The Water Treatment
There have been a lot of questions regarding water treating clothing for HT and sideshow figures. o I thought an updated picture post on the subject timely.
Warning, some figures may react poorly to water treatment, proceed at your own risk. Please post your success stories also so other may know what figures work and which do not.
Away we go....
First...undressing.
This can be the hardest part of the project. For my 1/6 scale Hot Toys Kylo Ren, it was a difficult job. I always recommend removing the hands,feet and head. It makes it much easier to remove the clothing. Carefully preposition the figure reduce the amount of stress on the fabric. Try to remember the way you removed the clothing, it will likely be the bast way to re dress them.
Tools
All you need here is a clean flat surface to work with, and a clean spray bottle with water. You can use distilled water if you want to be absolutely safe.
The Work
Liberally spray the clothing until wet. Damp is really not good enough, certain lighter fabrics may respond to a misting of water, but tough fabrics , like Kylo's robe, need to be pretty wet.
Once the clothing is totally wet you will be easily be able to straighten out any curls or wrinkles. Kylo's robes are very layered , so Each layer needed to be wet and straightened individually.
Pay attention to the seams and stitching, and be sure they are folded correctly an flat.
Some fabrics may need some help to flatten. Kylo's underobe is made of a springy material, after wetting I used a weight to keep the fabric down.
Drying
Drying the fabric can be challenging, but it is also the most important part. I opt to hang to piece to allot it to dry in a natural fashion. Many people will put the clothes back on the figure while still damp. In this phase you can often re fold, curl and shape the fabric to your liking. It will keep this shape after fully drying.
I pat dry my clothing, and then hang them using the wire from the stands. When the fabric is near dry I begin my shaping.
POST TREATMENT
You can clearly see the difference in the robes, especially at the bottom. I choose to give the robes a "wave" look on the back of the figure to show what can be done in the drying phase.
I hope this helps someone feel more comfortable doing this treatment. It really help make the clothing much more realistic and can help get rid of troublesome wrinkles and curls from shipping.
Best wishes!
Xipo
There have been a lot of questions regarding water treating clothing for HT and sideshow figures. o I thought an updated picture post on the subject timely.
Warning, some figures may react poorly to water treatment, proceed at your own risk. Please post your success stories also so other may know what figures work and which do not.
Away we go....
First...undressing.
This can be the hardest part of the project. For my 1/6 scale Hot Toys Kylo Ren, it was a difficult job. I always recommend removing the hands,feet and head. It makes it much easier to remove the clothing. Carefully preposition the figure reduce the amount of stress on the fabric. Try to remember the way you removed the clothing, it will likely be the bast way to re dress them.
Tools
All you need here is a clean flat surface to work with, and a clean spray bottle with water. You can use distilled water if you want to be absolutely safe.
The Work
Liberally spray the clothing until wet. Damp is really not good enough, certain lighter fabrics may respond to a misting of water, but tough fabrics , like Kylo's robe, need to be pretty wet.
Once the clothing is totally wet you will be easily be able to straighten out any curls or wrinkles. Kylo's robes are very layered , so Each layer needed to be wet and straightened individually.
Pay attention to the seams and stitching, and be sure they are folded correctly an flat.
Some fabrics may need some help to flatten. Kylo's underobe is made of a springy material, after wetting I used a weight to keep the fabric down.
Drying
Drying the fabric can be challenging, but it is also the most important part. I opt to hang to piece to allot it to dry in a natural fashion. Many people will put the clothes back on the figure while still damp. In this phase you can often re fold, curl and shape the fabric to your liking. It will keep this shape after fully drying.
I pat dry my clothing, and then hang them using the wire from the stands. When the fabric is near dry I begin my shaping.
POST TREATMENT
You can clearly see the difference in the robes, especially at the bottom. I choose to give the robes a "wave" look on the back of the figure to show what can be done in the drying phase.
I hope this helps someone feel more comfortable doing this treatment. It really help make the clothing much more realistic and can help get rid of troublesome wrinkles and curls from shipping.
Best wishes!
Xipo
