Hi Marie,

This repair is not difficult to repair other then matching the existing art work. This can be difficult if you are not familiar with mixing colors, and using an airbrush.
The patch itself can be taken care of by first gluing if there is any separation. Once this is dry I would recommend using bondo as a filler because it is easy to sand, and you won't damage the surrounding areas, if careful.
I would suggest removing the wig first, and "carefully" before attempting the restoration. Once this is accomplished it is best to seal the repaired area before airbrushing. Once this sealer is dry you would use the airbrush to match the existing art work finishing the detail painting with an artists brush such as a camel hair liner for the lashes and brows. A cats tongue could be used for the mouth if need be.
I would suggest sealing the art work, allowing enough drying time. Then it would just be a matter of re-securing the wig with a very light coat of white glue.
*Gofun is a white paint made of crushed oyster shell interiors. It was painted onto the doll surface and then burnished. It can be many layers thick. The Japanese used what was available to them. This is actually a very good material to use for dolls because of its longevity, and resistance to break down.
Thanks for the inquiry.
Sincerely, Gary
*CORRECTION: Previously I had said "Gofun is actually a papier mache but the formula is very specific to that area of the world", which is incorrect. I want to thank J Lombardi for taking the time and letting me know.

Hi Gary,
I have an old doll I have inherited from my mother. The doll is in very poor condition but I am interested in having the doll restored as closely as possible. This doll means very much to me for obvious reasons. You have been recommended to me from people I know, and I was given your website information. Could you please take the time to explain how you would restore her for me. I will try and explain the problems she has right now. I'm not concerned with the cost as much as the correct end result.
The doll is approximately 24 inches. It is ball jointed and apart. It has various damage to the body parts. Some of the ball joints are loose. Some of the fingers are missing on both hands. The neck area has fallen into the body. The leg opening on one side of the body is damaged, and is too big to support the upper leg.
The hair is matted and dirty, but full. I believe it is mohair or at least that what my friend tells me. The eyes are in the head but are loose, and I can see them moving around when the head is tilted or moved. The porcelain head seams to be fine but there seams to be a little eye chip (piece missing in the corner of the eye socket). There are lower lashes painted on the face. The brows are multiple strokes, and very pretty. There is some paint missing in a couple areas on the brows, this takes away from her beauty. Other than that, the head appears good and is very pretty other then being dirty.
I do have the original clothing but I don't think they can be saved. Would it be possible to reproduce the clothing? The fabric seems to be in pretty good condition other then a few moth holes, but is discolored badly. Some of the lace is coming off. It seems to be made of natural fiber, maybe cotton. It has under clothes, slip pantaloons, and a bonnet to match the dress. It has an unusual but pretty flower pattern.
I know this must seem unrepairable from the condition I describe, and I thank you in advance for your opinion on the repair of this very special doll, at least to me anyway.
Vicki

Hi Vicki,
I know your doll seems unrepairable from the condition you described but don't worry. I have repaired thousands of dolls in the same condition, and with absolutely wonderful results. I will take the time, go over each issue you have presented on the condition of your doll, and explain how we would restore your doll back to what your mother would have seen the day she received her very special gift. I'm sure your mother would be pleased with you being so concerned about the welfare of her doll.
The first issue is the condition of the body. We would re-sculpt the missing fingers, match the color, sealer, and finger accents. You wouldn't be able to tell which fingers were re-sculpted, once done correctly.
Now, attention to the body damage. The ball joints would be re-attached. The neck area, and lower leg opening would be restored to match the existing area of the body, filled, sanded, art work matched, and sealed to match the surrounding body area. The body then would be strung correctly as originally strung in Germany.
The wig at this point would be carefully taken off the head. We would chemically clean the mohair wig, as mohair will disintegrate if cleaned with water. The wig will be re-styled according to the original style the wig had. From the description of the wig being full, I would think the wig would turn out wonderfully.
Now we would take the pate off the top of the bisque head. This would be saved. Now we would find out if we would be able to save the eyes that were loose in the head. If the eyes are not broken, they would be reconditioned, waxed, and re-set to sleep as they originally did.
From your description of the painted lower lashes on the face. We know that the eyes had lashes on the eyes themselves. We would put these lashes on the eyes when we were reconditioning the eye bar. We would use human hair or mohair eye lashes When this is done correctly, this really makes the doll beauty come alive. If the eyes were broken, we would use German blown-glass eyes of the same color, and repeat the process we just described, either way she would be beautiful.
Now we would pay attention to the bisque head. The first thing that would be done would be the chemically cleaning of the head. This is immersed in a chemical bath that would only remove the dirt and grime, not the beautiful original art work. Once the chemical bath is done, the head rinsed, and the head dry, we would repair the eye chip. This would be done by filling the missing area of the eye chip.
This area would be prepared for art work. The art work would be very closely matched, and that area sealed. Once the sealer is dry, we would match any missing eye lashes, (if needed). We would at this time pay attention to the missing color on the brows. We would take all the time necessary to match this color exactly. Once the correct color is perfect, we would use a fine sable liner, and reproduce, (match) the missing brow's color. When this is done correctly, the brows, once again, will be perfect.
Now to answer your question on the dress: Yes, we could exactly reproduce the dress with the exception of the unique flower pattern. This probably couldn't be matched but we could get very close.
Now for the good news: From your description of the clothing I know I can restore the original clothing. The main thing is that the clothing is still in fairly good condition. You are right that the fabrics are most likely cotton. I would think they are cotton batiste, voile, or organdy. All of these materials restore wonderfully. We may have a little problem with the discoloration and the pattern but I would know once I would see the clothing itself. I'm confident that we can restore the clothing. It is very important in the restoration process to keep the original clothing if at all possible.
The only thing we have to do at this point is attach the head, put her wig on, and dress her. Then it is time to celebrate her return.
I do want to mention, if you let me know what the marks on the doll, ( these would be on the back of the head ) I would let you know who made your mother's doll, a short history, and the value range. I wasn't surprised that you didn't ask about her value. I know exactly why you wanted her restored.
I hope this information gives you the confidence in your decision on whether you want me to restore your mother's doll.
Thanks for the inquiry.
Sincerely, Gary

Hi Gary,
I read your Q&A's, and one gal asked you about painting composition bodies with enamel, and you suggested she shouldn't. I was reading in Marty Westfall's doll repair, and it was suggested to use a product called ez-ply spray enamel (baby pink) after the repair to the composition body. I have been on the internet trying to find this product without any luck when I ran across your website. Now I am confused a bit. I don't own an airbrush. I want to do a professional job - is an airbrush the only way I can accomplish this? I have never used an airbrush before but thought I could just use a spray type of paint. Can you help me with this problem?
Thank you, Dianna
CONFUSED IN TACOMA

Hi Dianna,
I'm sure Marty, and other doll restoration experts use many different techniques, as I do. I have found over the years, it is safer, and more predictable results are obtained, if you don't use a sealer in the color, and the sealer is applied last. This is not just for bodies but for all other aspects in doll restoration, this is my opinion.
To answer your question on whether you can use spray paint in a can? Yes, you could probably find something that would work but if this is done, you have to have a proper spray booth/exhaust system for health reason. This is the reason I normally lead people the other way in the use of an airbrush, and not using sealers in the initial steps of their art work. (With the use of an airbrush, a spray booth/exhaust system is also required.) Even after using a spray can you would still have to do the accenting/tinting on the body anyway.
Marty wrote her book many years ago, and I'm sure she has probably used different products, and techniques since the book was published. The art of doll restoration is not a stagnant art form, and all experimentation with products and techniques should always be tried, to improve the techniques involved.
The airbrush is what was used on the doll you're trying to restore, (accenting/body tinting) so it makes sense to use the same technique if you want the same results. I would suggest you take a class in the use of the airbrush if you want consistent results in your restoration. You will find that the uses of the airbrush are numerous. You will be using it often, and will enjoy using this tool very much. I use my airbrushes almost on a daily basis.
Thanks for the inquiry, and I hope I didn't make it more confusing.
Sincerely, Gary

Posted to the Archive 12/18/01

Hi Gary,

I am wondering if you have any idea where or how I can get specific information about how paper mache and compo dolls have been made in the past, and may be made presently. I am particularly interested in how to make molds and caste doll parts which would be hollow inside. I also would be interested in information about the durability of this kind of doll; I understand they have been prone to crazing etc. over time - as in why (is it the waxed ones particularly?), and if it is preventable via different production methods, .... Info along those lines would be great too. Nothing I've found seems to go into these details. Thanks if you can help!

Dawn

Hi Dawn,

Composition dolls and paper mache dolls were made by using press molds. The were half molds made of various materials some of which included simple sand and sulfur. The composition was pressed into the half molds by different means. Some manual other machine pressed. Then these parts were cured and glued together. At that point the filling and painting process was done until there was a completed doll. This is the basic process. To find more information I would look into the history of a few of the well know Companies such as Effanbee, Ideal, or Madame Alexander. Some of these Companies did protect their doll making processes. That's why you may be having trouble finding specific information on this subject. The Local Library is a good place to start. There are many products now available for casting paper mache, composition, and rubber base dolls. All of these are very durable. The most durable being rubber base but also the most expensive and hardest to work with. When you buy these products they do have instructions on how to use there particular products. These products are all cast in plaster of paris molds. As far as crazing, cracking ect. over time. Regardless of the product used they all will have some inherent problem as time goes on. The reason being is that the art work is applied separately from the original composition of the doll itself. To learn how to make molds you will have to search out either tech or college level classes or contact someone that has a mold company. They may be willing to teach you for a price. There are many molds available today for doll making. If you would check on the Internet I'm sure you would find many listed, one being Bells Ceramics, they have a link to my web site on the bottom of the front page. Thanks for the inquiry and if you have any other questions feel free to contact me.

Sincerely, Gary

Hi Dr. Gary

My question concerns replacing eyes that have fallen back in the head of a German doll my Mother gave me before she past away. The eyes are connected to a weight. I'm not sure if I can just glue this back in the head? I had one lady tell me to plaster of paris them back in. Do you have any suggestions?

Susan

Hi Susan,

If this is your Mother's doll I would be very careful not to cause any damage to the doll and of course undermine its value. I'm sure your Mother gave you the doll because she knew you would take care of her. I would suggest not to do any of the things you mentioned. For the first thing you mentioned, I would not recommend gluing the eye bar in place as the doll eye mechanism originally opened and closed as the dolls head was tipped back. The type of repair I would recommend is that the eye mechanism be inspected and reconditioned if need be. Then the eye bar can be reinstalled so that the eye mechanism will work as originally designed to. This type of repair is not as costly as you would think, and will renew the value of your Mother's doll once again. As far as plastering the eyes in place, this will basically be like gluing them in place as was first suggested. The only difference is this could cause damage to the bisque causing the rim of the eye to chip. The expansion of the plaster when heating causes the eyes against the bisque, when this happen the eye rim will chip. This would be the worst approach as this would definitely cause a great amount of value to be lost in the doll. Thanks for the good question. I have restored many antique bisque dolls with eye chips due to this error in judgment.

Sincerely, Gary

How do you restore a antique mohair wig.

Thanks, Michael

Hi Michael,

There has to be a determination of whether this wig can be restored? If it is the original wig on an antique doll that is 100 years old you have to proceed slowly. In some cases the mohair will become brittle just from age and it may be better for the value of the doll just to clean the wig, (get the dirt out), and leave it in it's original style. To clean the wig without damaging it you must never use water, the wig will disintegrate from the cap. You have to chemically clean the wig for mohair. The product I use is rubber cement thinner. This is vary similar to dry cleaning fluid. The only problem with this is the safety factors in using these type's of products. Read all safety information on this product as you would not want to hurt yourself using these products incorrectly. If you want to try and get the matting out you will still have to chemically clean the wig. Then you can use a wig brush with a little no tangles, and try brushing out the matting. You will lose some mohair even if it is in fairly good condition. This is one of the down falls of mohair. The determination you will have to make, is the matting going to come out with out totally destroying the value of the mohair wig. This is a judgment call that you have to make before proceeding to far into the process. After the cleaning and brushing is done it is just a matter of re-styling the wig.

Thanks for the inquiry,
Gary

Hi! What a great site. I have just become interested in old compo dolls. I have seen an old compo doll who is very pretty but has a severe crack on both sides of her head at what appears to be a seam. Is there a way to repair this? What products/methods would you recommend? Most of the repair would be covered by her wig. Thanks so much!

Wendy

Hi Wendy,

The crack that appears to be a seam. That's exactly what it is. Composition dolls from that time were pressed in to half molds and then glued together. In many cases this is a weak area and over time will separate. This is a common problem. The head will have to be drawn together, one means of doing this would be heavy rubber bands. These are the same that would be used for holding molds together. These can be purchased at a art supply store. Once this is done you would have to bond the inside of the head first. I would suggest taking the eye system out of the head before bonding the inside of the head. One product that would accomplish this would be bondo, (purchased at auto supply store) This is a product that is used with an activator. Once the activator is mixed in you will have a few minutes to apply to the inside of the head. This would have to cure for an hour or so. Then the rubber bands could be removed. The crack on the outside would have to be filled also. You could use the same product, only using the amount that is needed to fill the void. Once this product hardens it is hard to sand or get even. Then it would be a matter of matching the art work, (air brush) and using the correct sealer, (matte spray fixative) so everything would match. Thanks for letting me know you like our web site, and I hope this answers your question.

Gary

We had a pretty bad house fire lately. What few dolls we got out are very dirty, and black. What would you recommend to try to clean them up with? They are all porcelain. I would really like to hear from you.

Shelia Sullivan

Hi Shelia, We are familiar with this problem as we have repaired many dolls that have been in house fires. Remember that your insurance should cover this restoration. You will have to have estimates for the repair of these dolls along with appraisals of the dolls to establish original values. This can in part be established if you have any original purchase slips for the dolls in question. If not, an appraiser will be able to do this for you. The insurance company also has to pay for the estimates, so don't think you have to pay for these out of pocket. The insurance companies in many cases don't tell you this unless you ask. If they are a good company they will tell you up front. Dolls that are in a house fire will have smoke damage, this is a given. All cloth bodies in most cases, if not all cases will have to be replaced. The wigs will have to be chemically cleaned or replaced. In order to clean the bisque correctly you would have to disassemble the doll parts from the body. At that point you will be able to clean the porcelain bisque. I would suggest to soak the parts in mild dish soap and hot water. After an hour or so take the parts and hand clean each individual part with a more abrasive cleaner. I would suggest something like soft scrub. This product should work. If the dolls are of good quality the soot and smoke damage should be removed, not the art work. It would just be a matter of letting the parts dry. The only other problem that might arise is the eyes in the doll heads. These may be damaged and have to be replaced. If not, they should clean just as well. The eyes may come our during the soaking of the bisque parts. It would be just a matter of gluing them back in place after the head dries. Then the old bodies will have to replaced and the dolls assembled with new bodies. The clothing can be washed, mended and sized. I'm sure some of the clothing will have to be totally replaced depending on damage. This process can be rather exhausting, and must be done right our you will still be able to smell the smoke damage. Thanks for the inquiry and if you have any other questions feel free to contact me.

Sincerely, Gary

I just discovered your web site and I am delighted. However, I am a little puzzled about some Q&A's concerning how to go about resetting sleep eyes in bisque head dolls. I read where one should not use "plaster" to set the eyes as it will cause the rim of the eye to chip. Perhaps I'm fortunate this has not happened yet to the old German dolls I have with with sleep eyes - because they are set with plaster on each side. I was going to attempt to reset the eyes in the doll of a recent estate purchase likewise (I have done this before but it was years ago). But after reading your article, I am hesitant to use plaster to do so. What material is now the proper one to use to set sleep eyes in bisque head dolls? AND, should I have the eyes reset in my other old German dolls to prevent this happening sometime in the future - most of them are @ 100 years old and are ok so far. Thank you for taking time to reply.

Jan

Hi Jan,

You may have misunderstood when and not when to use the plaster of paris. You do use plaster of paris to reset sleep eye mechanisms. The point I was making was not to use plaster of paris to set broken eye systems in the heads, as if they were stationary eyes. The eye type used for sleep eye mechanisms are round mouth blown glass. The eye type that is used for stationary eyes are are oval mouth blown eyes that conform to the eye cutting done on the inside of the head when original green ware cleaning was done at the doll factories. It is safe to use plaster of paris to set this oval eye type without causing eye chipping on the outside of the eye. I have seen this happen but only rarely, and is usually because the doll was not cleaned properly from the beginning. So go ahead and set your eye system as you did in the past. You should not have a problem, and I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. Thanks for contacting me with your question, and giving me an opportunity to explain this correctly.

Sincerely, Gary

Posted to the Archive 1/15/01

Can you suggest paint to use on a hard plastic from the 50's? Thanks for a great web site!

Nancy

Hi Nancy, I use acrylic air brush color mostly. I'm not picky as far as name brand. I use, Golden, Martins, and Rotring. Any of these will work very well for you. I always use spray sealers for hard plastic dolls. Again I'm not picky on brand. I use Duncan or Mayco, but any other's will work also. I normally use clear matte sealer for hard plastic dolls. Thanks for letting me know you like the web site, and I hope this information is helpful.

Gary

What is the most common used product to fill in old holes and cracks on composition dolls?

Thanx, Geeder

Hi Geeder, To fill holes the most common product is called Bondo but other products are used also. As far as cracks, depending on the severity of the problem I usually recommend a sealing process. This can be accomplished using many different products, the most common would be satin polyurethane sealer . Thanks for the inquiry.

Gary

Hi Gary, Your repair column is wonderful. I would like to know more about how to replace eyelashes on dolls, particularly in this case of a Cissy who has full lashes on one eye, and the center section missing on the other eye. Also, how to do a complete replacement of a blondish colored eyelashes on a 30's composition doll that is a Shirley Temple? Thanks you so much for any help.

Karen

Hi Karen, When you have this type of repair you sometimes have to replace both lashes. This is because it is almost impossible to match them. On the Cissy I have found some lashes that do match pretty well but on Shirley you will always have to replace them both. The replacement is fairly easy, remove old lashes and clean out area with dull exacto knife. Insert knew lashes, cut to size and bond, "carefully", with small amount of glue. In order to do this replacement on a Shirley you have to take the eye bar out of the head. At this point you have to make an incision on the side of the vinyl eye ball not on the pupil. The scalpel/exacto knife has to be very sharp. Once the cut is made you carefully separate at the cut and loosen the covering. This can be tricky but I do it all the time. Insert new eye lashes, then it is just a matter of bonding the separation. Super glue works very well, but just a" little"! Thank you for letting me know you like the Q&A column, and I hope you find this information useful.

Gary

How do I deal with the flaking of the thin layer of paint on a compo doll? This is an Effanbee Patsy Ann. Perhaps she has been affected by the change in climate. Will the flaking continue? Can I stop it?

Sheryl

Hi Sheryl, This is a common problem with Effanbee dolls. If the flaking is not bad you could possibly use a spray sealer to stop the flaking. I would recommend using Minwax (fast drying) Polyurethane clear satin. Use two light coats letting it dry and hour between coats. This won't fix what has already flaked off, it will prevent or slow down the process of further flaking. If you are not happy with the flaking, restoration would be the only alternative to correct the flaking totally. The climate does have an effect on composition dolls but most of the time are not readily noticeable. I have seen composition dolls stored incorrectly and were brought out and with in days the paint had peeled off but this is the exception to the rule. If a composition doll is not put in direct sun light or exposed to excessive heat or moisture they will last a long time before any restoration is needed. Thanks for the inquiry.

Gary

What is composition made of ? How can I find out the formula so I can repair old dolls or cast new ones out of composition?

Thanks, Sue

Hi Sue, That's a really good question, and I'm asked that often. Composition is a term rather then a definitive material, in other words it can be many things. The old German, and French doll makers used wood joints along with cardboard with a calcium type covering that was a dipping process. This process was rather complicated, and rather hard to duplicate. The type of composition your inquiring about is a material that most artists use today. There are a lot of products available, but basically there are two types I would pick from. These two are liquids (ready to pour), and sold in gal. buckets. One is a latex/rubber base which needs a hardener added. This product is sold in larger quantities, probably not the one you would want to start with. The other is sold in gal. quantities and is a acrylic base. This is a little more affordable and a good composition to learn with. If you check my links on my web site you will find Bell Ceramics, they are the manufacturer for this product. I'm also a distributor for this company.

Thanks, Gary

What can I use to clean composition dolls? Will repairing light crazing decrease the value of the doll?

Maggie

Hi Maggie, Good question. All I use is creamy style Vaseline. I rub a small area at a time. This way I can control the amount of art work that can come off. If this happens I air brush lightly and seal the doll. As far as restoring light crazing, I normally don't but it can be done. I usually go through the cleaning process, the only difference is that the doll also goes through a sealing process before the art work is touched up, this will fill in the light crazing. I usually do 2-3 sealers then touch up the art work lightly one more time. This is the result you would be looking for and should not decrease the value. If it is done incorrectly it would decrease the value.

Thanks, Gary

I am interested in learning how to repair dolls. There is know one teaching this in my area that I know of. Are there any good books or courses that you know of in teaching this skill? How did you learn the art?

Thank you, Pamela

Hi Pamela, I'm an Artist, and am basically self taught in the Art of Restoration. This has been an on going quest for me, and I am driven by my love for antiques. I began by doing many hours of research on a specific doll I was interested in restoring many years ago, as I learned how this doll was originally made it became very clear to me that any doll that I would attempt to restore would have to be researched in the same manner. Through this process I learned many different techniques, also how to work with many different products. Occasionally I would need expert advise on specific subjects on restoration, and I would search out other experts / professionals in these areas, and pay for their time and knowledge. This subject has no end, it is as varied as the type of doll being restored. I have basically told you in a short version of how I learned this art form, persistence and being stubborn helps allot. As far as your question on books and courses on this subject, I really don't have a specific book or books that really cover everything that is needed to cover what you are asking. The only reason I say this is I'm always looking to, and have yet found something worth recommending. There are books out there, but again you will find as I have that they only touch on certain area's, and leave you hanging in mid air. Thanks for the inquiry, and I wish you well in your endeavor.

Gary

I have seen some wonderful dolls in Italy, and they seem to be made mostly in Germany but I do not know which to buy? Thank you for all your advice.

JoAnn

Hi JoAnn, It was nice talking to you today. I know its hard to be a knowledgeable doll buyer. The main thing is the quality of the doll. This is where you have to do your home work. Know who the artist is, and whether they have actually done the work. Make sure you know where the doll was produced. Sometimes they are produced in China, Korea, or Taiwan using the artist name. These dolls are not worth anything nor will they increase in value. If you check on these few things you will get a feel for the doll, and it will help you in your buying decisions. If you are visiting another country, try and see if there are local doll makers in your area. At that point you can see what type of dolls they are producing, this can be where the fun is. A lot of time its the search that is remembered more then the doll. You will be rewarded for many years with the special dolls you find. Thanks again, and have fun. I think you have been bitten by the doll bug.

Gary

On another doll , a repro Mein Leibling there is a distressing blue smudge on one cheek. At a guess, possibly rubbed off of a packing material or blue ink tracing paper. Is there a logical way to get this off? Otherwise she is ready for eye's, and wig /pate.

Glenda

Hi Glenda,

This could be a easy fix or could create problems with the art work on her cheek. I would again try soft scrub or other mild cleaning solution carefully trying to remove the mark. The problem is if you have to use to much power to remove the mark you may remove the china paint. If this would happen to me I would either re china paint or touch up the art work with an air brush. I think you should be able to get it off and still have a nice doll to display.

Thanks, Gary

Posted to the Archive 6/18/00