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Help with Paint Rubbing Off

SKU:
UF-paint rub off
Sue Ellen writes....

Sue Ellen Writes…..

This is in response to a question about paint/ rubbing of with use

This is the vinyl .. I have experimented extensively with heat set, air dry and powders .. if anything I have had the best testing environments out there .. All my babies went to people with dementia for a whole decade and I got to see first hand what happened over time to them in every environment you could imagine .... the kits and their ability to take any colour delivery system and its durability has always been the elephant in the room ! I have been trained in prosthetics and used Foam latex, gelatine and silicone but nothing prepared me for vinyl 😜 From day one I could never understand the sanding of the sculpt to a super smooth finish .. ( there must be a reason though) The smooth nature of the vinyl means the surface has no tooth and has zero absorbency!

The other issue is the chemical makeup of the vinyl ... in the old days most kits were made in Germany and were a very good quality vinyl but heavily tinted .. if anyone has reborn one of Adrie Stoete's older kits you will know what a delight they are to reborn .. ( some still available on her website ) vinyl like velvet .. no shine ( the other elephant in the room) and no paint/powders rubbing off Through necessity the kits are mostly made in China now and it's hit and miss with vinyl quality .. the sculptors have no control over it and frankly don't make much money from selling kits as it is .. I for one am so grateful to those that still produce in vinyl for us .. silicone would be much more lucrative for them Anyway I have tried over 20 different paints and even more mediums and everyone of them is at the mercy of the vinyl

There is however a solution .. we give the vinyl tooth ourselves ( tooth or texture give the paint something to stick to ) I have tried sanding, scrubbing with a toothbrush but what works best is KITCHEN CREAM CLEANSER In Australia it's called Jif .. I lather it on neat and rub it on with my hand with a soft toothbrush and then rinse off and wipe down with alcohol 99% .. ( this give the vinyl more tooth ) I rub the finger Tips extra hard with the Jif

Kit prep Rub down the kit with neat cream cleanser (Jif, gumption or Ajax powder mixed to a paste Rinse in hot water or put through the dishwasher on a normal cycle ( in the top tray) general dishwasher powder Rub down with 99% alcohol You will not need a primer if you use this method