Restoring a BBE ~A Project For The Insane

[KottonKandy]

Has anyone thought of replacing the eyes with acrylic doll eyes? I mean they might not blink anymore but that hole is just perfect for inset eyes.

I'm actually trying that but it's finding the right size that is a problem... The pony I'm working on I had to cut the back of the sockets completely to do what I was thinking.. still though finding or making the right size doll eyes is the hard part.

To follow you off topic on the tangent of doll eyes, I acquired a doll head with bbe eyes just the right size for an adult pony and I'm going to try and install them in a pony and the issue is how do I go about crafting the eye sockets....if I cut out the sockets and try to attach them to the back of the pony and cut out the eye holes, how do I get that to look right?  I'm considering trying it on a TE with the deeper sockets but I'm not sure yet how to proceed.  i was thinking maybe trying this on a baity Peachy and seeing if I can make it into a peachy-size my pretty pony custom.

Sounds neat-o. I bet you could use a hotknife to cut the eye holes, you'd just have to be really careful with it. I have a Versatool and it works great on plastics and such. Creating a socket inside though.... I wonder if you could make some from latex? Glue it inside her head behind the eyes and then you could probably just pop the eyes in through the front and fiddle with them until they sit right?
Does any of that help or am I just repeating what you already know lol?

[lostpony]

Thanks!

I am thinking the obvious thing is to keep the sockets the eyes come with, and try to join them into the pony head but the trick is getting the pony's viewable surface to merge properly with the eye assembly such that it looks right....in that end, I was thinking to use super-sharp precise xacto blades (scalpel blades would be better but don't have access to them right now) and cut a complementary angle into both the sockets and the pony so the whole thing fits properly, and then glue in place.  Even if I can make the cut precisely on both parts without mistakes, then there is still the issue of the glue being applied just to the right place and not fouling the eye movement.

It's a precision deal.  I don't want to use clay or paint so it'd be really exacting...I'll need clear eyes, a steady hand and lots of good luck to pull it off!  Or a better plan, haha.

[glitterball]

A splendid tutorial - thank you for sharing such great instructions and photos!
A wonderful project! 

[mlp4me]

I've had luck cleaning up eyes with rubbing alcohol. I'll have to try a face soak in vinegar to see if that helps as well. I love working with BBE's, they're so unappreciated and overall quite difficult to find in a nicer condition. (I wish I could see images-work computer blocks them.)

[Strandperle]

The outcome is great! Very well done. BBE babies deserve more love

[UrocyonFox]

I adore BBEs and agree that they need more love. I LOVE them so much

Post Merge: July 28, 2017, 09:49:51 AM

I actually really love how frosting looks with all the crazy gross eyes! <3
I'm glad that she cleaned up so well for you though and loved

[tulagirl]

I think you did a great job and I just love the eye ball loose from the pony too.  It has a certain amount of appeal there with all that rusted metal around it.  It makes me feel all artsy  like I would like to make a funky lawn ornament. LOL

[Kazzellin]

Great tutorial! I didn't know how the eys were made - here I was, thinking they were all metal except for the eye part. Nice to know they can be salvaged - I may have to try this!