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How to Remove BJD Face Paint

Ball Jointed Dolls, or BJDs, are poly-resin collectibles that can range into the hundreds and thousands of dollars. Most dolls are hand-painted by professional crafters and each is made distinctive from the mold with an exclusive "face-up," the construction and painting of the face. It is possible to remove an existing face-up with non-abrasive chemicals and some gentle work, but dolls are fragile and great care must be taken to use the right tools and technique.

Things You'll Need

Pure nail polish remover, non-acetone
One dozen cotton balls
One dozen cotton swabs
Nut pick
Non-moisturizing dish detergent
Toothbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Carefully remove the eyes and scrape out the eye putty with the nut pick. The putty can be re-used when you apply your own face-up.
- 2
  Wet a cotton ball with a small amount of nail polish remover and go over the larger painted areas. Do not allow any to drip from the ball and take care not to spread paint to unpainted areas.
- 3
  Use a different cotton ball each time the first becomes covered or different colors are encountered. You can paint over areas you have removed the paint from, but you do not want to spread the paint to where you would later have to use cover-up.
- 4
  Dip cotton swabs into the nail polish remover and squeeze off the excess. Use this to work on the mouth or other small areas that the balls cannot clean. Change these often.
- 5
  Once the bulk of the paint is removed, carefully flake away any remainder with your nut pick, taking care not to damage the face.
- 6
  When you are happy with the removal, gently rub the BJD face with a small dab of dish detergent on an extra soft toothbrush. Rinse the doll with water to wash away the remaining nail polish remover and detergent to allow for future painting.

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