April 12, 2018

  • Eyeball Remedies

    TONI'S EYE PROBLEMS

    Method 1

    The eyes are set in a vinyl bubble inside the head. So take head and cut the vinyl bubble inside to get the eye out. (There was an auction some time ago that had a spare pair of eyes for the Toni--so it must be done occasionally.)

    Use an exacto knife to slit the back of the vinyl bubble and carefully remove the eye. The eye is in two parts--the blinking part with eyelashes and eyeball and the other part is a black colored capsule that it snaps in to. Use a thin tool (exacto knife) and work on one side to snap it apart. Next use the exacto knife to scrape the white powder from inside both the eyeball and the capsule. I used a q-tip to clean out the loose white powder, then put a little oil on the other end of the q-tip and coat the inside of both parts. The center of the eyeball is clear and, when clean, the black capsule shows through! Snap the two parts back together.
    Carefully reinsert the eye back into the bubble and make sure it is straight. Then use a thin tool (artist's pallet knife) and spread a little contact cement in the slot. Let it sit about an hour and put the head back on.

    Method 2

    You will use a blow dryer and a cone shaped piece of soft cardboard. I have followed this process and it works. Other than that, you'd have to take the doll eyes out and either clean them at the risk of damaging them or replace them altogether. There are posts which also recommend using oil in the doll's eyes...That will just make the cloudy film translucent, not get rid of the problem. In fact, now you'll also have oil in the eye socket. The issue of cloudiness is caused by fungus growth in the eye cavity due to moisture. The heat of a blow drier will eradicate it.

    The cloudiness is caused by a hard waxy film that very strongly adheres to the plastic & metal surfaces - The eyelids are usually metal. I scrub with an old toothbrush, soap & water. That mess is very difficult to work out because you don't know how well you've done until everything is thoroughly dry. Just when you think you're done...There it is again.

    I use wooden toothpicks to get into every nook and cranny to clear those eyes out [while watching Resurrection, of course!]. You usually have to repeat the process about three times to clean out the doll eyes this way. Then you have to put them back together and back into the doll without ruining the lashes or the doll! Very labor intensive. I'm a stickler for understanding things to the core...This is why I've elected to go through the process of taking doll eyes apart.

    Fashion a light cardboard cone with the small opening the size of one of your doll's eyes on one side and (on the other end) a wide enough opening for your blow dryer - Tape securely together so it keeps its shape. Place the cone over one of the doll's eyes. Begin with medium heat...Hold in place 10 minutes at a time and check the eye you're working on against the other eye. Repeat until the issue is cleared. Sometimes a higher heat setting is required. Then do the other eye. You will be literally melting the mold out of her eyes. Don't give up too soon...Be patient and persistent...It will work. I find that the 3rd round is usually when you begin to see the change.

    Method 3

    The materials you will need are:
    New sleep eyes or old working ones from a broken doll
    A tiny crochet hook
    An Exacto knife
    Acrylic flexible modeling paste
    An artist's paint brush
    Eye sizing tool (optional)
    You must first determine  what size eyes you will need. The eyes are measured in millimeters. You measure the eye opening from corner to corner and convert the measurement to millimeters to find the size. Order DOWN in size if you can't get the exact size. You can buy plastic eye-sizing tools that you fit right into the eye or place over the eye to determine the size.
     
    Once you have the eyes you want to use you will need to remove the old eyes. Take the head off the doll. You will see two big lumps covered in thin vinyl inside the doll's head. Use you Exacto knife cutting from the INSIDE (so you don't accidentally cut the outside of the doll's face) and cut the vinyl away. Then using your finger or a blunt object like a pen, push the old eye out of the socket.
    Remove only as much as you need from the original socket. The eye socket may be quite dirty. Clean it out with a Q-Tip dipped in soapy water or Windex and dry it before inserting the new eyes. To insert the new eye, just hold the doll's head face down and place the eye on top of the socket. It can be a little tricky, but push hard to get the eye in. When the eye is almost in use the crochet hook to grab the corner of the eye and position it properly. Be careful not to hook the eyelid where the eyelashes are placed or you can pull them out. Once you have the eyes in position and confirm that they work brush the backs of the eyes with the modeling paste to seal them to the eye socket. Place the doll's head face down to dry.

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