Resetting Sleep Eyes

This is a subject that is unnerving to many collectors. I hope this tutorial will give you the confidence you need to “do-it-yourself”. Because truly, all you need is a little guidance and a little confidence. Read the entire tutorial and get everything you will need ready and at hand.

Here are the items that I use to reset eyes: Plaster of Paris, vaseline, wax, a towel, a washcloth, needlenose pliers or metal hook, a toothpick or tiny paint brush, a plastic bowl that will fit the doll head, and a small bowl to serve several purposes.

You may want to remove the head from the body. This is entirely optional, but depending on the size of the doll it is usually easier to handle just the head rather than the entire doll.

First of all, you will need to determine your scope of work:

* Are the eyes still in place, but broken or poorly set? You will need to completely remove both sides of the plaster and begin new.

* Has just one of the plaster eye sockets (holding the eyes in place) fallen out? You have to make a choice. You may remove the remaining plaster socket and begin new. OR you may leave it in place and simply plaster the other side. Gently place the eyes into the remaining socket and look at the doll’s face. Check to see that the fit is good and the eyes line up nicely. If so, then leave the remaining plaster in place and just re-plaster one side. On our model, we will leave the one remaining plaster in place.

Step One: IF NECCESARY - REMOVE THE OLD PLASTER:

You will need: a plastic bowl and patience.

Place the doll’s head upside down into the plastic bowl. If you do not have a plastic bowl, you can line a glass bowl with a washcloth. Add enough water so that the eye plaster is completely covered. At this point patience is the key, as you wait for the water to work its magic. You are not waiting for the plaster to totally dissolve. If the head is large enough, you can occasionally reach inside with your fingers and apply light pressure to the plaster. If the head is tiny, the eraser on the end of a pencil will work well instead of your fingers. The plaster will eventually slide right off in one piece.

While you are soaking out the old eye plaster, be sure to keep your eyes rocker in a safe and secure place.

Step Two: ALIGNING THE EYES

You will need: Vaseline, a thick dry towel, wax, a small glass bowl, and a toothpick (or a tiny paintbrush).

Place the head face down on a towel. Arrange the towel so that the head will be level and is firmly supported. Those areas of the eyes and rocker that will be covered with plaster should be coated with Vaseline. The Vaseline will help create the space for the “eye sockets” so that the rocker can swing smoothly. Now take your eye rocker and place it inside the doll’s head over the open eye cuts.

This head has a usable plaster socket remaining on the left. The right side of the eye is coated with vaseline. I also put a little vaseline on the cross-piece. The vaseline will help us later when we create the eye socket in the new plaster.

Melt some wax - any wax will do - I use canning wax.

Pick up the doll’s head while holding the rocker in place. Make sure that the eyes are lined up properly. Just before your wax begins to cool, pick some up on your toothpick or paintbrush and drop it where the eyes and the bisque meet. Let the wax harden and it will hold the eyes exactly where you want them. When you are happy with your eye placement and the wax has hardened - place the head back on the towel face-down.

You can see the doll's eyes are held in place by the hardened wax. You don't really need this much wax, but I wanted to make it obvious in my photo. The wax will easily flake right off when you are done.

Step Three: SETTING THE EYES:

You will need Plaster of Paris, a small mixing bowl, a small metal hook (or needle nose pliers), and a small spoon - how small depends on the size of your doll.

Mix your plaster according to the directions on the container. Stir occasionally until you reach the desired consistency. I test my plaster by taking a spoonful and inverting it back into the bowl. When it holds a soft mounded shape, without being really stiff, the plaster is ready. The plaster will harden quickly from this point, so act now.

This is how your plaster should look when the consistency is right. When you pick up a spoonful, it will not be runny, but it will slide off the spoon and form a soft lump. It will look and feel a bit like meringue when it is ready to spread on a pie.

Take up some plaster in your spoon (depending on the size of your doll). Reaching inside the head, let it slide off the side of the spoon onto the bisque, just above the eye level. Gravity will pull your slightly soft plaster down onto and around the eye. Immediately do the other eye, if needed. 

You can see that the new plaster was placed above the eye, and gravity has pulled it down around the eye. Watch the plaster, and if you think it will flow too far down, simply roll the head onto it's side to stop flow of gravity. If you are not successful in your first attempt, just wipe out the plaster and try again.

Now let the plaster set up just a little. At this point we must lift the rocker to create those little sockets in the plaster behind the eyes. You will press one finger gently on the center of the rocker to hold it steady. Press down gently enough that the rocker will be able to pivot under your fingers, but firmly enough that the eyes remain close to the eye opening. This is not as tricky as it sounds. If you did not put a little vasline on the cross-piece, you may find that a little vaseline on the flat part of your finger helps the rocker to move more freely.

Needlenose plers and a metal hook. Two possible tools for lifting the eye rocker.

Ready? While pressing on the eye rocker with one finger, lift the weighted end - all the way up and then back in place. Depending on the size of the doll, you may lift the rocker weight with the fingers of your other hand, a metal hook, needle nose pliers - whatever works and you have handy.

I am applying slight pressure to keep the rocker close to the eye openings.  My other hand is using a metal hook to lift the rocker - all the way up and then back to its resting place.

Let the plaster completely harden before picking up the doll head. Then you can clean the wax from her eyes - it flicks right off with your fingernail - and wipe up any Vaseline that may show.

You are done! If things did not go according to plan…no problem…just clean out your plaster and try it again! Once you have your first success, you will have complete confidence that you can do this any time.

A beautiful doll, given life and personality through her eyes. 

P.S. Do not dump your leftover plaster and wax down the sink.  They will harden and clog your pipes. Before they harden, place them safely in the trash.