Dollieh Sanctuary

I know everyone uses MSC as sealant for face ups but when I went to order one I realized that, with shipping, it was going to cost more than the doll. So I went in a hobby shop and I found Tamiya Color for plastics flat clear.
I used it to seal the 3 face ups I made since now as they tell to do with msc: spraying it before, between the color layers and after. I wanted to know if someone else used it, if it's ok to use it and if it can in some way seal the color (expecially the chalk powder) or if it's quite unuseful as it actually seem to be a varnish rather than a sealant.
I did the first face up in April and I carried that doll around to take pictures and I had no great problems (her face up is still there) but now it seems some parts of the doll face (that probably scratched) became slightly shiny. Do the msc do that if scratched? It also seems the cheeks became slightly grey (you can not see unless you look very closely). Could this be caused by the product I used?
I really want to know as I'll probably make a face up on a doll whose head is impossible to replace in case I ruin it! °o°''

This is the product I'm using:

The grey is probably dirt. If it is a flat paint it is going to be toothy (porous) and thus trapa dirt. It's not that your hands are excessively dirty or whatnot but that's just what happens.

Varnish is a sealant. It just depends on what the intended purpose is. Some varnishes/sealants are not as durable as others. Some are meant to only be used on rigid surfaces and etc.

It is okay to use Tamiya products as they are meant to be used on models and figures and whatnot. Usually these items are made of plastic/urethane resin.

The shinyness is probably because it's been rubbed. Matt surfaces don't tend to stay matt if they are polished because polishing removes the graininess/toothiness. In the process, dirt witll also get rubbed in if the surface is not being polished by clean items.

I hope that helps. You can use the sealer but that doesnt protect it from dirt. You can try a magic eraser to see if you can clean off the grey and then respray her.

Thank you very much for your reply, It was very helpful!
Yes I'm planning to clean her, make again her face up (as it was my first one and I'm not totally satisfied with it) and respray her.
May I ask if also other sealants (as msc) have those problems (they may get shiny and a bit grey) or if there are some that protect from dirt and have more resistan graininess?

Sorry for the late reply and thanks again!

I'm not sure since I've only used ZM Powder Spray and MSC. I have not encountered this issue with either product but then I don't take my dolls out much. For both products all the faceups I've done have remained very nice and matt unless I oversprayed it or sprayed it in the wrong conditions. In those cases tho, the shinyness appears right away and not over time. If everything is done correctly, my oldest existing faceups are about 9 months old and still matt and clear.

I have dolls with face ups over 2 years old done by Kiki-chan78, she only uses MSC. They are still matte and clear. On one (who has been redone by now) I managed to scratch his face up within a couple weeks of getting him from her, it never turned shiny.

I don't know what might be causing your problems but one thing I have learned: rule 1: NEVER touch the face... rule 2: NEVER touch the face! The dirt and oils on your fingers (even 'clean' ones) can and will transfer to the doll and can over time erode the face up.

Yes,...don't touch the face lol...I guess I assumed this but when i said it turns shiny and dirty when rubbed...yeah that happens when ppl (even with clean hands) touch the face and leave oils on it....

If you need to turn the head, just hold it by the sides where the hair is. If i am changing the eyes in the head I always wear rubber gloves because I have to touch the face a little...I'm a little OCD with that tho so that's just me.

Actually I always avoided to touch their faces as I was afraid the product I used wouldn't protect the face up. Also they are protected from dust, anyhow this summer I brought my doll around (even if carefully wrapped) and I frequently take pictures of her...
Now I'll see how the product works with my 11 cm Obitsu but if it'll get shiny too I guess I'll have to take msc.

P.S. what does OCD mean? XD

Obsessive–compulsive disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive% ... e_disorder

What about Dullcote? I got it for sealing ponies but what dolls can Dullcote be safely used on?

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but... I believe I read somewhere that Testors can't be used on vinyl dolls. Is this true or is my brain making things up again?