I caught a break

You may recall that I refurbished a Charlie McCarthy conversion figure that I bought on Ebay. My primary purpose was to examine the mechanics. The little fellow came to me in pieces, but I was able to repaint him, remount his original eye mechanics and provide a good wig. After his clean-up, he was purchased by a fellow who had earlier bought my "Carlisle" figure.

Unfortunately, the eye mechanics were shaken loose from his head during shipping. But the damaged figure will actually provide me with an opportunity. Though I offered to refund the buyer's money, he prefers that I repair or replace the eye mechanics and send him back. I think I'll replace the original eye set-up.

The original eyes were actually cylinders rather than spheres. I plan to replace the cylinders with spherical eyes; wood balls purchased at a craft store. I will very lightly rout the eyes for an iris. I will drill a hole straight through the eyeball where the cornea would be. I'll fill the cornea side with wood putty and mount springs on the back side. Then I'll paint the iris inside the lightly routed circular area. I think the new owner will like the look of these new eyes better the old ones. Plus, they will be mounted more securely. The remounting of the original cylinder eyes was difficult and apparently ineffective.

Meanwhile, I'm excited about the Smooth-On Molding Kit on the way to my workshop. I hope my first molding project will be hands.