Are there any step by step tutorials on how to shrink heads? I have a few Playmates Trek heads I'd like to shrink to MEGO size. I am looking for some very easy to follow directions because I have never done it before and my memory and concentration isn't what it should be.
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Tutorials For Head Shrinking
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Acetone and Naphtha are two chemicals used to shrink heads. I have shrunk Playmates heads with acetone. You just soak the head in a sealed jar of acetone and it will absorb it and swell up. Then you remove and let the chemical evaporate out of the vinyl, and it shrinks. Soak time depends on the actual individual head. I've never used the naphtha to do it, but others here have and could probably instruct you. -
It isn't an exact science unfortunately. I have stopped using acetone and have switched to Naptha because it doesn't remove paint like Acetone, and in general it seems a little less caustic. I'm still learning Naptha, but in general soaking the Playmates head a week, and then letting it dry out a couple of days is what works for me. Sometimes it takes more than one soak. When drying a head turn it upside down so the inside can breathe better.Comment
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It isn't an exact science unfortunately. I have stopped using acetone and have switched to Naptha because it doesn't remove paint like Acetone, and in general it seems a little less caustic. I'm still learning Naptha, but in general soaking the Playmates head a week, and then letting it dry out a couple of days is what works for me. Sometimes it takes more than one soak. When drying a head turn it upside down so the inside can breathe better.Comment
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I use a glass jar and close the lid so I don't take years off my kids' lives with daddy's off-gassing. Peanut butter jar size.Comment
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Yeah, same here. I seal it in a jelly jar. I don't fill it to the brim, but you I put a liberal amount in there. Steve may have done more than me now, so he can correct me... but in my experience, the Naphtha seems like it can be reused for multiple shrinks (unlike acetone, which you will want to change each time). So really no need to skimp when pouring it in the jar.Comment
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I fill my jars about halfway with Naptha.Comment
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I have to say, I'm not advocating using acetone, it's just the only thing I've used. Naphtha seems like it would be better, from what people are saying. Longer process, but better results by keeping the original paint intact. I wonder if naphtha would shrink the heads that acetone wouldn't. I tried to shrink a couple of Mork heads with acetone, and it was a total failure. They shrank zero percent.Comment
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