Over the years that I have been reborning, I have read many, many comments about fingers, toes and ears on Ashton Drake (AD) dolls turning black.
I have several AD dolls in my collection, have reborn several for customers and had not had this happen personally or business wise...until now!
One of my customers who moved her reborn baby from Texas to Washington State had this happen. I put a post out on all the forums for a solution and a kind lady found one of her un- reborn dolls to have this problem. She decided to let her lay in the sun and guess what? The black went away!
So I had my customer do the same and walla! The black is gone off the reborn doll.
So the prognosis is that this can happen to both reborn and un-reborn AD dolls and the cure is the same....SUNSHINE!
Have a happy Thursday!
I have several AD dolls in my collection, have reborn several for customers and had not had this happen personally or business wise...until now!
One of my customers who moved her reborn baby from Texas to Washington State had this happen. I put a post out on all the forums for a solution and a kind lady found one of her un- reborn dolls to have this problem. She decided to let her lay in the sun and guess what? The black went away!
So I had my customer do the same and walla! The black is gone off the reborn doll.
So the prognosis is that this can happen to both reborn and un-reborn AD dolls and the cure is the same....SUNSHINE!
Have a happy Thursday!
Posts
Yeah!! what a simple soulutio to a problem that could cause the unwary to discard a doll, or an irate customer to contact AD or worse yet be angry with the reborner!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHugs Beck
My Ashton drake’s dolls toes happened two months after, they indeed turned black.
DeleteI forgot to mention that Ashton Drake will warrant dolls for 1 year after purchase....problem is, most of these are developing several years after purchase. ~sigh~
ReplyDeleteIt has happened to my daughter oh deer the twins are here after only 24 hours and Sun did nothi g for them its worse today than yesterday so i contacted AD with pics via email
DeleteI am glad that you emailed AD. Let us know how it works out and Good luck!
DeleteI liked what one collector had to say. How can they call it an heirloom doll if they only last a few years? Oh well. Live and learn. I will be parking my poor little "no no night night"...LOVE this rare hanl sculpt out in the sun shortly. I also read recently on doll-fan of a peroxide and Tide with Bleach solution soak in a plastic tub. Not sure the exact amounts though.
ReplyDeleteI understand your pain!
DeleteI do think that the Tide mixture would work as well but gosh, be SURE that the insides of the parts are dry before putting the doll back together or mold and slime will surely build back up.
Good luck with No No Night Night!
(((HUGS)))
I left mine foe 3 days in the sun. It didn't get better
DeleteMy doll has just got bluey cloured fingertips can anyone help please
ReplyDeleteIs it an Ashton Drake doll or a reborn? The answer would be different depending on the doll.
DeleteMy ashton drake doll (little peanut) is getting red lines on her arm and now her leg aswell. I heard abt the blue and black But my doll is turning Red.... has ths happen to any Body els?
ReplyDeleteIs Little Peanut vinyl or resin?
DeleteI have not heard of this happening before. Is your doll reborned or just from the company in manufactured state?
What if it's a Reborn? Will the sunlight fix the problem as well?
DeleteYes, I am told that this helps reborns as well. I would cover the hair with a hat as some hair is dyed with human hair dyes and the sun will fade the color.
DeleteGood luck!
Thank you so much!! My gosh, I was just wondering about that. My doll is going brown so going to put her out now whilst the sun is shining! Unusual for the UK !
DeleteThank you so much. Off to put my doll out now. She is turning brown. Also thank you for the hay tip!
DeleteHat tip I meant!
DeleteI just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have one of the AD Picture Perfect babies. The first little girl they made with the blonde curls. She sits on a chair in my home and I picked her up this morning and about died when I looked at her arms and legs. They were turning a sickly purplish black (she had 3/4 sleeves on and long pants so I hadn't noticed yet). Her one ear was also also turning color. I was horrified. I figured I was going to have to send her off somewhere to be reborn because I love her so much. But my mother suggested looking it up on Google before I did that. I found your tip about sunshine and quickly went and tried it. My mother went out to check on her about an hour later - called me and it was working!!!! Beautifully!! Her one leg is 98% clear as well as her one arm. We just flipped her so the other side could get some sun. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteRebekah, I am so happy that passing the information along helped you and your dolly! It seems to me that people who live in more humid climates have the bulk of the problems with the AD dolls and the dark extremities. And I'm so glad that the sunshine works. Sunshine fixes everything, doesn't it? :)
DeleteMy daughter received an Ashton Drake doll for her birthday, she is 10 and VERY gentle with Little Grace. She washes her hands before holding her. within a week the hands and toes of Grace looked dirty. I tried gently cleaning it as it looked like surface dirt. to our dismay it seems to be absorbed into the vinyl. What would you recommend we do to remedy this? If she wasn't so in love with her I would send her back but she is heartbroken she has a dirty baby. thanks for any help you can give.
ReplyDeleteHello Katrina,
DeleteAs you can see by the post and the other comments, this is a common thing that happens with the AD dolls even in the very good care of a gentle 10 year old. I believe it has to do with moisture. I live in a very dry climate and my AD dolls have not had this happen.
People have tried bleach but the best remedy is the sun! Just lay that baby out in the sun, exposed. Do it more than once if you need to. And repeat when needed. Best of luck to you and your little collector.
Debbie
I have heard from doll forums, to use acne cream that contains oxy 10. Put the cream on the doll then leave out in the sun for a few hours. Might need to repeat this couple of times. Some people who have just put it out in the sun , had the black come back.
ReplyDeleteAcne Cream can work for this and other situations such as ink on the vinyl. But the black can come back on the fingers and toes even after the Acne Cream is used. So either method works but be prepared to repeat as often as needed. Why the black comes up in the first place is a mystery but we are thankful for creative people who figure out a way to combat it!
DeleteOne of the best Christmas gifts for kids are the Ashton Drake Dolls.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can not tell you how happy it makes me to find a solution! We gave our 9yr old an AD (Little Peanut) for her Christmas. She was instantly in love and they are inseparable. She named her Abbigail. Now Abby's hands and feet and a small spit on 1 leg and 1 arm are turning black. I have been scared to try any harsh cleaning products for fear of damage. We live in Eastern Washington which is normally a very dry desert atmosphere. This year has been extremely wet (broke our snow record) and humid. As soon as we have a sunny day...outside she goes! Thank you again for helping me solve this problem and mend a little girls broken heart!
ReplyDeleteIf I lay my ad doll in the sun for the blue spot on her arm and leg do I need to cover up her head or just her hair
ReplyDeleteI would, just to be safe :)
DeleteWhen you cover her face, make sure not to smash her eye lashes by creating a "tent" over her face with the cloth you cover her with. Good luck!
I have her out in the sun but its not working is there anything else I can try ?
ReplyDeleteShe will have to stay out in the sun for hours and hours. Did you leave her out there for a long time?
DeleteMaybe I should ask you to describe the blue spots better to me. Since you state "blue spot" on her arm and leg, it may be ink which case needs to be removed in another way. In all cases I've heard of, the blue/black is found on the fingers and toes. Please do tell me more.
It just a big long blue spot on her arm and one on the ankle I tried to email u but it wouldn't work she was out there about 2 hours maybe I should leave her out longer
ReplyDeleteI would like to see. My email is tngun05@gmail.com
DeleteThat is a ZERO 5, not the letter o.
It does take longer to remove the black/blue from fingers and toes in the sun. All day is good, two days might be better. If it is VERY hot, I would not leave the doll in the sun. Up to 75-80 should be okay.
My Ashton Drake was a gift so I have no history on her. Her name is Emily, with the open eyes. She has turned quite gray. I do put her on display because she looks like she is severely oxygen deprived...or worse. Will the sun help with overall graying or just black spots?
ReplyDeleteAhhh, Loving Eyes Emily! Such a precious baby!
DeleteI have not tried this for the graying Ashton Drake dolls before but it certainly will not hurt her. Try it, and then report back to us...you may discover something new!
I will do that as soon as the rain clears. Does it have to be in warm weather or just in sunlight in general? I greatly appreciate your responding to my inquiry.
DeleteCynthia, I think it will be more effective if it is at least 65 degrees out in the sunshine. :)
DeleteMy pleasure!
So, a few months later, and I am reporting that the sunshine did help my little Emily but now she looks suntanned. She is not the fair skinned beauty I see in the stock photos. I am going to reborn her. Any suggestions are appreciated! I took her apart today, got rid of all the dirty stuffing and tossed the bags of sand from her head and her bottom. Next chore, getting the glue off. Yippee!!!
DeleteWell, I am glad that the black is gone! I do believe that the stock photo of Emily is the actual clay sculpt of the doll from the artist. Ashton Drake does that a lot...uses that real clay sculpt instead of the production doll for their advertising photos. That said, they have gotten better over the years of using photos of the real vinyl doll once it's produced. I have many AD dolls in my collection (including an Emily :) ) ...some came as shown and some have not. I love them all just the same though! Good luck on the glue removal! Time and patience will go well with you here :)
DeleteMy Ashton Drake has spots on her face and hand. I was told to use the acne cream and a UV lamp. But for how long?
ReplyDeleteI think you can use a UV lamp as I believe it is the UV rays from the sun that cause the acne cream to work.
DeleteI recommend a day or two...or three, whatever it takes to remove the spots.
Hello i am new to the reborn worl even though i have an Ashton Drake doll Kaylie Brand Sparkling New.I am getting her for Christmas an this chat will help me keep her like new thanks for posting this.:)
ReplyDeleteHow long do I leave my doll out in the sunlight and r there any other ways to cure black patches
ReplyDeleteAt least a day but of course do it for 2 or 3 days (or more) if needed. The only other way that I think will work is to take the doll apart, remove the stuffing from the limbs and head and pour hot bleach water down into them. That is a lot of work and you risk having moisture in the limbs when you re-assemble it. The sun has worked for everyone who told me they tried it :) Good luck!
DeleteHi I got reborn doll his finger have has gone really black he so tiny is there any way get rid of black off his finger
ReplyDeleteThe protocol is the same for a tiny doll as is a big doll. Put him out in the sunlit leaving the finger well exposed and facing the sun. This may take may days of putting him in the sun. This could be through a sunny window as well. Let me know how it goes!
DeleteDebbie
I got charlie not to long ago and his legs arms and face and one ear is going green and black what can I do I have been stressing over this because I've never had this happen
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty common in Ashton Drake dolls, especially depending on what part of the country the doll resided/resides. Two things you can do, either in conjunction with each other or by themselves. Get some Oxy10 pimple cream and apply thickly to the spots, not rubbing it in. You can set this in your home in a sunny spot or set it outside. The other technique is just to undress the doll so that the dark spots are exposed and place the doll in the warm sun, outside. You may have to do this for several days. Let me know how it goes!
DeleteI am wondering if the discoloration in the AD dolls is caused by some kind of mold (due to the fact that it seems to be worse in humid climates and that sunlight seems to help the discolored areas go back to normal.) I am expecting my first AD doll to be delivered tomorrow and now I'm a little worried. I have heard they also had sand in them to make them weigh more. I hope I'm not going to regret my purchase.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the delay on answering. I do believe humidity has something to do with the discoloration and it is possibly mold. That said, the sunlight still fixes the issue. Yes, they do, or have in the past, use a gravel/sand mixture in plastic bags. I assume it is sterilized and I've not had an issue with my personal AD dolls because of it.
ReplyDeleteAre you loving your new doll?