Are you bothered by seams????

I don't mind the seams. Ardese doesn't have any but the Luts dolls in my household have them. In a way, I think I prefer them. They emphasize that they're dolls and makes it just a bit easier to separate the fantasy from reality.

 

Yes and no. My first dolls (Granado and Iplehouse) had seams, and they were okay, not too noticeable. Then my sweet little YOSD-girl from a Chinese company arrived, and she had no seams at all. I noticed that I really like that. Then that Soom centaur body arrived. And the seams were really horrible. However, I did not bother with sanding or something, because in the end I sold him anyway. But I am really happy that my Impldoll guy again has no seams at all. I just love playing with him.

 

I kow this thread is old, but seeing as someone thought it worh commenting I started reading. I only stared so probably someone commented already, but....

Sorry but no.
Why is it that more unexpensive compnies do the job, without blinking and get the doll to you without seems and the hellover expensive ones, the big shots out there, charge you for it?
Yes I have done the job, because I'm bothrered by it, so I know of what I'm speaking, and if I'm paying hunderts of dollars for a doll, I expect it to be seamless.
If you have so many dolls to get out that you are overworked, get a dozen people in with the right equipment to sand down the seams. For the price of a soom/fairyland/etc, I can expect at least that bit of custom service included.

So now I go back to reading, and will perhaps edit this post later.

Edit: I'm a bit flabbergast at how many people are ok with getting an unfinished luxery good delivered.
For all heavens, making a doll includes finishing it to the basics. And at this prices the basics include a flawless finish. If you say you like the aesthetics of seams, be my guests. Just talk to the company so they don't sand them. But charging extra for something that should by definition be included in the doll making process, no dear, I'm not understanding/paying that.
I do not mind customizing my dolls, quite the contraty, I would not be in the hobby if I would get them finished.
But like making beeded jewlery, I like my base materials to be finishes. I don't buy beads that have seamlines, or at least not for 10$ a bead, and yes that is the comparison to make. (100 beads for 1$= seams ok---- doll for 10-30$= seams OK but doll for 600+$= seams NOT OK)
I just don't understand it, how accepting of flaws you can be, even if we are speaking of a handcrafted, mass produces product. Or exactly because of that. Mashiens are stupid, do not adaped to the things they are handling, but humans can, and not finishing a job, while being paid to do it, is fraud (or whatever you want to call it)

Sorry for the rant, just needed to get it out of my system, only my opinion. You have yours, and I have mine.

 

For me it depends on the seam. If the flash has been removed and the mold had good alignment, I don't mind the slight seam left. My dolls are all pretty good in that regard so far (knock on wood).

But I have seen pictures where there's a deep, noticeable step that a person wouldn't be able to sand out without changing the shape of the piece, and IMO those parts should have been scrapped and the mold alignment fixed. I've also seen a few where the flash wasn't completely cleaned up, and I think that's sloppy workmanship. An owner can fix it, but they shouldn't have to.

 

Then who is going to pay for their wages? The profit I make is slim, I can't afford an employee to help me out and I'm quite sure that this is the same for most artists .

Most companies who offer free seam sanding are based in countries where the wages and production costs are lower. Look at the 'less expensive' dolls from China. I wish I were able to offer my dolls for the same price, but my production costs alone are more than their asking price. That's common for all European doll artists, and for those living in Japan and Korea.
The cheaper doll companies who offer free seam sanding are able to do that, because they have a lot of flexibility when it comes to their asking price, especially compared to their competitors. And even so, when these companies grow, many will eventually ask for a fee when they're asked to sand seams, because this service is time-consuming and that greatly reduces profit. No profit = death of business.

And then there is another thing. Seamlines aren't flaws. They are a natural byproduct from casting. So if a doll is cast, painted and send over to the customer with seams, it is still a finished product, even if said customer would see it otherwise.
Now, when companies would send out dolls with cracks, airbubbles the size of Venus, or blotched skintones, then you have a right to see the artist as a fraud and call them out for not delivering. But to make such a serious claim when you have a perfectly good product in your hand, then you're crossing the line in my opinion.

Disclaimer: my dolls do come with their seams sanded. I just get really angry when people talk about other artists as if they are some sort of criminal when obviously they aren't.

I agree. This is definitely a flaw in the mold and in my opinion a piece like this should not have been shipped out, but discarded.

 

it bothers me when doll has seams, so sanding that is always first thing I do when new doll arrive. But I like sanding, though :P

 

if i can sand them off, i will. I was able to sand my peach gold Stella without noticeable difference. I haven't had a tan doll yet, it kills me to know i will not be able to sand those seams

 

Silk already covered this with eloquence and correct information, but since this was aimed at me, I'll tell you how I can be "ok" with this.

These dolls began life as garage kits. Volks used to sell these little kits you made up yourself, covered in flashing and scrap bits, rough around the edges, unassembled and designed expressly for you to put together yourself. The onus was on YOU, as the buyer to do the work. The history of this hobby, the very formation of the ABJD as we know it today? UNFINISHED GARAGE KIT. Some of us got into this hobby fairly early on when that was the norm, for some of us it REMAINS the norm in fact. We often find ourselves sitting in threads like this marvelling at the concept that there's now, apparently, an entire generation of collectors in this hobby who are so far down the line of entitlement that they expect these companies, the same companies who've come from making unfinished garage kits to the elegance and engineering prowess that exists today in a matter of a decade, with merely a handful of independent sculptors and learning hands on as they went, to produce ABSOLUTELY FINISHED dolls, for the same price, without a single thought to the concept of manpower = COST.

You can call it a flaw all you like, and you're certainly welcome to stop buying from companies you don't feel produce what YOU consider a finished product, but don't assume that your own level of 'finished' and everyone else's is the same, because as you can see from this thread, to a lot of us, there is a world of difference between a minimal seam line and a flaw. A lot of us also LIKE being able to finish them as we see fit, some of us even LIKE the seamlines because they're NOT a flaw, they're a by product of the manufacturing process.

You wanna talk about fraud? Let's talk about the companies that vanish with their customers money, or the ones that refuse to replace parts broken in transit to the owner, or the TRULY shoddily made things they send out without a blink. THAT is fraud and should be dealt with by the law. A seamline? That's you making a problem out of something that has no need to be.

 

I'm not really bothered by seams... but I kinda enjoy sanding, it's relaxing and even meditative for me. Still, I have yet to try sanding a tan/gray/fantasy skinned doll, which may or may not be as relaxing.

 

Wow, I never realized that some people are seriously bothered by seams. Honestly, I'm so used to slight ones that I literally just don't notice them anymore...sort of the same way you'd stop noticing a small birthmark on someone you see every day. Of course, I have never had a doll arrive with the step so bad that it clearly indicated the mold had actually been misaligned at the time of casting. Under those circumstances, I think I would be pretty unhappy.

 

I saw seams for the first time yesterday and I hated them. The dolls looked cracked! I was so shocked. I wouldn't be very happy if a doll I received had them. I would like to think, that as much as we pay for these dolls, they'd arrive in perfect condition. I don't know if I'd actually ever sand down a doll. I'd be scared.

 

My first doll was from Luts and came with seams. Before I got her I was worried about it, but once I had her I didn't even notice! They're so minimal that it's not really a big deal.

 

I like seams for the most part. I second the comment that says that they emphasize that it's a doll. I'm only a little bit irked by them if they are uneven (part of it is shaved down and the other is as clear as day), but I especially hate when they are sanded down too far and there's his big dip in the resin. I die little inside when I see them like that.

 

I have one doll right now and he has slight seams. I don't mind them though. I actually like them. I didn't even notice he had seams until the second day I had him when I was playing with him.

 

I don't mind the seams on other peoples dolls, but on my own dolls, they bother me quite a bit :/

 

My first doll was a Ringdoll and my second was a Loongsoul Doll. I was very surprised when my third doll, a Soul Doll, had seems. I do feel like he is a bit unfinished. They are very noticable and are raised quite a bit. I am very new to the hobby, so seeing people's reactions has been interesting. I also asked about seams in newbie section because it does bother me. However, it seems that seams are a normal part of the hobby. It is something I will have to think about. I can understand an artisan's point that it is expensive and dangerous, and they should be compensated for it. I, also, understand new collector's surprise at the seams because if your first doll didn't come with them and a later doll does it can be disappointing because this is not an inexpesive hobby.

The seams on my Soul Doll do bother me, but they are very noticable. Although with clothes on, they are hidden, so that is a good point. However, he didn't have any clothes for a while so the seams were there for me to see.

 

Seamlines all kind of ridiculous bother me. I'm very glad DZ sand their seams down, because I would definitely try to sand them down myself if I didn't.

 

I do not mind seams at all. Hehe, I'm actually sort of the other way around…I get a bit annoyed with sanded dolls. ^.^"

I just love the feel of un-sanded resin! That slight texture of the original, almost velvety, feels so nice under my fingers.

In contrast, sanded dolls feel slick and shiny to me. Also, in the event that I ever want to blush a doll, I don't want to have to deal with any little sanding scratches that are left from the seam removal process. I do own some dolls that came fully sanded from the company and while they look smooth and flawless blank, upon blushing, the little marks come out. I still appreciate all the work the company did to sand my doll (I can only imagine how tedious that job is!), but at the end of the day I really do prefer them with seams and un-sanded.

That is a very good and interesting point, Lulu. I don't have that personal history in my ABJD collecting experience, but in a way I feel sort of the same. One of the great perks of this hobby, that is mentioned over and over, is that these dolls are as customizable as we choose them to be. So for me, I like having the option to stop at the point where the doll feels best to me. I wouldn't want to have to pay an increased price (because that is what it would come down to) to have all dolls from all companies delivered sanded. Especially when I consider it to detract from the final product. ^_^"

 

Only if the seams are really thick, very noticable and / or sharp. I was a bit anxious when my first tan doll came in, but her seamlines aren't that bad at all. The only doll where I really noticed the seamlines was with Souldoll, but even his aren't bothersome. I also have a few that came without, like my Doll Leaves and Angell Studio. I haven't sanded down any seamlines ever and would only consider it if they were sharp or a real eyesore.

 

If they are not to noticable i dont mind them(after all if they really bother you,you can sand them down).