#pyrol unicenta

My First Dye Job: Soom Pyrol Unicenta

Years ago when Soom released their first Teenie Gem centaurs I ordered a Pyrol Unicenta. I had trouble bonding with him upon arrival, though, because his color combo was never quite "right" for the character I bought him to shell. He was an LE and I was too terrified to do anything... drastic. So I sat him in the corner of my cabinet. I'm ashamed to say the poor guy collected dust for almost six years before I even thought of finding the courage to pursue my plans. (Sad, I know.) But then I stumbled across this amazing experiment that introduced me to the wonders of iDyePoly. I was so excited to learn about a new product out there more reliable than RIT that could help me achieve the dark, onyx black ponybutt I had long desired. After a few months of battling cold feet I finally bought all the supplies I needed to help transform my LE centaur into my smart 'n sneaky Orion.

Doll Info:

LE Soom Teenie Gem Pyrol Unicenta Please note I only dyed the centaur parts, which were a bronze tan.

Dye Used:

Jacquard iDyePoly in "Black"

Prep:

First I unstrung Orion and cleaned each part thoroughly with 91% isopropyl alcohol, trying my best to remove the acrylic paint from his hooves (I also went ahead and removed his temporary face-up). Once dry, I repeated the process. I wore gloves to prevent getting oils from my skin on the resin. I did not sand the parts or use a Magic Eraser, however.

Dye Method:

Before continuing further, I created a dye concentrate in hot water then allowed the mixture to fully dissolve before adding it to the bath. I didn't want to go crazy and over-saturate the water, so initially I only used 1/3 of the dye packet (without intensifier). When I tested the solution I quickly realized that wouldn't be enough... So ultimately I ended up dumping most of the dye into my concentrate---3/4 of the packet. I should note that I added the dye concentrate to the big ol' pot through a coffee filter in an attempt to prevent powder clumps from infiltrating the bath. I continued boiling eight (8) quarts of water in a sixteen (16) quart pot over high heat. I used 100% polyester string to submerge the pieces one by one. I wanted as close to an onyx black as I could achieve, so I ended up dyeing each part twice. First dip was for three (3) minutes, followed by a quick rinse in lukewarm water. At this point, I could still see the bronze beneath the dye, so once each piece had a trip in the bath I let them all cool briefly before dipping them again for one and a half (1.5) minutes. I allowed the parts to cure for 48 hours before restringing.

Results:

Half due to luck and half due to research, I was somehow able to achieve a beautiful, bold jet black... and everything is pretty even, to boot! In natural light there is a bit of warmth to the parts, which I'm assuming is due to the original bronze resin beneath the dye. There is some marbling near his seams, but nothing too distracting. All in all, I'm VERY pleased with my first dye job!

To-Do:

paint his horn

paint his face-up

centaur body detail work

make him his new tail

make him his outfit

He’s got stars in his eyes… Received my Dolcebella urethane eyes from Doll Peddler today! I LOVE them. They make my doll look like his irises reflect the Milky Way—these poorly lit photos don’t do them justice. I can’t wait to redo his face-up. Anyway, these are Dolcebella 12mm Galaxy #3 eyes, shown in my Soom Pyrol Unicenta. They are SUPER low dome, so they fit easily in his romantic/sleepy-eyed head.