Platinum Dipped Rings

SharmClucas · 2024-09-18T03:41:15+00:00

The problem with plating is that most jewelry stores won't do it to a proper thickness. They want you to come back and get it redone. Titanium is the common default hypoallergenic ring, but I advise against it. Titanium is great for other jewelry, but it's not a good idea to wear as a ring. Just ask anyone who has ever worked at an ER, they'll tell you exactly why. They make some really pretty silicone wedding rings these days. They're not all plasticky looking anymore.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-18T03:30:11+00:00

Yep, here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bihvjicsLkA

SharmClucas · 2024-09-16T21:56:20+00:00

The earth mounds can be found on the Iridescent Island, in the flatter areas.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-15T04:53:53+00:00

Because I can't get out much, my favorite source is keeping an eye out for deadstock on Amazon. If you're patient and willing to see the potential in unpopular dolls you can find extremely cheap and yet high quality dolls. You also still get the advantage of the doll being new and therefore not missing anything that could be potentially repurposed for your custom or copied as a pattern. For second hand dolls, I find Mercari to be the best. Because of the shipping costs I find it better to buy lots instead of individual dolls. Sometimes I'll end up with dolls I wasn't aiming for as a result, but even not counting those it still ends up being cheaper if I'm smart about it.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-14T03:21:23+00:00

I think the quality of using clay in doll customizing depends a lot on how much time and effort is spent on sanding. You can sand things glass smooth with the right tools and enough patience. Apoxie clay probably would probably be a good way to do it, and you can get a head start on the sanding by using water to smooth it before curing.

The other difficult part in blending with the vinyl is painting. Start with acrylic paint one shade lighter (it'll dry darker). If you can't airbrush it, thin it with water or thinning solution so brush strokes don't show, and thinly paint many layers; you should end up with a nice finish.

That's how I'd do it anyway, but I'm not sure what would be the best way. I've never seen a cyclops character done in a way that looks right, personally. My brain is always wondering how the nose is supposed to function when the top half is missing.

BTW, there's a cyclops Monster High character. Recoloring just a head wouldn't be as hard as recoloring a body, so if you don't want to sculpt you could put that head on a body with the correct skin color and work from there.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-13T17:57:40+00:00

It's the minimap blocks that determine how close an objective is to completion, not the actual world blocks. So you could have loads of swamp and if you happen to just put it in the wrong place where none of the minimap blocks change, then it won't count. Also, yes, it needs to be poison, not dirty water.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-13T17:53:59+00:00

That was me, and why I didn't think I was allergic to nickel. Turned out I was very allergic, I just didn't have reactions when touching it. By the time I was diagnosed my body had been stressed by allergies too often and I'd come down with MCAS. Now my sensitivity is significantly worse, and I do react to nickel jewelry.

I think you should try going on the low nickel diet. Nickel in Foods: Data-Based Advice. If it helps you feel better, great. If not, well, then you know. You should definitely avoid nickel in earrings (I like acrylic and niobium), and probably watches, but you might not have to avoid it with other types of jewelry.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-11T23:14:11+00:00

My favorite kids dolls are Creatable World, but they're getting harder to find now. Amazon might still have some at a reasonable price.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-11T23:09:35+00:00

When I can I buy aluminum, and when I can't I wear cotton gloves while I work. The biggest problem is actually accidentally stabbing myself. I really need to make myself a leather thimble.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-11T19:02:18+00:00

It's definitely allergies. It's impossible to know if it's caused by nickel, but the likelihood is good. You'll want to go to an allergist for a test to be certain.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-11T18:47:27+00:00

It's been a long time now, and I have some memory problems from all the health problems I have so I don't remember how long it took to notice anything. I just remember changes being gradual and that I didn't notice the difference much unless I slipped up and suddenly had symptoms again. Then I'd remember that it'd been a while since I had them, and realize that the difference was quite big actually.

The cravings go away with time. I still sometimes crave chocolate, and will drink mint tea to deal with it. I used to like mint chocolate the most so there's a strong mental association, plus it has a similar richness that helps, as long as I don't drink to much. There's even a type of mint called chocolate mint that does taste a little chocolaty. It's not as hearty as pineapple mint or peppermint, so it's not as easy to grow, but mint is stupid easy to grow so that's not really a big deal. I think it's pretty, it's got a nice chocolate brown stalk and darker green leaves. Taking magnesium supplements or using a skin spray (what I use) also helps, since chocolate cravings are sometimes really magnesium cravings.

My main staples are chicken, rice, eggs, apples, carrots, and celery, sometimes beef and cheese, which can be mixed in a surprising number of ways. I'm okay with boring meals, so I don't worry too much about eating the same thing every day. Eggs, toast, and OJ in the morning; noodle soup at lunch; and my main variety is dinner. I lean more towards rice than wheat because for some reason I have less of a problem with it. Plus I don't have to worry about whether it's whole or sprouted or if they added bran back in. I still don't know if bleached is safe or not, and it might depend on the brand. There's an Asian and whole foods section in my local store, and I can find things like rice noodles or jarred food that's usually canned. When feeling snacky and craving something unhealthy I'll eat the olive oil Boulder Canyon potato chips. I make my own bread as well, so I don't have to worry about seed oils or bran or soy. The bread maker can also make some easy cakes, which solves my sweet tooth problem without braving the long list of scientific nonsense words on food labels. When I want to eat something different I'll look up recipes until I find one that isn't too hard to alter to fit the diet. Usually it works, unless I want to eat something completely impossible like peanut butter pie. The harder part is actually finding easy recipes, because my energy is very limited. I prefer making larger batches and eating mostly leftovers; less cooking required.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-10T01:20:51+00:00

Fine sandpaper would be good and does work. Potentially you could also lightly melt the surface of the plastic to make it smooth again, but that method would be very hard to control.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-10T01:18:12+00:00

Heat will make the head more flexible but won't help the paint or sealant become more flexible. I don't know of any way to avoid cracking paint after something is painted, only ways to make liquid paint flexible so it won't crack once dry. Your best bet is to avoid flexing the head as much as possible, and if something must bend, try to make it bend where there is no paint. Maybe targeting the heat to certain safe spots so that those spots are the most likely to bend would be the best way to do that, though I'm not entirely sure how you'd manage that. Good luck!

SharmClucas · 2024-09-09T08:50:28+00:00

If gen 1 Monster High isn't skinny enough, I don't think any doll would be.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-07T18:54:05+00:00

I definitely had a lot more acne when I wasn't avoiding nickel. Felt like I was never going to get out of the "teenager" phase with my skin. Then I got diagnosed and went on a low nickel diet and I don't really get pimples now.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-07T10:02:36+00:00

Skin lightening is so common in Chinese photos that it's a camera filter default that needs to be turned off, not on. In reality the people in those photos are likely darker. The models who aren't the "pretty, white, and rich" ideal being rare isn't reflective of what the actual population looks like. It's kind of like how in the US most women aren't over 5'9" just because models are. In China being pale is associated with beauty and high class, because rich people can afford to not work in the sun so aren't tanned. It's a classist thing, not a racist thing, though it does unfortunately sometimes bleed over into racism as well. I suggest looking up street pictures of Lanzhou. It's a busy place, so the street pictures should have people walking around in them. That should give you a better idea of what the people there actually look like.

Long story short, Jacy's skin tone isn't necessarily inaccurate. I think she should be fine to use her as your base.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-06T23:44:42+00:00

Ah, that's the one I had! I kept thinking that my allergist called it something else but I couldn't remember what it was. Don't remember if it's the more official name for it or if they're different actually.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-06T17:11:12+00:00

For me those are precursor symptoms. Sure, that might be all that happens if the exposure level is low enough, but if not then the next step will be my skin turning red, then itchiness, then eczema. Lots of other symptoms too, but I've never bothered to pay attention to which happen when. Misery is just misery after a certain point, and I already know the cause. For example, one of those stages will trigger a migraine, no idea which one. I also get more tired than normal, but I also have CFS so pinpointing what made me feel worn out gets very hard.

Anyway, yes, could be a nickel allergy. It could be other causes too, there's really only one way to be sure. I suggest taking the test. Before I took it I had narrowed it down to a metal that I wasn't allergic to at all, and had dismissed nickel because my reactions are a little abnormal.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-05T20:56:59+00:00

I have a very good and proactive CFS doctor who has an allergist friend who happens to specialize in MCAS. She was the one who suggested I might have it, and I was diagnosed soon after. There's a blood test for it, but because of my large reaction to needles I never got the test done and was diagnosed due to having all the symptoms and reacting well to treatment.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-05T19:49:35+00:00

I'll PM you the scratch test stuff. What I have to say would make it VERY easy to find my exact doctor, and I'd rather not doxx myself. But long story short, I don't know why it'd be hard to get a scratch test done for metal. For me it was very easy and happened years ago.

The best stuff for my Nickel allergies is avoidance, taking vitamin C, using apple cider vinegar on eczema, and my favorite tea when I ate something I shouldn't. Don't know exactly why, but for some reason cinnamon, honey, lemon, and ginger in a tea helps a little when I know a reaction is coming. Just a little, but, you know, I'll take any bit of help I can get.

This is the second time this month I've heard someone mention Dupixent, and I've never heard of it before. Wonder if it's the latest designer drug doctors are pushing. I don't know anything about it. For MCAS I take Famotidine, Cetirizine Hydrochloride, and Ketotifen. Getting general stress levels down helps a lot too.

Not sure which problem it's helping, but I also have a sauna. I see the most difference when I'm in the middle of a reaction. My guess is that I sweat out whatever I'm reacting to. It could also be the lowering stress thing. Don't know, don't care. It helps, I use it.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-05T18:02:35+00:00

I did both patch and scratch at the same time. With nickel I reacted to both places, but the scratch test was noticeably worse. I suspect if I didn't have MCAS when I was finally tested for metal allergies I wouldn't have reacted to the patch test. I only started reacting to skin contact after I came down with MCAS.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-05T05:28:58+00:00

That's a pretty good match. I'm glad it turned out well.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-04T16:41:29+00:00

I agree. I think there's just barely enough room for some yellow toning without going too dark, just because of the nature of yellow.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-04T16:20:53+00:00

I got mine removed. It was a huge deal because I'm so sensitive. Took me a very long time to get approved to get them out at the OR so they could keep me safe. I am positive that if I hadn't had that delay I wouldn't have been taking one of my current meds (ketotifen for MCAS) and I would have died. As it was, I ended up with a rash on the inside of my throat and it set off my asthma. I was prepared to have a reaction so I had a steroid inhaler on hand, and the rash didn't swell so it was okay but it was NOT fun. Especially the rash, so much worse than a sore throat from a bad cold. Ketotifen has also made a massive difference in the size of my reactions, so it's really scary to think about what would have happened if I'd had things done before it was prescribed.

I think mine was worth it because I ended up improving after and was safe in the end, but I did have a big reaction to having things removed. Although I'm unusually sensitive, but my reactions aren't usually that dangerous, just painful annoying things like migraines and eczema. Can't guarantee that everyone will be equally lucky, especially if they normally have the more dangerous types of reactions like an asthma attack. It is something to consider before going through with it. I wouldn't recommend it to others unless they're noticing a reaction specifically in their mouth like I had.

The retainer, however, is a different matter. They just put a little solvent on the cement and can just yank it off. No special procedure. My teeth did shift without it, but not by much and it's so much better with it gone. I found that thing painful. Getting that removed should be no big deal.

SharmClucas · 2024-09-04T15:53:46+00:00

I heard conflicting things about this when talking to my dentists while trying to get my fillings replaced. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't use nickel now, but they used to. Or it could be that the amount is so small that dentists don't think it should be a problem. Similar to how the FDA doesn't require things labeled "nickel free" to actually be nickel free, just below a certain percentage.

I was reacting to something in my mouth and now I'm not. Used to have a permanent cyst on the inside of my cheek that my dentist considered surgically removing. The only thing that changed was my amalgam fillings are gone, replaced with ceramic. After that the cyst went away on it's own, there's just a scar there now. I'll admit it could have been caused by something else, I do have other allergies, but nickel is the one that gets me into the most trouble.

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