"Junk" bjds

I also love seeing how a really battered up doll can be either restored to its former glory or transformed into something totally new ^^. Sometimes, a yellowed, damaged doll looks so unappealing... but with a little work it can become something amazing. It really shows you the potential of these dolls and the creativity and dedication of doll customizers. I wish I had the skill to take on such projects!

 

Card-carrying member of the Doll Rescue Squad.

I like restoring older dolls. Just because they're old doesn't mean they shouldn't be cleaned up. A current favourite of mine is my Serendipity Nightmare Sharmin, who needed serious restoration when she arrived. She was filthy and her wig was a wreck. She cleaned up beautifully though. She doesn't look new, no, but she is still lovely.

 

I can't really afford any of the dolls I want at the moment, so I am considering doing exactly this... Seems like it could be fun!

It would be good practice for me too since some of my planned dolls I want to do mods on, and it's a lot safer to practice on a 'junk' doll, lol.

 

I have a "junk" body I'm using right now as a temporary body. Its poor condition wasn't accurately represented in the sale photos or description. I'm hoping someone will take it for a project or something when I'm done with it.

 

I've always wanted to do doll restoration but at this point in my life I do not have the funds or the time or the skill. I'll do it one day, though, for sure.

It's a long term dream of mine to open a doll shop, and I've always thought it would be cool to restore and customize "junk" dolls and sell them in my store.

 

I love seeing the process as dolls are cleaned by someone who has that tender touch to save these dolls from time. They always look so soft and fresh. Modding sounds tough though but if you feel brave enough go for it.

 

My gardenofdolls nabiya elf girl before&after restoration! (now belongs to yeucherie)




http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b166/rei_jaganshi/9830956435_775c3f7334_zpsc50eb582.jpg

 

If I could find a modder that that's available and loves doing extreme mods - I'd probably look into this more. I love the idea of upcycling and repurposing.

 

Watching people's restoration projects has always been one of my favorite things to do here. Shows how creative people are and how much potential is in these dolls, no matter what state they are in.
I did a little work on a modded head myself recently and found it super rewarding, just doing more with it than giving it a face up and wig. It's been so much fun

 

I love adopting older dolls and would love to take on a project at some point. I always feel for the little ones that look like they've gone through hell. I'm glad there are people that rescue them and clean them up into new gems. I hope to be one of them one day.

 

I kind of wish more people did it. There was a discussion elsewhere about someone's Volks head which was their first grail doll of sorts, but it arrived scratched and bits gouged out and generally messed up. Everyone was saying to get it fixed up but the owner didn't think it was worth it. It sucked really, I hate to hear of broken dreams and I like to think all dolls can be saved. Maybe they won't look how they should to how they used to but they can still look good.

 

Unless the damage is really horrific, most dolls can be fixed up if the owner is so inclined. It's simply a matter of wanting to put in the time and effort. It took a couple of weeks or work to get my poor Sharmin back in order, but her problem was mostly dirt and neglect. Gouges and major damage will definitely take a lot of time to repair.

 

The sad thing about "junk" heads is that some heads have been modded, and other people see the extensive mods as "ruining" the doll. I had to watch as someone "repaired" a doll head I'd been staring at on the Marketplace for months, but didn't have the money for it. Another user practically gave me a doll of the same sculpt, with similar mods, so that I can save up enough money to commission someone to mod the new head to duplicate the other head's mods, but it was still very painful watching the beautiful modifications called a disaster, and seeing people in the thread agreeing that the unmodded head looked so much better than the mods I thought were beautiful.

So sometimes restoration work is depressing, when it isn't fixing something that is clearly cracked or broken or stained/yellowed horribly.

 

I've recently myself acquired a secondhand doll whose condition was worse than advertised, myself. I'd always considered trying out repairs of a "junk" doll, and much to my surprise, I found myself having a chance at it with this boy. He's actually coming along quite nicely, though I've elected to commission someone to handle a "restoration" of one of the mods his head received. Originally, when I thought he was in better condition, I'd intended to keep him on a while, then replace him with a newer doll, but after this, I've been scheming ways to keep him around instead, since I can't see reselling after doing all this work! (Unfortunately, those plans involve addition of yet another unplanned doll to my collection...)

Regarding Layn's comment about mods "ruining" a head... in some cases, I think they can be fairly damaging (there was one I passed up several times due to an "extreme mod" that I thoroughly viewed as ruining the head, and I felt the sculpt was overpriced as a result of that particular mod, not worth any kind of "premium" as was being charged). The mods the head I'm sending out, however, were fairly well executed, and part of me honestly hates to see them go! However, with secondhand (and junk, particularly) dolls, sometimes you don't have as many options as what you might normally have, and if it's the original sculpt that fits what you want, mods that alter that are in a sense "damage" to the desired endpoint. So while the mods on this particular head are actually quite nice, some of them at least are still going to be undone in the very near future. It's unfortunate, though, that a modded head might actually find a home where it could stay as is, but can't get there for one reason or another.

 

I don't have any "junk" dolls, but I'd love to work on some. I'm not a good modder, but I like the idea of the challenge.

 

I wish I could find junkers to work on. I absolutely love the idea!