Remove scratches from a (resin or plastic) stuffed animal eye

Question

I recently visited my childhood home and brought back some of my old favorite stuffed animals.

One of them, Snip the Beanie Baby, has noticeable scratches/dents/nicks/chips on her eyes.

What is the best way to repair scratches like these without resorting to a full replacement of the eye?

Do I need to know if it is resin vs plastic? If so how can I find this out?

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EDIT: In my case specifically, this toy will remain in a child-free home so I do not have to worry about choking hazards/mouth hazards. I will care a bit about toxicity because she will continued to be snuggled (and thus have human skin contact).

Answer 1

The eyes are almost certainly molded thermoplastic of some kind rather than a cast resin (casting resins are too expensive and time-consuming for a high-volume, mass market item like these eyes, and are generally risky for items that may end up in a toddler's mouth). The specific plastic probably depends on how old the stuffed animal is, and where the eyes were manufactured.

Without knowing the plastic, it will be hard to fill the deep pockmarks. The fill material may not bond to the eyes, and may have a different refractive index so repairs could end up as very noticeable dots.

However, there are a couple of things that might make the damage a little less apparent. You would probably want to remove the eyes for repair and then sew them back in to avoid damaging or staining the fabric (if it's synthetic fabric, the heat suggestion will likely melt it; if it's natural material, polishing the eyes will soil it).

• Heat: Thermoplastic can be remelted. You don't want to apply so much heat that the eyes melt into a blob; be careful to use just enough heat to soften the surface. If the heat is too high, you can scorch the surface, so use a heat gun at the low setting. Hit the surface for a few seconds until you see signs of the plastic getting shiny. Then stop and let the eyes cool back to room temperature. You can repeat this a few times. This may make some of the damage less noticeable, but don't expect to be able to have deep scratches or pockmarks level out.

• Polishing: Fine scratches and damage with a "frosted" look that makes the damage very visible can be improved to make it less noticeable by polishing. There are plastic polishes, but you can use ordinary toothpaste, which is mildly abrasive. Polish the surface with an old toothbrush and some toothpaste. Clean off the toothpaste residue, then buff the surface with a cloth (a soft, natural material like cotton; synthetic materials may scratch the plastic). It will help, but this won't work miracles.

Or, don't "fix" it at all. This is a sentimental item. The scars tell a story. Love it for what it is and its history. Don't try to turn it into something new.

Answer 2

Additional to the polishing recommended by @fixer1234, you can try to apply a thin layer of transparent nail polish - preferably extra-diluted (with acetone) for a shinier / smoother final look.

Note: depending on the exact damage, the nail polish might work even without the polishing. In case you make errors, you can easily remove it with a bit of cotton dipped in acetone. And start all over.

Warning: this solution might be unsuitable, if children still chew those beautiful eyes.

Answer 3

You can try to smoothen it out with a solvent. This will not remove the scars but will smoothen them out and reduce the "white" spots caused by fragmented plastic. This will require you to re-polish the eye, after applying the solvent it may become a bit dull.

You must remove the eye for this process if the bear is made of synthetic materials. It probably is, so you cannot do this with the eye in the socket.

Any solvent you try should first be applied somewhere not-visible on the eye to see if it doesn't change the colour of the plastic.

The hard problem is finding the solvent. You can start with acetone, try it out on the edge of the eye. Another good one is tetrahydrofuran, I use it to smoothen and glue 3D printed objects.

The process will require you to dip the eye in the solvent for about 2 seconds, then use brush natural material to "paint" the top layer of diluted plastic over the eye. Then dip it again, shake the solvent away and blow on it. Do not touch the affected surface, it will leave fingerprints.

When you are satisfied, leave it to dry for a day. Only after that you can start polishing the plastic.