Restoration of the doll yourself, with your own hands

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

Collectors and sellers know that a vintage or antique doll ready to be photographed with a cheerful dress, brightly painted face and neat hair will sell faster than one with old-fashioned clothes, faded paint and obvious imperfections. In order to sell their dolls faster, collectors wash or completely change the costume, restore lost parts and repaint their faces. But careless restoration can reduce the value of an antique toy. Therefore, you should approach the restoration of dolls with your own hands with great care.

How to restore an old toy yourself

When starting restoration, try to perform only such actions that can then be undone. The most important principle of restoration is not to do anything irreversible for dolls with historical value. Restoring a doll means replacing missing parts, fixing or improving something. It includes cleaning dirty outfits, adding a broken finger, washing hair or adding a wig and recoloring.

Preparation and cleaning of toys

Do not eat or drink while working and repair dolls in areas with proper ventilation. Some substances used to clean and restore dolls may give off harmful fumes. Hand washing plays a key role in antique doll restoration. Many collectors want to purchase such a toy in its original costume, or at least in a similar one, but of the same age.

A doll with shabby clothes cannot cost more than a new one. Therefore, before selling, all parts of the toy costume must be washed by hand using gentle detergents. The cleaning and washing of antiques must be approached carefully. Even cleaning with the wrong soap or chemical can dissolve paint, weaken old glue, or damage eyes and hair. Most often, a building dryer is used to remove old paint and glue, and cracks are filled with a special mass for modeling or papier-mâché.

Restoration of unglazed porcelain dolls

Dolls made of biscuit, or unglazed porcelain, were an innovation in the late 1860s. Until that time, all toys were with a glossy surface, or glaze, and a new version of their manufacture allowed for a more realistic skin tone. These dolls first had leather or fabric bodies, then composite materials began to be used.

Restoration means returning the doll to its original condition, including wigs and hair styling, clothes and facial features. A toy that is over 100 years old is most often very worn out. For example, a synthetic wig may already be falling apart. Human hair doll wigs, however, may need to be washed and restored. Composite fibers can disintegrate when touched. To restore old dolls with do-it-yourself hair, special kits and spare parts are used, such as eyes, which are sold in specialized stores. Sometimes it is impossible to restore the hair, so artificial wigs may be needed. Some problems on the surface of the toy are clearly visible, while others are hidden inside clothing or the body, especially if the doll is stuffed with straw or other organic material.

Restoring Lost Parts

Missing parts can be restored with a special sculpting mass. After the details are modeled, they can be painted to match the background. Often, for the restoration of dolls with their own hands, casts are used from those parts of the product that have not been lost. For example, to restore the fingers on one hand, you can make a cast on the other. This allows you to make the missing elements. They are identical to the lost ones.

Preservation of antique toys

Try to save the antique doll before you decide to restore it. The preservation of the doll is to fight against the destructive forces of temperature, light, insects, dirt, dust andtime. Such work includes treating insect infestation, reinstalling eyes that fall out, and proper maintenance of the suit. When in contact with a valuable toy, it is advisable to use gloves. This is important because dirty hands can leave marks on the doll. Another reason to wear gloves when handling dolls is for your own protection against unknown substances, such as pesticides, that may be on toys you don't know about.

Natural light can cause huge problems for vintage dolls. For example, the rapid fading of suits or the fading of skin tones on plastic products. So don't leave them out in the open. It is also important to know that wood contains an acid called lignin. If you put the toy on a wooden shelf, the fabric of the dress or the dolls themselves may change color to brown. Therefore, on wooden shelves, bedding is a must. If you properly store such a product, it will help to save an antique toy for the next generation. Then the restoration of the dolls will not be required.