Since I published my first article on the Amosandra Doll a year and a half ago, I have received many wonderful stories and comments about this very beloved little rubber baby doll. The common thread in most of the stories is her terrible rubber deterioration. I had mentioned that I had previously sold the wonderful doll pictured in that first article (Jan.07) and hope that she is still in nice condition. I also mentioned that the one doll I still have is deteriorating at an alarming rate. I decided to show a couple of pictures of her showing the typical problem and also did some research to share some info with my readers. The info was taken from a August 1991 Doll World magazine article by JoAnn Johnson on doll restoration. She hopes that rubber doll owners enjoy their dolls for their life can be brief! Rubber comes from the sap of a Brazilian tree. It is made up of chainlike links that look like coils. Raw rubber has coils that slip when stretched. When rubber is heated (vulcanized), the coils return to their original position. Sulfur is added in the vulcanization process. The amount of sulfur that is added determines if it will stretch or remain hard. Rubber has an odor that remains even when it ages. It is the natural aging process that causes the rubber to deteriorate. Ms. Johnson recommends that one does not use grease on these dolls for it is harmful to the rubber and actually accelerates the aging process. Under magnification one can see those links loosening. She also recommends cleaning, drying and using talcum powder and covering the doll as much as possible. Also a climate controlled room is advised away from extreme heat, light and moisture. Don’t let them touch other surfaces and definitely don’t store them in plastic cases or bags. She also discusses restoration in length which is way beyond my capabilities. My true feeling is that the problem is inevitable. The dolls that still look good after 60 years are just lucky or have been kept in the best possible environment for many years. Keep them and enjoy them until the end!!
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hi, i had a amosandra doll, given to me when i was born. i don’t remember playing with it much. My mom put it in the attic for storage, unfortunately the head melted. I now have one my sister bought for just $30.00 at an antique store about 10 years ago, she to is deteriorating, one of the arms have fallen off already. I am going to purchase another one. hopefully i will try to keep this one stored safely.. I was wondering if any one knows a way to keep them somewhat protected. I would appreciate any help.