If you have an ADG, BL, EBL or SBL Blythe (see Alana’s post on facemoulds if you’re not sure which yours is), you may want to change her eye colours without the extra work of taking her head apart. Here’s how it’s done:
1. Go buy some glue sticks (the kind used in glue guns), a lighter and some craft glue. I’m using Mod Podge, but any craft glue that dries clear, such as gem glue, will do the job. Don’t be tempted to use super glue – I tried it despite warnings and my beautiful sparkly eyechips went milky and patchy the next day when it was too late to change my mind!
2. Choose your new eyechips. My favourites are Brainworm chips, but CoolCat and Ixtee are developing new patterns and effects, including enlarged pupils, that are definitely worth a look. Remember to check our links page for online stores.
3. If you want to keep your doll’s original eyelashes, you’ll need to keep them out of the way while you change her eyechips. Sticky tape can be used to stick them back above the eye so they that don’t get gluey.
4. Melt the end of a glue stick. This can be done with a lighter. However, you may burn your fingers like that (I always do when I try it), so I’d recommend lighting a candle and melting the glue with the candle flame. Working out the right level of meltiness is a bit of a trial-and-error affair, though I can tell you that it should be melty, but not drippy, if that makes sense. You want it to stick to the eyechip you’re trying to remove, but not spread glue all over the eyeball, faceplate, your hands, etc.
5. Press the melted end of the glue stick onto the eyechip that you want to remove. Press it as firmly as you can, then leave the glue to cool and set:
6. Pull on the gluestick. You may have to pull hard – don’t be scared! Hopefully the result will be this:
If not, try again. You might want to try leaving the glue to harden a little longer on the next attempt.
7. Your doll should now be giving you this kind of look:
Try not to be freaked out by the empty eyeball or the grumpy look she’s giving you. She’ll forgive you when she has fabulous new eyes. Repeat with the other eye.
8. Now comes the fun bit.
From these blank eyeballs you can create your new look for your Blythe. Try different kinds of foil or coloured paper behind the new eyechips to see the different effects you can achieve. I’m loving Brainworm foils at the moment, but any kind of thin paper could work. (I should also add that the black rings on the eyeballs in this picture are characteristic of BL and EBL eyeballs, SBL and ADG ones are all white.)
9. Put in the new chips. You’ll need to add a bit of your craft glue around the post of the chip. Don’t add too much, or it’ll squish out around the edges of the chip:
Press the new chips in firmly.
10. Admire your doll’s new eyes. Accept praise.
Remember to be careful when removing the sticky tape you’ve used to protect her eyelashes. You don’t want to scratch her eye shadow with your fingernails.
11. Leave your doll for 24 hours to give the glue time to set. Resist the urge to pull that string! If you turn the eyes before the glue has set the chips may come loose and drop into the doll’s head. (Another lesson I learned the hard way.) After 24 hours, you can start the process again on the next set of chips. Have fun!
20 Comments
Add your own1. Alana | November 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Excellent!
Stella is a very tolerant model.
2. Christina | November 23rd, 2008 at 6:28 am
I really want to try this, but Im such a baby about any customising*L*
3. Kate | November 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I’ve just Flickred my first attempt at eyechip replacement, and I’m pretty happy so far!
4. Jade | November 24th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Good job!
5. Annabel | November 24th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Those new mauve chips are gorgeous!
6. Jess | November 24th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Today i took out a pair of eyechips of my ebl and I had only ever done my sbl, and i FREAKED because there was a hole in the socket! Nat assured me it was normal lol.
7. Vicky | December 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Wow… When i get eye chips for my pullip doll will this work as well on pullips?
8. Sue | December 28th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
You can do a similar thing with Pullips, though their eye mechanisms are very different. Have a look at this tutorial: http://www.requiemart.com/pullip/rubber.html
9. Vicky | January 24th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Thanks Sue XD I tried it right of the bat and it was successful. Thanks.
10. Sue | January 29th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Excellent!
11. Lon | February 1st, 2009 at 8:42 am
THAT is the most awsome tape I have ever seen.
12. Sue | February 4th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Cheers Lon!
13. Anna | June 23rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
This method worked without any hassle at all…my 5 year old even helped me! Thankyou so much
14. Tatiana Castro | July 10th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Hey, awesome tips! I have just a couple of questions I think you can help me with.
1- I bought IXTEE yellow eye chips and the center of the pupil is not black. It is yellow like the rest of the chip :/ Are all chips like that and we have to paint the center black or something??
2-cna you do the glue thing with the eyes that look to the side?
Thank you very much!
xTatiana.
15. Sue | July 20th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
1. You can paint the pupil black with regular acrylic craft paint.
2. You can use this method with the side-glancing eyechips, it’s just a little bit fiddlier!
Thanks for reading!
16. sp | June 10th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Tried this and oh yeah, i learned the hard way cos a pair fell out. Sigh. And now, I am wondering how to take them out. Any tips? Thanks!
17. Sue | June 22nd, 2010 at 7:53 pm
That has happened to me too!
Sometimes you can rattle them round to the front and coax them out of the eye holes. Alternatively, you can take the screws out of the back of the head and prise the faceplates apart just enough to get the eyechips out.
Good luck!
18. Sue Coyle | July 17th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Hi there,
I have a Blythe doll I want to try customizing myself from top to bottom. I would like to know where to get blank eye chips so I can paint them myself. Do you know where to get them?
Thanks so much in advance.
Sue
19. Sue | August 2nd, 2011 at 8:14 am
Try here: http://us.sk-coolcat.com/front/bin/home.phtml
20. ellenlankford | December 21st, 2011 at 8:39 am
hi,
i’m thinking about getting a new blythe. i have 2 of the originals from when i was a kid (1972) but don’t know anything about the new ones. are their heads hard to open? do u change around a set of eyes like we did with the originals..with a string? now one of my strings broke, but i just push her eye (ouch!) thus turning to the next one. also, do any of the new girls come bald? i have tons of 7/8 wigs, if that’s what they wear. thanks bunches, ladies!
ellen
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed