The Dyeing Of Theodore (DIM Happy Ace)

The Dyeing of Theodore (DIM Happy Ace)

Yesterday I decided to buckle down and finally dye my boy tan. Even though I had dyed a doll before, I was very, very nervous, since previously I used Jacquard iDyePoly and for Theo I was determined to use RIT Dyemore. I had read that RIT Dyemore tans can come off grey—even purple—if the dye bath does not reach a certain temperature, so I waited until my water was at a rolling boil then submerged each piece for three (3) minutes. A beautiful, even tan resulted with little-to-no marbling! I’m really pleased as punch. ^^

My phone’s camera doesn’t want to pick up the dye’s true color, sadly. There is a slight copper undertone to RIT Dyemore “Sandstone” but in-person my Theo looks closer to a cross between LUTS RSB and the old Dream of Doll tan, if anyone knows the shade I’m talking about. I do want to point out two things for those folks out there hoping to dye Doll in Mind resin. First and foremost, DiM resin takes synthetic dye PERFECTLY. It absorbs color evenly and doesn’t streak as long as you keep your water super hot. (And I mean SUPER.) DiM also sands seams, so there will be some lines along the sides of the legs, etc. that absorb the dye differently. Not very noticeable, though, IMO.

But… DiM also uses some sort of glue around the wrist and ankle s-hooks that is impermeable to dye. I received a defective hand with this substance near the knuckles (that I used as a test piece since DiM was kind enough to send me a replacement), and no matter what I did, a patch of NS remained beneath it. Unfortunately, my boy’s other hand had a bit of this on his forefinger that I did not notice during my communication with DiM (thus, no replacement), so there is a small splotch there, as well. Had I seen it before dyeing, I would’ve tried sanding, even though that also would have resulted in uneven coverage.

I figure I’ll just cover his finger with a nude, doll-sized bandage. Theo apparently gets a lot of paper cuts while working late nights at the bureau, LOL. Who knew? Anyway, I hope sharing my experience helps someone! I’ll post another batch of photos once I’ve restrung him. I’m giving the resin 48 hours to cure since it was exposed to extreme heat (I don’t want to end up with any scratches or breaks).

ALSO! After trying both, I prefer RIT Dyemore to Jacquard iDyePoly. Both achieve bold colors, but RIT’s liquid format >>> Jacquard’s powder. I’m itching to dye another doll on my wishlist now. Maybe a Little Monica or a BlueFairy.

What do you folks think? Thank you all for reading! —Mint