FAQ's

These questions are taken from emails we have received.

Q: Do your products come with instructions on how to use them?
A: Yes, all of our products come with complete, easy to follow instructions.

Q: I heard that wax based products are bad for compo dolls. Isn't there wax in your Craze Concealer?
A: Yes, there is a small amount of wax in our 'Compo Craze Concealer'. This is not a bad thing but a good thing. The people that say it is bad mistakenly believe that the product will soften up again later and then oil will ooze from the product into the wood pulp which would be a bad thing, if it were true. It is completely untrue of our products. Once you have fixed your crazing with 'Compo Craze Concealer' it will not get soft or do anything weird like that. Crazing products that contain paint are the ones to look out for. If it smells harsh or paint like, if you have to mix it to make it work, or if it has an expiration date on it - avoid it! Our 'Compo Craze Concealer' was developed with the advice of doll experts over 10 years ago. Sandra Lee created it to fix crazing on dolls for museums. All of these dolls are still there today with no problems, no additional crazing, and have only been treated once. If you go to one of the many doll shows across the country that we attend you can see a half and half (before & after) doll on display at our booth. She was done around 8 years ago and still looks perfect. No one has ever contacted us saying that our products did anything bad to their doll. We do extensive research and development before any product is offered to the public. If anyone names our products when making claims that they will damage your doll please contact us  - with details on how to contact that person. Thank you.

Q: I have seen a doll that was craze concealed. Her face looked great (in just the right light you could see where the craze marks were, but not unless you looked real close). Does it actually make the face look brighter, or kind of like it has been polished? This doll that I had seen almost looked like it had been repainted.
A: First and foremost, our Craze Concealer contains no paint or harsh chemicals and does nothing to the surface of your doll. It may clean some dirt off if you didn't clean the doll first but we recommend that you do clean the doll first with our 'Doll Cleaning Solution'. If the surface was shiny to begin with it will still be shiny when you are done using the Craze Concealer. It might not be shiny if you left some product on the surface but that is why the instructions state that you should work on a small area at a time. If you do accidentally let it dry on to the surface don't worry, our Cleaner will take it right off.

Q: I tried your Concealer on a doll that has been covered with some kind of clear protective coating. It doesn't seam to work very well. Is there something I can do to make it work?
A: If you or someone who owned your doll before you has put any kind of sealer over the surface of your doll in hopes of keeping it from crazing further then you probably can not fix the crazing. This technique which sounds like a good idea will effectively block our product from getting in to the craze lines. We do not recommend using any kind of sealer on your doll. Our Compo Craze Concealer, once applied, will seal out the elements and prevent further crazing.

Q:  If I were to use your "rebuilding" product Does it have to be actually painted to have color, or can your craze concealer add the color needed for small areas like fingertips, etc.?  
A: Our Body Builder is already flesh colored so in many cases it doesn't need anything done after you sand it. Our Craze Concealers can however color over the 'Body Builder' mended areas and can be blended together for perfect color matches. Then you can buff over the area to get it to look even better.

Q: Is the blush product just to fill in craze marks on blush or would it actually leave a blush type coloring to the entire area it is used on?
A: Blush is part of our "Concealer" line and does not leave any color on the surface. It will not bring back lost rosiness to the surface of your dolls blush areas. It will only color the black craze lines to a blush color. If you are looking to bring back that lost rosy glow to the surface of your doll, then you're in luck. To add color to the surface try Dolly Rouge

Q: Do you handle the kind of paint necessary to repaint these old dolls? One of my dolls has her hair color worn off. No cracks, but loss of color. Would one of you products paint over that?
A: No, we do not make paints of any kind. We do not recommend painting your dolls unless you are a wonderful artist and even then you should consult a book or a restoration expert. That being said, the 'daub technique' described in the next Q&A might work in some cases.

Q: The original paint surface on my Patsy Ann seems to be flaking off. Will your compo craze products help to conceal the problem and prevent further peeling?
A: There are so many ways that the paint can peel and flake but generally our 'Craze Concealer' will not fix this problem. You need to get the paint to lay down or flake it off before using the 'Craze Concealer'. We do not make any recommendations on how to do it. For really thick paint that is coming off or missing you can fill in those areas with our 'Compo Body Builder'. Then you can go over it with mixed to match 'Craze Concealer'. The results will be wonderful. Note that 'Compo Craze Concealer' is designed to wipe off the surface of your doll and only meant to get into the craze lines to fill and color them but it has also been designed to adhere to our 'Compo Body Builder' for a perfect surface match. Effanbee dolls have a tendency to flake the first thin layer of paint making the doll look like it has a disease. Although we don't advertise it, there is a technique that can fix this problem using our 'Craze Concealer'. Using your bare finger with a small amount of product on it, daub the concealer on to the surface of your doll. Let it dry for about a minute or two then lightly buff it. It may take some experimenting but Sandra Lee and a few clever customers of ours have discovered that the 'daub technique' produces some amazing results.

Q: Is the product difficult to apply by the "novice" and is it reversible?
A: Applying It is a very easy process. It's hard to get it wrong. You are basically just rubbing the product into the craze lines for about 2-3 seconds and wiping the excess off the surface. As far as being reversible, yes it is if you are planning on going to the last resort of having your doll resurfaced by a doll hospital. But once you let our 'Craze Concealer' dry it is very difficult to get back out of the craze lines. Our products are meant to keep you from having to take these drastic steps. Once you have fixed the crazing why would you want to reverse it? With our products you maintain the originality of your doll and therefor the value. You are taking a big chance when you have your doll completely restored. You always decrease the value from original. So we feel it is only a good idea when a doll is so far gone that you can't really hurt it.

Q: I am confused. Your products look wonderful, but I'm told that restoring lowers the value on a doll. Would using your products lower the value?
A: Restoring refers to stripping the surface and starting over. And yes, that does lower the value of your doll. That is why Sandra Lee created these products, so you have another choice for your precious dolls. Nothing you do with our products can be considered restoring in the traditional sense. Your dolls just look better and that always raises their value.

Q: How can I soften the concealer when it is hard. I tried a drop of water like the directions said but it didn't work. Please advice.
A: Please try the following. Put 4 or 5 drops of water in your jar, close the lid, shake it around a little, then let it sit for several hours. When you come back to it you should be able to work it into a paste again. You can use a popsicle stick or a chop stick to break it up and work it around. If it gets too thin let it sit with the lid off until you reach the desired consistency. The amount of water to use depends on how much product you have left in your jar and how dry it has gotten. To use right away without waiting to reconstitute put 1 or 2 drops of water in your jar. Then with a thin rag (such as t-shirt material) on your finger rub the water around in one area of the jar until it feels pasty. There should be enough product on your rag to start working right away. There should be no reason why you can't use every bit of product from your jar. It might help to put one drop of water in the jar when you're finished. Especially if you think it will be awhile before you use it again. A preventative measure that can't hurt. Don't forget to seal it tight. If you have any problems getting the product to reconstitute after trying these suggestions please contact us using the contact form.

If the products is only slightly dry, you can use a damp thin rag instead of a dry one, and follow the usual instructions.