Question about body sanding & shipping

[kenaiqueen]

Short story long: My DH said if I really want I doll I've been talking to him about, that he has no objection if I want to use part of my Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend to get it. She's a 1/3 (my first) and from Dollmore. They have an ebay store so it would be easy for me to buy and still have some extra protection. However she is offered without body sanding for about $100 less than with. (Both ways are available.) How important is this? And how hard to do it yourself if I don't get it with the sanding? Would I have to seal the body afterwards?

Also, the shipping is listed at $99. Yikes to say the least, but I realize she is a big girl. Is that a good price? Would it be cheaper to get her from a vendor?

I did look at one vendor and they sold for a lot more than the ebay route.

[K2!]

However she is offered without body sanding for about $100 less than with. (Both ways are available.) How important is this?

It's an appearance thing. This is totally up to you. This is for sanding off any parting lines, those little ridges that can form where the two halves of the mold were together. A good sanding job can make these areas nearly invisible.

And how hard to do it yourself if I don't get it with the sanding?

It's not terribly hard to do, it's just tedious. In order to match the smoothness of the rest of the part's finish and make the area you're working appear exactly the same as the rest of the part, you might have to go through numerous grits of sandpaper, starting with something in the low hundreds and working all the way up to wet sanding with something in the low thousands, with a few intermediate steps in between. This can be very time consuming work. Obviously you don't want to have any body blushing done before this step (if you're going that route).

Would I have to seal the body afterwards?

No, you shouldn't have to. The resin should be fairly homogeneous through out. Resin sometimes appears to have a skin because when it breaks, the sections of the break can have a grainy appearance and texture as compared to the finished outer skin. This is just a product of the smoothness of the mold and how resin fractures not any actual resin "skin".

Also, the shipping is listed at $99. Yikes to say the least, but I realize she is a big girl. Is that a good price?

Resin is heavy. If you want to check this price go to the UPS or FedEx site and get a quote. You'll need to know the weight of the doll (add a couple of pounds for packaging) and the approximate dimensions of the box. And of course the address she's being shipped from.

I should mention that I have never sanded parting lines on a doll, however I have done the same process to a number of resin garage kits in my modeling days. The process is the same.

[Stormlight]

I usually don’t bother getting seams sanded with 1/3 scale dolls, since they’re usually wearing clothes and after awhile you don’t really even notice the seams. I have gotten seams sanded with the biggest dolls, though. My two Trinity girls and one of my Lusions. With their size, the sanding just adds a touch more realism to their appearance.

Which doll are you getting? I love Dollmore. Always great quality and wonderful customer service.

[Kirahfaye]

Another thing to consider is the skin tone. Is it white or natural? Then it's fine to sand (if you really want to), but if it's any shade darker or a fantasy shade it's a big no-no to try to sand the seams. I have never gotten a doll with seams sanded or had them sanded.

[kenaiqueen]

Which doll are you getting? I love Dollmore. Always great quality and wonderful customer service.

I'm looking at Model F, Ha-Yarn Cho. Someone posted a link for here on the forum and I fell in love. Plus, I've wanted at least one really big girl. I have 3 of the 22" Tonner American Models, but she's bigger.

Another thing to consider is the skin tone. Is it white or natural? Then it's fine to sand (if you really want to), but if it's any shade darker or a fantasy shade it's a big no-no to try to sand the seams. I have never gotten a doll with seams sanded or had them sanded.

Looks like she's either white or very, very pale. I'm thinking I should skip the sanding since it doesn't sound like it's critical.

[Stormlight]

Another thing to consider is the skin tone. Is it white or natural? Then it's fine to sand (if you really want to), but if it's any shade darker or a fantasy shade it's a big no-no to try to sand the seams. I have never gotten a doll with seams sanded or had them sanded.

Actually, that isn’t entirely true. Some companies cast resin that is tanned or colored all the way through. Kaye Wiggs dolls come sanded and I have a sunkissed and a gray girl. I believe she has them cast using Bobobie/Resinsoul company.

I also have a gray elf from B&G company that came with sanded seams. But I think Dollmore, Fairyland and Luts might be companies that you can’t sand their tanned dolls due to the color being only a surface color. It just depends on the company and the type of resin.

[DollyKim]

I've never sanded any of my dolls what ever they're made of. The plastic ones have had seams but none of the resins.

The bigger thing will be the doll's weight and size. For the longest time an Obitsu 60 was my biggest doll, then I got a 1/4 size who weighed more than him. My resin 1/3 feels like a small child.