1/3 ball jointed doll BJD 60cm

thingiverse

Do you want to join our BJD group? We share designs and tips and chat. It will be super fun, I promise. Link below. https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/ball-jointed-dolls-bjds/forums This project was a blast to work on, and very budget-friendly. This BJD was originally designed by Driftgirl - check out her profile at https://www.thingiverse.com/driftgirl/about. It was then reuploaded by sarf2k4 - you can learn more about him at https://www.thingiverse.com/sarf2k4/about. This version from me rescales the head from sarf2k4 to match the body, and tweaks the files slightly. You'll need a 9-10" wig - mine was $11.98 on eBay. Keep in mind that all wigs are different, so you might have to do some adjusting. I had to slowly pull my wig on one side at a time to get it to fit. You'll also need a 9-10" wig cap. I prefer silicone, and it was $1.16 on eBay. For the eyes, 22mm works best - mine were $12.28 on eBay. Don't forget to pick up some eye putty - at least 8 grams will do the trick. It's $1.15 on eBay. As you can tell, eBay is a great resource for ball joint doll enthusiasts. Everything I ordered shipped from Shenzen, China, so be prepared for a couple of weeks' wait depending on your location. A note on sanding and smoothing: You'll need to sand the doll a lot - hand-sanding takes forever! Instead, make the sanding disk seen in the pictures. Cut a circle in regular sandpaper, poke a hole in the center, and attach it to a rotary tool. Use a very slow speed setting - the sanding disk is flexible, so you can get into tight spots. Here's my process: Spray everything with Rustoleum filler primer in a thin even coat. Wait 24 hours for the primer to dry as it shrinks while drying. Next, sand everything with 80 grit until the surface is rough but no longer has layer lines. Most of the paint will be removed during this step. Then sand with 120, 220, 300, 400. Clean it up with isopropyl alcohol, then spray again with Rustoleum filler primer in a thin even coat. Give it 24 hours to dry, then VERY LIGHTLY BY HAND sand with 800 grit sandpaper - this is just to remove the rough texture of the Rustoleum filler primer. Finally, spray with a Krylon matte clearcoat, and let it dry for a few hours. A note on color and faceup: I'm not an artist, and proper faceup is super tricky. That's why I went with gray skintone, black eyes, and heavy bangs - it made life much easier! If you want to do a propper faceup but don't have the skills, consider sending your doll's head to an etsy artist. They work on commission and produce amazing work - check out https://www.etsy.com/market/faceup. A note on stringing: I used 3mm elastic cords - 10 yards will be plenty for this project. I used small nails, and bent them into s hooks for the hands, feet, and head. Use a paperclip to get the shape right, then copy it with a nail. String in three sections: the hands across the chest, the feet across the groin, and the head to the groin by drilling two holes in the lower stomach where the bumps are. Feel free to ask me any questions - I'm happy to help! Have fun making your doll!