At the ball-jointed doll convention in San Diego earlier this month, Pam of Dollovely gave us a short and easy demonstration of sueding, using Dr. Scholl's synthetic self-adhesive moleskin. The moleskin goes in the sockets of the joints (the concave parts, so you don't see it) to provide an extra layer of friction between the parts, and therefore gives your doll extra stability and control, limiting your doll's "kickiness."
It was an easy process. Basically, I cut half-circles the size of the joint socket. Then I cut pie slices from the center of the circle out to almost the circle's edge. Next, I peeled off the self-adhesive backing, and stuck it into the joint socket. Cut off any access and make sure there is room for the elastic to string easily. Repeat till the socket is well covered and the joint feels smooth.
I did not unstring my doll for this technique. I found I could gently pull my doll apart and apply the moleskin as needed, working around the elastic string. I did remove her head, however, for her neck joint, and I wasn't able suede her torso. I did her hips and knees, and also her neck, shoulders and elbows.
Morphoa (DollZone) was a great poser before. But now, she has even greater stability. Check out this pose--no hands, no stand! Woo hoo!
Try this method first--if you can find the Dr. Scholl's stuff.
ReplyDelete1) It's cheap.
2) It's so easy and you don't burn your hands.
3) No restringing required (I did remove her head, and I couldn't figure out how to do her torso, though).
4) You can just peel it off if you don't like it later. (If you leave it on for a long time--like over six months--it might leave a sticky residue.
Also, it makes for a great wig cap. Just cut it in strips, and it doesn't pull the hair out of your wigs. I LOVE Dr. Scholls. :)