French Versus Urethane Resins

I have to say, every time I read something like this I feel a little sick. I love my French resin dolls and I really don't like the intimation that they are ugly if their resin has changed. Personally, I absolutely abhor dolls with unicorn horns, but I would never come out and say "Unicorn horns, eeeew creepy, so ugly" I would just say, if asked, that is not to my taste.
I would like to point out here, as I keep doing over and over again (the definition of insanity right?) that yellowing may be unfortunate in your opinion, and in other folks opinion, but it is not in mine and many others opinion.
I love French Resin, and if given the choice I would get it over any other urethane.
I would also like to point out that my two dolls that have the worst "yellowing" are a Customhouse urethane beauty white which is now lime green, and my Volks FCS normal skinned urethane which is now citron yellow tinged. None of my FR dolls are that yellow.
Ultimately it is a matter of choice. You might want to keep in mind that the majority of human skin is yellow or even green based, rather than pink.
So, in closing, make up your own mind about what you want. If you are OK with mellowing or changing of skintone and are interested in the translucent qualities of FR, go for it. However keep in mind that they may look, as Hobby said "waxy" (you can usually cure that with a light sand and a coat of MSC btw). If you want a perfect doll that will never change, get a Barbie.

 

@ OctoberAnna: Thanks! I thought that was a little odd no one had made one yet.(except for the ones they did for tinies)

@cynner: Thanks! I thought that DOD used French but they don't say....
And I could definitely tell with Angel Studio.

 

If French resin yellows so easily, why is it considered superior to other resins and more costly?

 

I'm not sure where this would go?
I'm saving up for another doll, a Angell-Studio Cinderella(punk version) In tanned skin. I heard they use french resin. Is it true? Also I don't really know how that can affect the Tan in a doll?

 

I have not heard of French resin being inferior or superior. There are different grades of resin, some of which are extremely expensive. In addition if a company chooses a more expensive casting method that can raise the price. For example some companies will opt to use a silicone mold thus avoiding the use of mold releasing agents. But silicone is expensive and the molds tend to break down quickly.

 

I think I'm going to cry I think my B&G Loretta White cat may be french resin. does UV cut do anything?

 

Angell-Studio offers both urethane and french resin versions of their dolls. When you order, be sure to specify what type of resin you want.

 

A while ago, I ordered a tan Celia from B&G; she was made from environmental resin. A few coats of MSC UV Cut made her somewhat more opaque, although she still retained that odd sort of translucency/glow. You can see her here - the colour in the photos have been edited slightly but it still shows the resin quality.

I've since sold her in favour of a urethane doll for the character, but I know others may prefer that resin type. You can see the differences in this comparison thread between B&G's old urethane and new environmental resin: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...-to-environmental-resin-without-notification!

 

I posted some photos of my blue French Resin girl and yellowing problems over in this thread--
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...aging.-Pictures-please!&p=8289392#post8289392

I have white dolls from 2004 and 5, so some natural yellowing doesn't bother me, but I, personally, wouldn't take a risk on French Resin... UNLESS the company says it has done things to help mitigate quick yellowing. As others have said, there is going to be some natural resin changes over time. I just don't want really drastic changes to happen within months (that can and has happened with some dolls--you'll know about it if you check with discussion threads--the owners will definitely report problems). If I don't notice anyone complaining about changes right away, I wouldn't worry...

 

Okay Thanks for letting me know Peppermint Pocky, But now I need to know what kind of Resin does Dollmore use.
BTW what is Urethane Resin and French Resin?

 

A lot of companies use UV stabilizer in their resin as well. However, the UV stabilizer reacts badly to the mix of french resin and causes more bubbles to form so you they don't use it. AFAIK it doesn't react badly with the environmental resin and so you get a translucency like the french resin without the discoloration.

Heat can also cause french resin(and other resins) to turn colors. Korean and Japanese doll collectors aren't bothered as much by the color change, unlike american collectors who seem to be really concerned with it.

Like Ann in CT said, there are literally thousands of different resin types because resin itself is basically plastic. A lot of BJD companies mix together different types of resin to get their own result. There's a lot of different fillers that can be put in too, including porcelain powder that will give the doll a texture and weight like a porcelain doll but with the strength of resin.

Tan dolls also run the risk of discoloration without UV stabilizer. There was a time when Dollkot? I think it was? Had major problems with tan dolls turning green. It's because the red tint is not UV-stable. I think they replaced some of the dolls and outside of that batch there's been minimal trouble with (dark)tans.

 

B&G doll has switched to environmental resin which I ate about as much as French resin... So be aware of that when ordering from B&G.

I have a 'sherbet white' Marie from Crobidoll and while she was listed as polyeurethane resin on the website I believe she's a mix of poylurethane and French resin because she has yellowed something awful! Much more than any other doll I own and I keep my dolls in the box!!! So it's not like she's been out that much and she's unevenly yellowed. I must admit, I don't like it and I'm sorry I didn't wait longer for a Marisol to show up on the marketplace...

 

My HZ "Wangye" is French resin, and as of right now, he's pretty much glow in the dark. By that, he's a mellow yellow, (no pawn intended.) I got him back in 2011 and ordered him in normal pink. He hasn't yellowed by any means, but IS on the yellow side. Although I do love his color I'm afraid he'll end up looking horrible in the years to come. So...


My questions are: Do all French resin dolls look bad when they've yellowed?

Is it true that they yellow incredibly fast, or is it just that they yellow fast compared to other resins?

How long does French resin generally last before it starts showing signs?

What can I use to protect the resin?



Sorry, I'm just a little worried about the whole "French resin is bad" ordeal.

 

French resin does tend to yellow faster than other types. Though like other dolls just how much a french resin doll will yellow will depend on elements like exposure to air and light etc. I've got a french resin tan Narae who's from 2005, she has yellowed but she's just mellowed to a nice shade of tan rather than actually going 'yellow' so it doesn't bother me, especially as the change in colour is uniform. It's personal preference really, I don't mind how her resin's changed but someone else might so I can't really say one way or another if they all look good or bad because it's really down to one's own feelings about yellowed resin.

Regardless of if we like it or not any resin is going to yellow over time, there's not much you can really do about it because it's just the nature of the material. All you can really do is slow it by limiting exposure to direct sunlight etc and maybe coating the doll with something like MSC UV cut to help reduce the UV that gets to it.

 

From my personal experience:


My questions are: Do all French resin dolls look bad when they've yellowed?
Not at all. I think my French resin girl is still quite pretty, regardless of the fact she is butter yellow. When I take pictures of her in natural light, I hardly notice the yellowing.

Is it true that they yellow incredibly fast, or is it just that they yellow fast compared to other resins?
They do yellow incredibly fast, in comparison.

How long does French resin generally last before it starts showing signs?
In my experience, months. Mind you, I didn't keep her in a box or keep her somewhere dark at all times, so that might have contributed to speeding that along.

What can I use to protect the resin?
Yellowing will happen, regardless. But the standard stuff, like protecting them from the sun, heat and the like will probably at least slow it down a little.

 

This, like 99% of this hobby is personal preference. No one can tell you what you think on the topic.

If you want to know how to deal with yellowing, I suggest The yellowing section of the customizing sticky thread, much of which is based on French resin and it's particular issues.

 

Honestly, I do not understand the whole "french resin is bad" ordeal at ALL! I personally love the look of french/environmental resin and if I could have every one of my dolls in it, I would.

That said, I also tend to prefer a "glow" to my dolls. It makes them feel more lifelike to me, where urethane feels more doll-like. I also prefer a yellow tint to the resin, as I just don't really like pink resin.

I don't think French resin ever looks bad yellowed. It doesn't look day-glo yellow to me, it looks like a golden color. I love it!

I have not noticed my french/enviro resin dolls yellowing any faster than my urethane dolls. If anything, it feels slower, since most of my WS urethane dolls have visibly yellowed, but my WS enviro doll just looks creamy.

I don't really time the yellowing process because it doesn't bother me. I play with my dolls, to trying to preserve their mint, pristine condition and I actually often LIKE yellowing.

 

Your mileage may vary, of course. It all does boil down to personal taste. I personally do not like french resin. I don't think it glows in photography so much as looks extremely waxy, like the doll was made of a translucent wax.

I once purchased, unbeknownst to myself and from a company that didn't offer french resin for any other of their other dolls, a french resin doll. I got it and was not happy to see that it was french resin and that in the approximately week and a half that the doll was in my possession had already started to yellow and change colours. I was extremely unhappy with the purchase and sold it at a loss just to get it sold before it became even more discoloured.

Other companies may be more stable now, but french resin does yellow faster than its opaque counterparts and its shorter time frame I don't find acceptable. I have a 7 year old doll that is still the same shade he was when I received him, and did own a Volks head that was 10 years old and matched a brand new Volks body. Maybe I would be less critical of the yellowing problem if I found the look to be worth it, but as I don't, I don't buy any french or environmental resin dolls.

 

I re-homed my french resin dolls. Of the group, two of them yellowed considerably, and they each started to show yellowing at about the year and a half mark. Mind you, I live in a temperate climate, not sure what the yellowing rate would be in hotter climes.

While I loved what they looked like new (with a beautiful, natural glow and pale skin with a natural faint pink undertone), I definitely did not like the color they both turned. It was even coloring, but it was so yellow I had to change "default" wigs and repaint their face-ups to better "go" with their new coloring. Also, the previously natural glow turned wax-like (to my eye anyway) as they yellowed.

It was heart-breaking for me, as one of them had been a well loved favorite, and I sold the 2 yellowed ones at quite a loss.

The 3rd one I didn't keep long enough to see how she would yellow. She was still her original peachy tone when I sold her, I've no idea if she eventually yellowed or not as she aged. She also had less of a glow to her, and always more of a translucent waxy look.

Of course, the companies who made these 3 dolls did not use UV protector in their formulas.

That said, the last 2 french resin dolls I sold had zero yellowing (and one was already a couple of years old when I purchased her), but the artist who made those two definitely used UV protector, and it obviously made a huge difference, as they were still their original colors, with no yellowing at time of sale. They did, however, have that translucent look, but on them it was rather pretty, like an antique wax doll.

While all of the french resin dolls I previously owned were lovely and unique sculpts, the experience didn't work for me, so no, I would never buy french resin again.

That said...my WS urethane dolls have aged differently. The older ones have "mellowed', but into an attractive deep creamy tone or a pale "Normal" skin tone, and one, who I've had for many years, is still the same stark white she arrived new in.

But this is just my own experience and views...each person must decide on their own. As some have noted, the yellowing/change of colors and translucent works fine, for some like me, it doesn't. It really is all down to personal tastes, so there is really no "right" or "wrong" on this subject.

 

Adding my voice to the 'personal preference' voices. I don't have any French resin dolls myself, but I saw a butter-yellow and shiny Narae on my first doll meeting. Her colour did not put me off at all, to be honest. She was still a very lovely doll. I can see why it might be upsetting to buy French resin without knowing it, though - it *is* going to yellow a lot and if that doesn't suit the character you have in mind, that may be rather unpleasant. But a severely yellowed doll can nevertheless still be very beautiful.