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Step Three: Nose and Eyes
If you have a doll with an awake face, you'll need to replace the eyes. The LaBaby Angel and Shy faces take 18/19 mm eyes, and the Happy face takes 20/21 mm. The New face and Sweet Cheeks face (see the face chart on my Custom Dolls page) have a socket the size of an 18/19 mm eye but often need an iris the size of that in a 20/21 mm eye or else too much white shows around the eye. In those cases, you'll have to either get a 19/20 mm soft glass eye and trim the white or replace the eyes by cutting the socket from inside the head and gluing the eye in place. If you are using a non-Berenguer doll or just aren't sure about the size, remove the eyes and measure. I find the easiest way is to compare with other eyes of known size.
For an installation from the front, first get your eyes ready to install. If you have eyes that are an entire sphere instead of a half round, you'll need to pop them in half with your craft knife (very carefully) and use only the front. That's all that will fit in the socket.
Turn your hair dryer on hot and aim at one of the doll's eyes, holding it very close. When you think the area is hot enough, wedge a small, flat-head screwdriver under the eye and try to pop it out. If it won't work, heat the area again until it does. Repeat on the other eye.
Heat the empty eye socket with the hair dryer, and when it's hot enough, push the eye into the socket. It may take some serious elbow grease and a few rounds of heating, but be careful not to tear the vinyl. Then do the other side. The eyes may need some adjustment to get them to align. Check the bottom and the top of the iris to make sure the same amount is under the lid, and check to make sure the amount of white showing is the same on both sides. Step back from the head to make sure the eyes aren't crossed.
You may feel frustrated during this process (some eyes are easier to change than others), but it produces a more sturdy result than cutting the back of the sockets and gluing the eyes in.
To install the eyes from the inside of the head - which I do when the eyes are just too stubborn - use a curved-blade craft knife to slice around the edges of the vinyl covering the back of the eye socket. You can leave it attached at one point so that the piece of vinyl forms a flap.
Using a hemosat or your fingers, position the half-round eye under the flap and glue the flap shut with E6000 or another very strong glue. If you prefer to use the whole round eye (sometimes it's easier to maneuver), cut the whole flap off and position the eyes in the sockets.
Either way, glop on lots of glue to make sure the eyes are secure. You can also add a bit of glue around the edge of the eye before installing it to add even more security.
To open the nose, you'll need your set of needle files, paraffin candle, the head and a paper towel. Choose the needle file with the roundest point, and heat it in the flame of the paraffin candle. I use this type of candle because it creates less smoke, which creates black carbon buildup on the file that can transfer to the baby's nostrils. (I get this candle from ). Still, even this candle can create some carbon on the file, so I fold the paper towel (so I won't burn myself) and wipe the file with it. Then plunge it into the baby's nostril and plunge it in and out a few times to help remove the melted crumbles of vinyl. Be careful not to hit the lip or any other part of the head with the hot file, and be very careful not to get the nostril too big. You can always make it bigger, but once it's too big, there's no going back. Re-heat the file and try again if some of the excess vinyl doesn't come off in the first try. You can also use some of the other files in the set, unheated, to rub the nostrils clean. These files can even take off a little bit of blackness if you get carbon on the nostrils.
Repeat the process on the other nostril, taking care to make the two match as closely as possible. But it's OK if they're not perfect twins; nothing is perfect in real life, either!
Cut a tiny rectangle of brown felt just big enough to cover both nostrils. Dap a little of the clear E6000 glue on the two ends and use tweezers or a hemostat to put it in place over the nostrils inside the head. Check the way it looks from the front and adjust it if necessary (sometimes if you have it on crooked, you can see a dark area through the vinyl). Make sure both the openings are fully covered. When you're satisfied with the position, add glue to the back of the felt, pasting over the edges to create a firm bond with the vinyl. I use my finger to do this because it's the best tool I've got for glopping and smoothing!
© 2004 Kristin Walters
Step Four: Color
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