How to Make a Magnetic Pacifier for your Reborn

Whether you have a reborn or are making a reborn, you may want to give your doll a pacifier that will enhance his or her realism. Since the reborn can't actually suck on a pacifier, the way to make it appear that the reborn is sucking on one is to create a "dummy" pacifier with a magnet.

To start, get a regular baby pacifier of whatever color and brand you prefer. Make sure it is sized correctly for your reborn's face, usually a size 0+ will work for the standard newborn-sized reborn. Using a craft knife, you will cut off the nipple. I prefer the craft knife over scissors because I can get much closer to the plastic. With scissors, you often end up with a small bit of the nipple left, and that makes it hard to glue the magnet flush against the pacifier.


The magnets used in reborns are very strong Neodymium, or Rare Earth, magnets. They can be found in most craft stores or online. Regular on-the-fridge magnets are not strong enough to hold through the vinyl, so you'll need these extra strong magnets. The size I use is a round 3/4 inch wide x 1/16 inch deep; small enough to allow the pacifier to sit flush against the face, but big enough to be very strong! To hold these strong magnets onto the pacifier, you will need a strong glue; I use E-6000. And finally, you'll need a piece of felt or similar fabric to cover the magnet as a protection for the reborn's lips.



Now, if you have a reborn that is already put together and has a magnet inside the head, carefully place the new magnet up against the lips to see what direction you'll need to glue it in. If you'll be placing the magnet inside the head yourself, it does not matter what direction the magnet is in. Place a drop of glue onto the pacifier where the nipple used to be. Press the magnet into place over the glue. Next, you'll spread some of your glue over the piece of felt and then cover the magnet up by pressing the felt securely into place over and around the magnet. Now your pacifier is all done, but you'll need to give it ample time to dry before you try to use it with your reborn, lest the power of the magnet pull the magnet and the felt away from the pacifier. Refer to the directions on your glue to know how much time should be allowed for drying.

Once your pacifier has dried completely, you can move on to the final step. (If your reborn already has a magnet inside, you are done.) Putting a magnet on the inside of your reborn is very easy. First, you'll need to check the polarity of the magnet by placing it against the pacifier. The side that sticks to the magnet in your pacifier is the side you will put glue on. Now you'll hold the pacifier against the mouth with one hand, and with the other hand you will insert the magnet inside the head. Having the pacifier against the mouth will pull your magnet into the correct spot. Now all you need to do is let it dry! I suggest leaving the pacifier on the mouth while the glue dries inside the head. That way, the pacifier will hold the magnet in place while it dries. Once the interior magnet has dried, your reborn is ready to be put together and you can give him or her the pacifier as you please!

Magnet inside the reborn's head
 

1 comments:

  1. I'm going to have to make one of these.