The Ultimate Blythe Customizing TO DO List

I thought I'd share my own Blythe customizing To Do -list. I've tried to list all the kinds of things one can/might want to remember to do when customizing a Blythe. I've also numbered them for myself, because some of these things are more sensible to do in a certain order. -other parts can obviously be done in a different order too, but this is kind of the way I like to do it. I'm not adding here any instructions on how to do the stages, but this is just basically a reminder list I use when it's been a while in between working on custom dolls.

PART 1: Taking the doll apart

1. remove old pull ring from the cord

2. unscrew the back plate and bag the screws carefully, so you don't misplace them

3. unhook the eye mechanism's metal spring and let it slip inside the head

4. slide a thin blunt tool between the head plates and gently pop the head open

5. undo the screw holding the scalp to the face plate and remove the scalp (bag the screw!)

6. unscrew the T-bar and bag it

7. detach the bow in the eye mechanism

8. pull out the eye mechanism (power tools help)

9. separate the eyes from the eye mechanism

10. remove eye chips with the hot glue stick method

PART 2: The creative process and putting the doll back together

11. start sanding the head plates and lids. Wash the parts in between sanding to get an idea how it's looking (I use 3M superfine, ultrafine and microfine sanding sponges)