Sanding

I don't like seams at all, but haven't been bothered enough to sand them down on my dolls either. On my expensive dolls, I mean. The ones often called "cheap" come perfectly smooth with no seams at all. I've been lucky so far, my Fairyland dolls have visible seamlines but not horrific ones, and none of my others have been bad enough to bother with either. I'm considering sanding the upper arm parts of one of my Minifees because it's so noticeable in photos, but am in no hurry to do it. If the option is offered AND I know the company is known for bad seamlines, I'd probably pay to have them do it. (I know it's not hard to do, but my TIME is valuable to me. I have so little of it! And the sanding costs are usually less than my hourly charge rate at work - not pay rate, but charge rate, LOL!) Most companies I tend to prefer don't offer though (and most of my dolls are secondhand anyway) so it's not been a decision I've had to make.

 

I would love to get each of my dolls sanded professionally. I've sanded down my Soo a bit and taken off some of her parting lines, but I'm not a pro, and while it looks fine, I'd still like a customizer to do it.

I do wish it was something doll companies would just -do-, but I know that realistically they can't. Not with the number of dolls being hand made, painted, shipped out etc...Still, a girl can dream, right?

Anyhow, my vote is, yes, I would love to have each and every one of my dolls sanded!

 

Okay, so I am thinking about ordering a MSD FCS, and I noticed that you have to pay extra to get the seam lines removed! So, I wanted to ask you guys if the seam lines on dolls bother you. Do they? Also, do you think it is worth the extra money to have the seam lines removed?

Oh, and if you have any pictures of dolls with seam lines please post them! I really want to see what seam lines look like!


Thx!

 

Personally I don't find my guys' seam lines bother me at all, whether on my Volks FCS boy or on any of my other guys from other companies. Usually they're completely hidden under clothes anyway, and I rather like that 'handmade' touch to my dolls to remind me of the people who created them for me in the first place

 

This has been a debated subject for a long time. And when you run into the dreaded SEAM LINES you will know it.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=341977&highlight=seam+lines

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330616&highlight=seam+lines

Hope this helps...


- ShadowHawke -

 

I actually never really noticed anything much about seam lines until joining this site and seeing people talk about them. XD SO I guess they don't bother me. Though my DoD doll has some pretty substantial ones so I am considering sanding them down just a bit.

 

I'm not a fan of seam lines. I have seen one recently which was a couple of years old, but stil had seam lines. It looked like she just has a thin rim of resin down the sides of her limbs and body. it is exactly what you would see removing a gypsum cast from a mold. You'd have to sand down that as well to make it look presentable. If I remember correctly, even the barbies I've owned (they're probably still lying around at my parent's place) had seam lines because they're made up of cast plastic pieces.
As for paying extra to have them removed, I think I wouldn't do that because, probably because I'm Dutch, I don't like to pay more money than neccesary to get what I want. So I am willing to sand down the seam lines myself. I have always done well in crafts class so I don't think this will be problematic. It won't be a problem getting the sandpaper I need and do the job wearing latex gloves in a bowl of water I guess.

 

I've always purchased sanding whenever I've ordered an FCS. It's a pretty special event, and you're spending so much already, what's an extra $40? I guess it's probably more like $50 nowadays with the exchange rate and general price increases, but still! I've done tons of sanding of my own dolls, as I always want them to be at their best, but it's nice when I don't have to do it. Volks does such an amazing job of it, I always found it worthwhile.

The only doll I have atm that doesn't have sanded seams is my Bambicrony Sky Blue Kiera, I wasn't sure I could sand them without leaving marks, and then I ended up dyeing her anyhow so I can't really do it now anyway, but I usually always sand my dolls seams; In general I just think why not?

Raven

 

I really never cared if my doll had seam lines or not. On Volks dolls they come out of the mold that way and the company does not need to do any other modifications. They really are minimal. They are just straight lines on the body.

I'm suspicious that companies that automatically sand the seam lines do so because they do not come out of the mold nicely.

 

My Dollmore girl came with partial sanding, but she still has lines on her arms and legs. They are very slight, and I did not even notice them until I remembered that she was supposed to have lines and looked to see what they were like. Since this is my first doll, I expected lines like I had seen on Barbies--but these are far less noticeable.

 

I hate seam lines. If you're investing in an LE you might as well (when possible)
pay the extra cost for having a beautifully smooth doll. I probably wouldn't do
it if I was only getting a basic doll, because I have sanded before (once, my Unoa)
with good result. But, if you're buying a doll that has body blushing or fantasy parts
blushed it might be a good idea to get the sanding, even if it doesn't normally bother
you.

All dolls have seam lines. Some less than others, yes, but there's no reason to
be "suspicious" of a company that is willing to sand a doll for FREE! They simply
want your doll to be as beautiful as possible and it shows how much they care
to make their customers happy. Sanding isn't easy and there are many companies
that don't offer the service.
My advice when deciding "to sand or not sand?" is to see what other buyers have
to say about the dolls from said company, if BAD seams are not a typical problem
with them then it's likely your doll will not arrive with dangerous razor sharp seams.

 

I like seam lines. I've considered sanding them, but in the end I don't want to because I like the way they look. Of course, I'm talking about seam lines that aren't excessively large or sharp--that would be differently. My Volks girl doesn't have seam lines that fit that description; just a slight ridge where the pieces of the mold fit together, so I'm not bothered at all. My Rosette Doll was the same way.

 

I also hate seam lines. Most of the time I pay for seam removal. I just ordered a Dollshe DSAM body and did not pay the extra $150 for seam removal because the service drove the over all cost too high for what I am using him for. I will if see if I regret that decision when he gets here.

 

I have one doll and he was sanded by the company(BBB). Sanding service is included standard and he looks great. I have seen a lot of other dolls from this company and they also look very good and I haven't come across any uneven colouring in older dolls from this company so they're doing a great job of it.

 

Seamlines don't really bother me. But some of the prices for sanding off seam-lines is too much from certain companies... when it's cheaper to do it yourself if you have the skills.

 

Thanks everybody for your help! I really appriciate it! I think I will do what TMar says because I am very much a perfectionist and I dont want that one little fault to bother me. Espicially because I am about to spend so much money on my perfect little angel.

 

I have owned many, many dolls, and frankly - I can't tell you who did or didn't have seam lines. It has never once bothered me. I have sanded a doll or two myself, but not out of necessity, just out of curiosity, and it's never been a big trouble to do. I can't understand paying a company to sand seamlines unless the doll is a special type or color of resin.

 

I personally like seamlines on my dolls. I don't see it as a 'flaw' more like a reminder of the hand made quality. It depends if you take notice of them or not. If they're shrap then it's best to sand down a little but otherwise they're always going to be covered most times.

Besides you can see the ball joints so seamlines isn't a huge problem with me. I also don't like smooth shiny resin because I like the matte feeling of resin.

 

I dont notice seam lines, so they don't bother me. All of my dolls are Volks too, and like Izayoi stated, the seam lines are very minimal. I think that paying extra for Volks to sand your doll seams is not worth the extra time nor money.

I actually bought a Zoukei-Mura Ceramic Knife to sand the dolls myself, and I would like to do it as a side project. I think it would give me something more to do with my dolls rather than spend more money on them.

 

If I'm ordering body blushing on a doll, I'll get them sanded first. Since I've only ordered a doll like this from Soom, I have to admit, I tend to avoid both lately, because combined... ouch. It's pricey. But I actively prefer to have sanded dolls. The ones I have with seams don't actively bother me -- but I sand. It's a pain to do, but worth it.

I have to agree with ravendolls, though -- if it runs $40-$50 from the company, jump on it if you have the cash for it. It takes a while to do well, and some parts can be trickier than others. (Hello, fingers, I'm looking at you right about now... )