I need a little help with understanding how to ship a sleepy eye, dome head doll. I have read on the net that the head needs to be packed to prevent damage.
It leads me to believe it is imperative the eyes are protected. The problem is, I cannot find any place online which shows how to actually detach the head in order to ’stuff" it for protection.
Any help will greatly appreciated..Thanks.
|
Frolicnymph Reputation: 67 See Frolicnymph's booth |
If the head is antique bisque and has no opening at the crown, it’s best to remove it prior to shipping. Do you have a picture of the doll?
Most of the antique dolls have an opening at the crown that is covered by a pate and wig. Once that is removed, you can stuff the head lightly with tissue to prevent the weight attached to the sleep eyes from swinging back and forth and breaking the bisque in transit. I have received several dolls shipped without the eye weight stabalized for shipping and each time, the eyes were shattered and the bisque head cracked. I would never risk it on an antique doll. If you can post a picture of the doll sans clothing, I will be able to judge better what you are faced with.
After clarification with Frolic, it was determined the doll is a bisque head baby on a 5 piece composition body with loose stringing. Here was my recommendation in case anyone else ever needs to use [URL removed]
Take a piece of tissue paper and fold it lengthwise until you have a long strip. Lay the doll face down. Gently pull the head up out of the body. Start gently poking one end of the tissue up into the head through the neck opening. Depending on the size of the doll, it won’t take a lot of tissue paper, just enough so that rocker mechanism doesn’t flop back and forth. Leave at least 2-3 inches of tissue protruding from the neck opening. When the buyer receives the doll, they will be able to just gently pull the head up (the way you did) and pull that tissue out slowly in one piece. The tissue sticking out will also protect the neck from chipping where it meets the body.
The other way to ship a doll like this is to just cut the stringing (you said it was loose anyway) and do the same procedure on the head while you can see up into the opening. For both procedures, you would also want to wrap some soft tissue around the head across the eyes on the outside of the head, and bubblewrap the head separately very securely. Some people even double box the head.
I would also wrap the arms and legs separately in tissue to protect those tiny fingers and toes, then wrap the entire doll in bubblewrap again and secure the bubblewrap with tape so it doesn’t dislodge during shipping. Pack the box tight enough with additional packing so that the doll doesn’t move during shipping and you’re ready to go.
|
debdoll Reputation: 972 See debdoll's booth |
The eyes do need to be stabilized so the rockers don’t swing back and forth resulting in broken eyes and bisque. I haven’t shipped an antique but I know plenty of people who have and they actually use UNUSED baby diapers on the head to give it extra cushions and white tissue paper on the limbs before wrapping the whole doll in bubblewrap. On a doom head it can be rather difficult to protect the eyes and bisque unless like Deb said there is a hole in the doom that you can get to and use soft tissue inside the head to keep the rockers still.
|
LadybugzDollz Reputation: 110 See LadybugzDollz's booth |
My MOM used to design,make and repair dolls… She repaired / restored mostly old bisque and porcelain….
She would wrap dolls in layers of tissue,then bubble wrap and ship them well padded and double boxed….I never saw her remove a doll head for shipping….
|
sistahqueen2 Reputation: 14 See sistahqueen2's booth |
I ship plenty of porcelain with moving eyelids. You only need to bubble wrap the head extra well. I prefer to position the doll so the eyes are closed when wrapped. Not sure that makes any kind of difference. For porcelain I put extra wrap on all the porcelain parts, like hands and feet too. I’ve never had a breakage complaint on one. Just make sure you pack a big enough box with lots of cushioning so that it is suspended in the center and not up against the cardboard. Should be fine.
|
OnTopOfJunkMountain Reputation: 86 See OnTopOfJunkMountain's booth |
All of you are so very kind and generous to share. Thanks!
The Dome Head has no top opening. The stringing is loose so I am thinking gently packing the head thru the neck area as suggested by Deb is the way to go. BYW..you have beautiful Dolls Deb. :)
Again, Thank You to all of you for taking time to share your knowledge. :)
|
|
Frolicnymph Reputation: 67 See Frolicnymph's booth |
Viewed: 7078 times
Asked: about 14 years ago
Latest response: about 14 years ago
Remember these tips:
- Use links to other sources to support your opinions
- Use examples where possible
- Put yourself in the inquirers shoes: what extra info would be helpful?
Should I post a comment or an answer?
You can only post one answer, so make it count. Maybe your reply is more fitting as a comment instead?
Post an answer for:
- Replies that directly and specifically answer the original question
Post a comment for:
- "Thanks," "Me too," "I agree," or "Works for me" types of replies
- When you would like the original poster to provide more details
- When you have more to add to someone else's question or answer
See also our Roundtable FAQ.
Formatting
Community help posts follow certain formatting guidelines, which may impact the look of your post. If you're interested in tweaking the format, instructions are available here.
