photo shoots to help them hold onto props that would otherwise not stay. It's quite versatile.

 

But in the video that InnocentSake linked, you do see me removing the hot glue out of a DD head. It comes off pretty cleanly. In some DD heads there's a bit of glue still stuck inside (particularly with the older "hard vinyl" heads) but with the new soft vinyl heads it's very easy to remove hot glue because you can squeeze the heads gently and the glue will separate from the head.

Thank you for the explanation, Archangeli!

I'll probably try the hot glue method since many people reassured me it doesn't damage vinyl

 

I think what she meant is that you can use the silicone earplugs to hold the persocom ears onto the head. It's non-permanent and non-staining.

 

I use the silicone earplugs sometimes in doll photo shoots to help them hold onto props that would otherwise not stay. It's quite versatile.

 

But in the video that InnocentSake linked, you do see me removing the hot glue out of a DD head. It comes off pretty cleanly. In some DD heads there's a bit of glue still stuck inside (particularly with the older "hard vinyl" heads) but with the new soft vinyl heads it's very easy to remove hot glue because you can squeeze the heads gently and the glue will separate from the head.

Edited October 22, 2012 by Guest

Thank you for the explanation, Archangeli!

I should've written a line saying that since these silicone earplugs work inside the head for the eyes and don't stain/damage that they should work for the outside of the head as well for the persocom ears you made. I'm sorry for not being clearer when I wrote that out (I was a bit tired when I did), thanks for explaining for me archangeli! I also use the silicone earplugs for props as well and it sticks quite well so hopefully you can try that and it'll work for your persocom ears

For a second I misread this post as something else and was going to say why would you do that?!

 

Yeah just use the mack's colorless earplugs stuff, it's safe and won't damage the eyes or head.

I just got this from a local Rite-Aid. Not quite sure how to use it, but I guess I'll figure it out.

 

I figure between the UHU Tac putty, silicone earplugs and hot glue, one of them is bound to meet my needs.

My Dollfie Dream customized as a combination between Chii from "Chobits" & the twins Chiho and Chise in "Kobato" wearing a kimono (unfortunately too tight) I sewed.

 

DD are what got me into the doll hobby, but I never thought I'd be able to have one.

Years later, here is my 1st grail doll!

 

PS Because foam is a smooth surface, only hot glue worked for attaching the persicom ears.

I use the silicone earplugs sometimes in doll photo shoots to help them hold onto props that would otherwise not stay. It's quite versatile.

 

I can't believe that I never thought of that... it sure would make some photos a lot more simple than hoping to get the balancing just right and get a photo before anything moves.

 

~Sister Kyoya