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Do you have a doll you would like to repair?
Antique Child offers full service doll repair including bisque, china, composition, hard plastic and vinyl. View before & after photos or check out a FREE Estimate for doll repairs or doll clothing.
Read more about Doll
Restoration . . . . . .
Doll repair,
restoration and conservation is the art and skill of bringing dolls back as a treasured memory. Antique
and vintage dolls have come to be thought of as a work of art. Learning doll repair is more than being
a Doll Doctor and fixing what is broken; it is restoring a work of art to museum quality or returning it as a family
heirloom.
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What is museum quality restoration?
To be considered “museum quality” the restoration must meet
standards in preserving dolls or other objects that would be approved by any museum. To attain those standards in doll repair
and restoration, an essential criteria must be met: - The doll must appear as it originally did, with
the doll repair and restoration work virtually undetectable when viewing it on display or even in close examination and handling
of the doll.
- The materials used in the doll repair and restoration
must be permanent –meaning that over time they will not crack, chip, yellow, discolor or in any way deteriorate.
Years have been spent acquiring
the knowledge needed to know which materials are permanent and compatible with the original materials the doll. For example,
the same filler materials are not used on antique china doll porcelain that are used on antique composition doll repair
or paper mache. Most photographs on this website are
dolls that have been restored or costumed by me. Some pages of the dolls will be shown in the “before” state as
well as in the finished state. I encourage you to compare the work—and photos—with any out there on the web.
Notice that all our pictures are large and clear to show excellent views of the antique composition repair as well as the
antique china doll and bisque restoration work. You are invited to make an appointment with me to see my work in
person.
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What questions should I ask when seeking someone to restore my antique doll(s)?
Many people out there call themselves doll hospitals
or doll doctors and say they do antique doll repair or antique doll restoration. You will also find many prices for what appears to be the same kind of work, and you wonder why.
One reason for cheaper prices is that they are not as skilled or cut corners in the antique doll
repair or doll restoration process—these are people who decided “Hey, I can fix dolls!” and start doing
it for themselves and friends. Their materials are the fastest, cheapest and easiest to use. The most common used being
water based craft paints and paints used in making porcelain dolls. Paints used in making porcelain dolls (sometimes
call china paints) are designed to be fired on, and if they are not fired, they are not permanent paints.
Unskilled
antique doll repair and doll hospital providers often don’t even know what an air brush is. It is not uncommon
for them to use plaster for filler. This is porous, does not permanently adhere to the material of the doll, and does
not take a finish well, which even after it is painted, the paint eventually dries up and begins to crack or flake off and
is also subject to discoloration.
To avoid being victimized by unskilled service providers you should ask them the
following questions before turning your valued treasures over to them:
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There is no
way a true professional can tell you what a repair will cost without examining the doll. There are simply too many variables
to make that feasible.
On our “Quick Estimates” page you will find a form you can fill out to get an informal estimate as to what your doll may cost to
restore. Any prices we quote using this method are just estimates, but will give you
a rough idea of the cost. In order for your work to be accepted you will need to request a formal quote and follow the quote
process outlined on our "Quote Process" page.
Once your doll has been examined, a firm
fixed price for the work will be itemized for you, which you may either approve and restoration proceeds, or you choose
not to accept, and your doll will be returned to you just as it was received. (at your expense as outlined
in our quote process)
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How long have you been doing this?
What kind of filler do you use?
Do you use an air brush for painting?
Do you airbrush on cheek color and eye shadow?
Can I see samples of your work in person, if I come there?
If I can’t come in person, how do I get my doll(s) to you?
How long will you have my doll(s)?
Do you have contact information for others you have done work for? (References)
How do I know I will get my own doll back, and not another doll?
And of course you will ask, “How much does it cost?”
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