So is THIS The RIGHT STUFF... Naphtha Head Shrink Question.

[Nostalgiabuff]

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i used the mattel body. head popped right on, no trouble at all. this was a 2.5 day soak. i am happy with the shrinkage, though i the smell is troublesome getting out of the hair

[Tiberiusguy]

Lonnie, I had no results with the acetone head, put into naptha. Sorry, forgot to report it.
Don’t leave acetone overnight, btw

[LonnieFisher]

I've got some heads in naphtha that I plan to leave for a month, maybe longer.

[Tiberiusguy]

Make sure you have no naphtha nor water on the head, the two will not cancel each other out. There may not be any further shrinkage though, as it seems the vinyl can only reduce so much. How long did you use naphtha? Don’t be afraid to keep it for a week, not so acetone.

[Jrfjr126rock]

I used Naphtha and the head didn't shrink as much as I would have liked, if I put it in acetone will it shrink again or not after already shrinking with Naphtha

[Nostalgiabuff]

cool, thanks for the info

[sprytel]

when dipping a female rooted head, do you pull the hair out as much as possible or just dip the whole thing in? i was wondering if i should try and keep the longer part of the hair out of the Naptha, just to keep it a little neater

Based on my experiences shrinking Playmates heads (Worf, Troi, and Crusher), you can toss the whole head in there. It won't damage the hair. When you remove it, there is a little bit of a feeling like the hair has hairspray in it... which honestly you could probably shampoo out, but I find it more of a feature than a bug.

[Nostalgiabuff]

when dipping a female rooted head, do you pull the hair out as much as possible or just dip the whole thing in? i was wondering if i should try and keep the longer part of the hair out of the Naptha, just to keep it a little neater

[EMCE Hammer]

I just checked on the head over the lunch hour (about 24 hours after submerging it in the Naphtha) and it is indeed the exact same size as when I first put it in. No change in size at all. I am hoping this process works.

I've soaked some things for MONTHS just to get a little down sizing. Just keep an eye on it.

[TheVintageToyKid]

I just checked on the head over the lunch hour (about 24 hours after submerging it in the Naphtha) and it is indeed the exact same size as when I first put it in. No change in size at all. I am hoping this process works.

[TheVintageToyKid]

Perhaps it is the mirror effect you are referring to... I have it in a glass mason jar.

[sprytel]

I'm in the midst of experimenting with Naphtha to shrink a Playmates Kirk head. I put it in the Naphtha just under 24 hours ago. How long does it usually take for the head to reach Mego size? Also, upon examining it this morning it appears to have actually grown or swelled slightly. Is this a normal part of the process?

48 hours is a good ballpark.

It shouldn't have grown though. That happens with acetone but not Naphtha. If you have it in a glass container, it can sometimes have a "fun house mirror" effect... but otherwise, I'm not quite sure what the cause would be.

[TheVintageToyKid]

I'm in the midst of experimenting with Naphtha to shrink a Playmates Kirk head. I put it in the Naphtha just under 24 hours ago. How long does it usually take for the head to reach Mego size? Also, upon examining it this morning it appears to have actually grown or swelled slightly. Is this a normal part of the process?

[PNGwynne]

Hmmm. I think it would shrink a vintage cowl but might warp it. Also, re-softening might tear it,

Personally, I would not shrink a vintage cowl. Since it's going to harden when shrunk anyway, why not use a CTVT cowl which is already harder plastic and smaller? It might fit a vintage Bruce head nicely just as it is.

If you want to experiment shrinking a soft cowl, try a DM one.

[actjac01]

Okay, here's one for you...
Batman cowl. Would you use this to shrink one of these, or would it be too destructive?
I don't need much of a shrink, just want the cowl to fit Bruce head better.
What do you think?