Continuing my experiments with resin eyes…
I thought I could shortcut the mold making step when I found some ready-made 22mm resin molds online. However, these proved to be imperfect- they aren’t perfectly round, they have a little dimple at the peak which will be noticeable to sharp-eyed doll fans. Also, I ended up with lots of micro-bubbles in the clear resin. V_V
It could be due to low temp while setting, or uneven mixing. Even the white resin had problems as I got it *too* warm and it began to set before I finished my pour. For stage 4 I will try a more flattened eye shape using decorative glass pieces as the model, and making a mold from them in silicone. Then I will be more careful to control temps, using a heat pad under the crystal if it seems too cool while setting.
I did discover that the eye print doesn’t have to be added immediately to the resin after pouring. In fact, if you wait an hour or so for the resin to start setting, you can add the print with no ill effect. It will be less likely to float out of place, and you could also avoid using prints on eyes that have obvious bubbles.
Included a few Volks eyes here for comparison to my bubble eyes: