Post by Violet on Aug 8, 2014 16:44:30 GMT -5
PLEASE NOTE: I just discovered that not all Zelfs have heads like this! Apparently only some of the Series 1 Zelfs have heads like this, and then Moose Toys changed the design. So, the following post applies only to the earliest Series 1 Zelfs. It seems that on most other Zelfs, the entire top of the head (with the hair) is glued on top of a flat scalp, and can be lifted off with some tugging. Please read Seph's thread here for more details: love-yourzelf.freeforums.net/thread/343/customising-removing-head-eyes.
Here is my original post on the Series 1 Zelfs:
I bought an extra Angelala when they were on sale at Toys R Us last year. I stripped off the paint months ago with the intent of customizing her. But today I got curious about how difficult it would be to switch the hair on some of them to make customs, so I had to experiment.
TAKING OFF THE HAIR
Taking off the hair was difficult, because it's really glued on there tightly. I used a hot hair dryer to soften the glue that held the hair on. I imagine that a very hot hair dryer held too close would eventually melt/warp those wings, so you have to be careful. You could also try wrapping the Zelf in a heating pad for a while. It would be safer for the Zelf, but not get as hot, so I'm not sure how well this would work to take off the hair. Anyway, I used a hair dryer, and even with softened glue, it still took some tugging to get the hair off. I was afraid I'd rip the fake fur, but it didn't rip. You have to slowly and carefully peel the hair up at the edges.
The hair is one piece of fake fur, folded over and sewn so there is a seam all the way down the middle. I drew a rough sketch in my paint program to illustrate the basic pattern (not to scale, of course, and definitely not perfect). They cut one piece of fake fur in this basic shape, then folded it over and sewed it where I have the dash marks.
This is the hair from the inside. You can see a seam that runs down the center.
The top of her head has a large hole in it! I knew the inside of the heads must be hollow because of the inset eyes, but the large hole on top surprised me. LOL. By the way, there's a lot of fuzz stuck to this portion of her head from the fake fur, but it could be cleaned off using more acetone, I think. She also has some remnants of blue paint around her scalp where her hair was. I'll be taking this off before trying to put new hair on her.
EDIT: By the way, it would be totally do-able to buy your own fake fur from a fabric store and use it on the Zelfs. I'd make sure the fabric part of the fake fur was thin, though, not thick and stiff.
THE WINGS
The wings are simply glued into a tiny hole in the Zelf's back. Once I softened the glue with the hot hair dryer, the wings came out easily. Switching wings would be the easiest part of customizing them.
REMOVING PAINT AND STENCILS
Now let me tell you how I took off the paint. I used pure acetone. It's sold as nail polish remover, but you can also use it to take off paint and stencils. BUT BE VERY CAREFUL. It will melt many types of plastics, so don't leave it on your Zelf for any length of time. I took a cotton swab/Q-tip, dipped it in the acetone, then wiped off the paint/stencils, rinsing the Zelf with plain water after every single wipe. I didn't want that acetone staying on there for more than a few seconds. The paint really, really wanted to smear terribly, so I had to wipe up a few spots where the paint smeared while I was taking it off.
My other important tip is only use CLEAR acetone. If the acetone is tinted yellow or pink or any other color, this color can transfer to vinyl quickly and might permanently dye your Zelf. (I heard of someone who accidentally dyed her Barbie's face yellow by doing this, when she tried to remove the face paint for repainting.) Make sure to rinse your Zelf with water again afterward.
I've heard of people using a non-acetone nail polish remover to do paint removal, but in my opinion, it doesn't work as well, or as quickly.
I hope this was helpful to people who've been curious about customizing!
Here is my original post on the Series 1 Zelfs:
I bought an extra Angelala when they were on sale at Toys R Us last year. I stripped off the paint months ago with the intent of customizing her. But today I got curious about how difficult it would be to switch the hair on some of them to make customs, so I had to experiment.
TAKING OFF THE HAIR
Taking off the hair was difficult, because it's really glued on there tightly. I used a hot hair dryer to soften the glue that held the hair on. I imagine that a very hot hair dryer held too close would eventually melt/warp those wings, so you have to be careful. You could also try wrapping the Zelf in a heating pad for a while. It would be safer for the Zelf, but not get as hot, so I'm not sure how well this would work to take off the hair. Anyway, I used a hair dryer, and even with softened glue, it still took some tugging to get the hair off. I was afraid I'd rip the fake fur, but it didn't rip. You have to slowly and carefully peel the hair up at the edges.
The hair is one piece of fake fur, folded over and sewn so there is a seam all the way down the middle. I drew a rough sketch in my paint program to illustrate the basic pattern (not to scale, of course, and definitely not perfect). They cut one piece of fake fur in this basic shape, then folded it over and sewed it where I have the dash marks.
This is the hair from the inside. You can see a seam that runs down the center.
The top of her head has a large hole in it! I knew the inside of the heads must be hollow because of the inset eyes, but the large hole on top surprised me. LOL. By the way, there's a lot of fuzz stuck to this portion of her head from the fake fur, but it could be cleaned off using more acetone, I think. She also has some remnants of blue paint around her scalp where her hair was. I'll be taking this off before trying to put new hair on her.
EDIT: By the way, it would be totally do-able to buy your own fake fur from a fabric store and use it on the Zelfs. I'd make sure the fabric part of the fake fur was thin, though, not thick and stiff.
THE WINGS
The wings are simply glued into a tiny hole in the Zelf's back. Once I softened the glue with the hot hair dryer, the wings came out easily. Switching wings would be the easiest part of customizing them.
REMOVING PAINT AND STENCILS
Now let me tell you how I took off the paint. I used pure acetone. It's sold as nail polish remover, but you can also use it to take off paint and stencils. BUT BE VERY CAREFUL. It will melt many types of plastics, so don't leave it on your Zelf for any length of time. I took a cotton swab/Q-tip, dipped it in the acetone, then wiped off the paint/stencils, rinsing the Zelf with plain water after every single wipe. I didn't want that acetone staying on there for more than a few seconds. The paint really, really wanted to smear terribly, so I had to wipe up a few spots where the paint smeared while I was taking it off.
My other important tip is only use CLEAR acetone. If the acetone is tinted yellow or pink or any other color, this color can transfer to vinyl quickly and might permanently dye your Zelf. (I heard of someone who accidentally dyed her Barbie's face yellow by doing this, when she tried to remove the face paint for repainting.) Make sure to rinse your Zelf with water again afterward.
I've heard of people using a non-acetone nail polish remover to do paint removal, but in my opinion, it doesn't work as well, or as quickly.
I hope this was helpful to people who've been curious about customizing!
Thanks so much for the tutorial!!
I always wondered what was under their hair. 
Right now, I'm trying to figure out what the best kind of glue would be to re-glue the hair. It would have to be something that won't show at the hairline. 
