Okay, this topic is way late in updating, but I began many of Jessie's repairs a couple of days before I left for Hershey.
Here's what I did...
I bought a tube of Aquaseal with the COTL 240 accelerator from Amazon for about $10.00, I believe. It doesn't look like you get much, but a little really does go a long way. The COTL accelerator makes a world of difference when it comes to drying, as Aquaseal alone takes 12 hours to fully cure. With the accelerator, it takes 2.
NOTE! Make sure your doll is clean before applying the Aquaseal. I didn't clean Jess off well enough and some of the Aquaseal is peeling away. It isn't damaging the silicone underneath, thankfully, but neither is it sticking to the oil or dirt that was on her skin. So, a good scrubbing with a gentle, non-dyed, non-scented soap would be what I'll do when I finish Jess' repairs.
Okay, so to begin, mix your Aquaseal and accelerator. I mixed them on the lid from an empty spindle of blank CDs. It worked well as a mixing tray and kept all the glue in one place. I forget the exact mixing ratio of Aquaseal to accelerator, but you don't need much. A dash mixed in with about a quarter-sized glob of Aquaseal will suffice.
I put Jess on an ironing board to keep her elevated at a easy working level.
- jess_repairs_1.jpg (77.14 KiB) Viewed 1859 times
Note: Don't wear clothes you care about when working with Aquaseal, even if you think, "Pssh, I won't get glue on myself, I'm invincible." Well, I got glue on myself, and the stuff is waterproof, so it ain't washing out. It was only a drop on my sweater and shirt each, so it wasn't a big deal.
- jess_repairs_2.jpg (112.68 KiB) Viewed 1859 times
The actual practice of gluing is basic. Just apply the accelerated Aquaseal with the provided brush. A small paintbrush for modeling or crafts would probably be idea for tighter areas, as the glue is thick and tends to glob on the end of the brush. I still have Jess' other hand to do and will need to do touch-ups on her feet, and I'll be using a smaller brush for that.
The Aquaseal dries stretchy, flexible, and clear, by has a distinct glossy shine. Itsme suggested mixing powdered makeup matched to the color of Jess' skin into the Aquaseal, but I had no makeup (or money to get any, sadly) at the the time, so I just used the straight Aquaseal.
As you can see when you compare the following pic to the original shot of Jess' fingers, the glue sealed the wounds up pretty well. Her fingers were fused and then ripped relatively high up, so they're pretty much glued together in some areas. I may go in with an exacto knife and make it so her fingers are not so fused, assuming the Aquaseal acts as a skin covering the foam that was exposed by the rips.
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I had a really hard time with the gash on Jess' arm.
I could not get the sides of the cut to fuse together (and I have no idea how to use tape or plastic wrap when it comes to repairing a doll, so I just winged it) and ended up putting Aquaseal into the gash until it was filled. It dried nicely and I'll smooth out the edges of it to make it look more uniform with the surrounding area.
- jess_repairs_4.jpg (101.95 KiB) Viewed 1859 times
I have yet to patch the holes in Jessica's back, the nub on her head (which I may or may not trim down), and her other hand. I'll do the hand and the touch-ups on her feet today or Thursday. I'm planning on giving her a good scrubbing before then, to make sure the glue takes this time. The areas where the glue has taken look good, though.
Well, that's all for the repair report. I'll probably post more pics of the fully repaired Jessica later on.
Good night!
). So, repairs shouldn't take more than an hour to complete and an additional 2 (if I use the COTOL 240) to 12 hours to dry.
