Restore questions for Samantha....

Weeeeelllllllllll I rescued another doll hahah. My younger sister's (the same one that had Josefina) Samantha. Sam had gotten moved from the closet to the garage stuffed in a duffle bag. I couldn't have that. So she came home with me. She needs a little work. Her hair is ok, but missing a big section underneth (but I don't know if that is normal for older PM Sam's).

Her skin needs cleaning, looks dusty and a little dirty. That's just a baking soda paste scrub right?

And the poor thing's leg and arm are completely dettached. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to reattach them for me? Ooooor maybe I could try it myself... [img]eek.gif[/img] She's hanging out with my girls right now.

Hahahah I'm not even sure what I'll do with her once she is cleaned up. I'm not a big fan of her clothes, except maybe one or two pieces. I'll probably end up getting her a few things that'll fit her PM body....

Hi, I'm hoping someone will reply to this post because I'm also looking into getting a used Samantha. How does one do a baking soda scrub?

But I'm really just writing to say that I was looking through your Felicity photo album, and her red hair is very pretty. I'm so used to seeing the darker-haired Felicity dolls in the catalogs today that I forgot what she used to look like!

Dr. Robin to the rescue! PM me for details! [img]smile.gif[/img]

To thepidget--As for a baking soda scrub, nothing could be simpler--just dip the corner of a damp cloth in baking soda, and scrub your doll's vinyl--it works on almost everything but ink marks, and a little Oxy10 will take care of those. Then, wipe off the baking soda residue with a clean part of said damp cloth, and Voila! A squeaky-clean doll! Just be sure not to scrub her face paint, and don't get any in her eyes.

P.S. Unless you're in love with the little towels that have the American Girl logo on them, DON'T get the doll Skin Care Kit from AG--the can of "doll cleansing powder" is nothing but baking soda! (It even says so on the back of the can--"Ingredients: baking soda"--and that's ALL it says!) [img]eek.gif[/img]

Samantha's wig cap is suppossed to show when you hold up her ponytail. Here is my Samantha (1988 white bodied)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...ear/Samwig.jpg</a>

Lucky you! Be sure to post pictures!

thepidget - thanks [img]smile.gif[/img] Felicity is my favorite because of her pretty red hair. I have seen some pretty M ones too.

Robin! Thank you! I thought it was you who reattached. I'll PM you after this post. Thank you also for the baking soda info.

QNPoohBear - yesh thats exactly what it looks like. I was wondering about that cause her hair isn't in bad shape at all (better than Felicity's was) so I know Ali was kind to her hair, but that didn't explain the bald spot at all. This Sam is also a white bodied... I think the year before Felicity came out.

I will definately get pictures of her. Not all that pretty with her two limbs not attached. But I am pretty sure she'll clean up nicely.

Also for those of you with older Sam's, how do these M outfits fit her: spring party dress, summer outfit, and her talent show dress? Right now she only has her Christmas dress and winter outfit. Whatever ali had for her is in storage and its a pain to get to.

Some white body dolls are chubbier than others but the really chubby ones have trouble fitting into the talent show dress and the lawn party outfit. Congrats on your new girl. I can't wait to see before and after pics! [img]smile.gif[/img]

My Sam is also my sister's and wasn't played with much. I've only combed her hair a few times and she sheds but I know her hair hasn't been cut and I had someone else confirm that their white bodied Sam's hair looked like that too. My Sam had a tough time fitting into the lawn party outfit. The sleeves were tight and I didn't like the way it looked. She fits OK in the Talent Show dress. It was a bit tough to get on but it fits.

Thanks for the info [img]smile.gif[/img] I've actually been thinking about rewigging her. The hair is dry and I just don't like that bald spot. Her skin tho cleaned up nicely. Baking soda does wonders. I kind of want to sell her, but I couldn't do that to my sister even if the doll got left behind. She doesn't know I have them.

I think with a new wig that looks similiar to her old one I'll like her better. Anyone know of a good quality wig that looks like Sam's wig?

Congratulations on your new Sam! I have a little white-bodied Sam restoration project of me own, except this is my own doll from childhood, and I haven't had time to put the effort that she deserves into fixing her up. [img]redface.gif[/img]

In spite of all her problems though, my Sam looks great in the Spring Party dress--in fact, I think it's my favorite Mattel dress on her. It hugs her figure without squeezing her PM chub too much. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Mr Clean magic eraser work wonders on dolly vinyl, but don't go near their lips, cheeks or eyebrows, because it will remove paint. I love that product!!! [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

~Dee

Quote:

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Mr Clean magic eraser work wonders on dolly vinyl, but don't go near their lips, cheeks or eyebrows, because it will remove paint.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You can wipe lips/cheeks/eyebrows down gently with no ill effects. Just don't sit there and scrub them really hard because the paint will eventually be removed. Following these instructions, I have used Mr. Clean Magic eraser on AG faces numerous times with no ill effects. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

About that bald spot--it reminded me of an album posted last summer by another board member (jennifermarym) who restored her PM Samantha's hair without actually re-wigging--so I thought it would be appropriate to re-post the link here--

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2127221148


At the time, I PM'd her to ask what wig she used to supply the restoration hair, and this is the reply:

"I used an IMSCO wig, the PO NO. (which I am guessing is the style number) is 6051. I used a size 10 because I wasn't doing a full rewigging, just really weaving in new hair with the old.
I didn't buy it online, I purchased it from a doll store a few towns over from where I live. The texture is the same, I really lucked out. It had really nice loose curls, which I made even more curlier with foam curlers, but it would have been fine without them. I am pretty sure you'd be able to find this company on-line, although I haven't looked. "


Hope this is helpful! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Going to make this short since it hurts to type. I've tried the Mr Clean Eraser on other dolls and eh had a so-so reaction to it. But the baking soda was enough to clean her. Her vinyl looks as good as new. Her hair is next when I have time. And getting restrung.

Thanks AsianAG [img]smile.gif[/img] for the idea, hmmmm I definately consider it.