Advice Needed -- Removing Gilda's Horns

[Lhianneth]

Hey all! So I have done some searching on the forums and online in general, and this seems to be a common problem with Gilda:

Horn glue.

I have a Gilda that I'm getting ready to re-hair, but her horns and the vinyl around them are covered in glue, and one of them was set crooked, so there's a gap between the vinyl of her head and the bottom ridge of her horn.

Does anyone have suggestions for removing the glue and popping the horns out to reset them that won't damage the actual head itself? I won't mind having to do repairs if need be, but I'd rather avoid having to do major doll surgery on her little head to get those horns out and cleaned off (I also want to repaint them before I re-attach them, but that's a secondary point). I'm also concerned about the type of glue and whether the usual solvents will be able to dissolve it, or if I'll have to find something else (which might damage the vinyl, again).

Cheers for any help!

[DogMom]

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Hadn't realized horn glue was a problem! Since I'd eventually like a Gilda, I'm curious now!

[Evilunicorn]

maybe scrubbing the area with acetone will deteriorate the glue enough or just some boiling water will loosen it enough?

[Kara Zor-El]

I'd recommend hot water and trying to loosen the horns by hand.  I haven't found a good solvent for removing the sloppy glue job on her horns sadly.  It's the same glue used to hold Holt, Deuce and Heaths hairpieces.

[Lhianneth]

Hadn't realized horn glue was a problem! Since I'd eventually like a Gilda, I'm curious now!

Every Gilda I've seen, in person or in the wild, has had glue overflowing from the sockets of her horns, in addition to really nasty glue-head from her rooting process. I have two in my possession and a third on the way, and am currently working on one of the ones in hand to reroot. But. Ugh. That glue.

maybe scrubbing the area with acetone will deteriorate the glue enough or just some boiling water will loosen it enough?

I'd recommend hot water and trying to loosen the horns by hand.  I haven't found a good solvent for removing the sloppy glue job on her horns sadly.  It's the same glue used to hold Holt, Deuce and Heaths hairpieces.

I'll give boiling water a go, then. I'd already planned to do that to loosen up the mass of glue inside her head that's holding her hair. Two birds with one stone, then.

[DogMom]

OOF, glue head AND horns! Please do post any successes/fails with the methods suggested!

I'd have thought they'd do an all-in-one head mold. Weird that they'd incur the extra labor to glue horns into head holes. Maybe that's why they're sloppy, people were rushed? And maybe that's why only one Gilda was released?

[Kara Zor-El]

OOF, glue head AND horns! Please do post any successes/fails with the methods suggested!

I'd have thought they'd do an all-in-one head mold. Weird that they'd incur the extra labor to glue horns into head holes. Maybe that's why they're sloppy, people were rushed? And maybe that's why only one Gilda was released?

She's done in multiple pieces because it would be extremely difficult or impossible to remove a roto molded head with that many undercuts from the mold.  Basically, the smoother and less detailed a roto-molded vinyl piece is, the easier it is to remove from the mold without tearing or destroying it.  This is why ears are usually sculpted so close to the head, for example.

Her horns are also made out of a different plastic, which makes them stronger and less likely to deform if they were the same vinyl as her head. 

Long story short, it's a mechanical production reason, rather than a labor-based one. 

[Lhianneth]

So far, removal is a no go. I've managed to loosen the horn that was set crooked, but it appears to be cracking/stretching the vinyl around the horn. I've been applying heat and using padded pliars, but it's still stuck in there pretty well.

I'm going to try removing the glue around the outside of the horn first, to see if that's what's cracking/breaking instead of the actual head, and give it another go later.

[DogMom]

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Kara, thank you for the info! Fascinating! I had to google roto mold, never heard of it and didn't realize that's how doll heads are made! So are Gilda's horns and MH hard body parts injection molded?

Early in my working life I worked for 3 years in a blow molding factory.

Lhia, good luck with the operation....