Surface Sealers for Vinyl Dolls
This page is actually a tutorial on sealers for vinyl.
The shopping cart selections
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ALL PURPOSE SEALER. This is JoSonja's all purpose sealer and primer that is recommended for use with Acrylic Paints. We selected this product as a primer coat for vinyl dolls, to be used underneath nail polish, glass paints or acrylic paints.
This is the ideal sealer designed to adhere to all surfaces for indoor and outdoor use. Its superior adhesiveness, smoothness and durability allow it to be used on virtually any hard, paintable surface. Dries to a clear finish. Adhesive, smooth and durable. Non-toxic.
First clean the vinyl (such as the doll's lips or fingernails) thoroughly. You may want to scuff or sand the vinyl slightly for better adhesion. Then apply the all purpose primer and allow it to dry completely. Next, apply your paints or nail polish.
The primer will help your paints stick better to vinyl because it protects them from the oil that is in vinyl.
Although this is called a "sealer", it is actually more like a "primer", because it should be used as an undercoat, NOT a topcoat. All Purpose Sealer has an adhesive type finish, so whatever paint you put on top of it will stick better. Because it is tacky when dry, this sealer would not make a good topcoat.
We do recommend using this all-purpose sealer underneath our Plaid Glass Paints, as well as the JoSonja Acrylic paints, AND you can use it underneath nail polish. If you're using nail polish on your dolls, then apply the All Purpose Sealer first. Then apply the manicure polish, and finish up with one of our polyurethane varnish products as a topcoat. Nail polish can turn gummy over time, but if it's used with a sealer underneath, and a polyurethane topcoat, you shouldn't have that problem.
MATTE, SATIN & GLOSS TOPCOATS. These indoor/outdoor sealers by Plaid are similar to polyurethane or varnish. They are clear surface sealers for painting reborn fingernails and toenails. The gloss finish can be used to make tears on the baby's cheeks, wet spots on the lips, etc. (We have ivory
GALLERY GLASS PAINT for the white part of the nails.)
We do not recommend the Plaid sealers for anything other than nails and lips: small areas only. These sealers will not work as an all-over protectant: they would crack and flake eventually because vinyl flexes when it is handled. But on the small areas there is no problem.
The Plaid products are durable top quality polyurethane sealers that can be used for outdoor craft products as well as indoor.
NOTE: we are changing over to the JoSonja brand for our topcoat sealers. The products are identical, the only difference is the label. Vinylex has UV protection. This doesn't mean you can set your dolls in a sunny window after they are treated with Vinylex, but some UV protection is certainly valuable since sunlight is one of the most frequent causes of vinyl damage in dolls.
Dolls do have an all-over surface finish applied at the factory. It is not a varnish type finish, or else we would notice flaking on dolls that have have been played with a lot. The final finish is mostly likely a silicone protectant. When I was able to get the low gloss Armorall protectant, it made played-with dolls look new again. That's why I have looked a long time for a replacement product.
Vinylex is even better than other products I have tried. It is nearly invisible with a very soft sheen that is hardly noticeable.
APPLY THE VINYLEX to your doll using a cotton pad and then use a soft cloth to wipe it off again. You don't want to apply a second coat if you don't have to, because each coat is likely to develop a higher gloss. Apply Vinylex sparingly. It doesn't take much to get the desired results. Vinylex is water based for easy cleanup.
Of course, Vinylex is useful for many other purposes around your home and in your car. It is a better product than Armorall, it costs a bit more but it has conditioners and the UV protection that make it perfect for car tops, dashboards, seats etc. Vinylex is a handy product to have around.
NOTE: Some people argue that silicone based products are bad for plastic and vinyl and eventually dry them out. I don't know if this is true or not. I like the finish that it gives my vintage dolls and it's an improvement over doing nothing. But you might want to do research on it.
That's why we also offer the 303 Protectant, which is NOT a silicone based product...
303 PROTECTANT ~
303 is a wonderful sealer for our vinyl dolls. It provides an even surface finish that has almost no gloss and is nearly invisible, yet the protectant properties of 303 are outstanding. It is durable, water resistant, and even provides top-rated UV protection for your doll. 303 Protectant actually repels dust, soiling and staining.
303 Protectant keeps vinyl materials “like new” year after year. It is extremely popular with car and motor home industries as well as the boat industry, so you can use this on a wide variety of surfaces around your home...
RUBBER: Tires, neoprene, latex, door and trunk seals, weather-stripping, EPDM rubber roofs, CV boots, waders, wet suits.
HOW TO APPLY 303 PROTECTANT!
The manufacturer has some suggestions for using 303 on our dolls.
2. Apply the 303 protectant using a soft cotton pad, and then wipe it off using a clean dry soft cloth. If the cloth becomes damp, get another dry one. The cloth must be dry, and you must wipe the doll dry. This is the proper method for applying 303. (Which is very easy of course, there's nothing to it.)
I don't know what's in it exactly, the company is very SECRETIVE about that. 303 is not the same as silicone protectant: it contains no silicone. People in the automotive and boat industries apparently get very passionate about the dangers of silicone on their expensive motor toys. 303 is BETTER than silicone, in a million years. (This is what they tell me, anyway.)
If the paint and colors that you used on your doll are not permanent colors, 303 might remove some of the paint. This is not a problem if you are using our SCUOLA PAINTS to blush your dolls, because the colors are permanent.
Reborners may need to be especially careful when applying any kind of sealer to the doll's face, because it could remove or alter some of the more delicate coloring that is applied in facial areas, such as eyebrows or vein lines.
Just remember that 303 is not the same
We think 303 is probably the best surface protectant and finish for vinyl dolls, and especially for Reborn dolls. Some experts think that silicone can damage vinyl over the long term. 303 is not a silicone product. It provide UV protection and a nice surface finish, without silicone. They won't tell me what the secret ingredients are, but the tech experts at 303 tell us that it is the safest thing for vinyl.
If you have used our lipliner colors or RIT dye to color your vinyl dolls, then 303 will help protect against fading caused by sunlight.
If you used any of our permanent colorfast artist paints on your Reborns, then the UV protection isn't as much of a concern, but 303 can provide an overall even surface coat that helps to repel dust, soiling and staining. Since paint may have a tendency to pick up dirt, 303 will help prevent that from happening. SHINY BABIES... If your doll has a bit too much shine for some reason, you can dust it lightly with face powder, talcolm or baby powder to reduce the glare. Sometimes a doll will photograph with shine that you didn't even know it had until you took the photo. So, try dusting the doll with a little powder and that might solve the problem.
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