Eyechip Removal

Here's Morphine, ready to suffer in the name of beauty.





Equipment required:
Awl (or any pointy object)
Electric drill
2.5mm HSS drill bit
5mm guage self-tapping screw (or other suitable size
self-tapping or wood screw to suit the drill bit used)
Screwdriver
Pliers (only if chip is particularly well glued in)

1. Place doll face up on a firm surface, preferably clamped to prevent movement. A Black and Decker workmate or similar is ideal, with the clamping surfaces covered with a soft cloth to prevent any marking to the sides of the doll's head.



2. Mark a starter point for the drill with the awl. This only needs to be a very slight indentation and is only to make it less likely that the drill bit will slip when you start drilling. If you are confident and careful with a drill you can do without it.





3. Drill a hole, as close to the centre of the chip as possible, approximately 2-3mm deep.
With EBL eyeballs which are hollow, you can actually drill straight through the centre.
Before working with the drill ensure that the doll's (and your own!) hair is well clear
and cannot become entangled.

Be careful to hold the opposite eye steady to prevent movement and not to exert too much downward pressure with the drill, since, if the eyeball revolves by accident, the drill could slip and damage the eye socket. This is the trickiest part of the operation, so take care. Remember to keep the drill turning as you withdraw it. If you find that swarf from the drill is catching the eyelashes, withdraw, the drill, clean it, and start again.







4. Screw the self tapping screw into the hole you have made using an appropriately sized screwdriver. You should find that when the screw is firmly in the hole the eye chip will start to revolve.









It's working! Sounds difficult but it isn't, really. Once you get the grip it'll become easier.
We were removing chips at the rate of a pair per minute. :)



5. Once the screw is firmly in place, use it as a handle to pull out the chip. If the chip is particularly well stuck, try drilling a little deeper, screw the screw in further, and use pliers. Alternatively, if dealing with an EBL, drill completely through the centre, insert the tip of the awl into the hole and use it to lever out the chip.



Theoretically, you could drill straight through an SBL chip also, although you would need to be able to judge accurately the depth to minimise damage to the base of the eye chip well.

Of course you won't be able to reuse them, so this method won't work if you just want to change the eyechips position or if you intend to sell them. But to me it doesn't matter. I replace the chips because I do not care for Takara's default colours. As for selling, I would happily lose some money - what, two dollars? - to never have to use that damned glue stick mess again.





Here some of the girls who had their chips changed today:



Vanilla's eyes were VERY stuck on. Takara went mad with the glue on her, so we had to work a lot with the screw. Now imagine if I was using a glue stick?? I would spend the eternity messing with lights and hot glue, make a total mess of the doll and myself, open the head, soak it, and still I very much doubt I'll make any progress.



Morphine looking pretty with her milky, glow-in-the-dark new chips.