Building a doll from scratch

Post by **mi6c** » Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:57 am

MIKE238 wrote:Thanks! I have a long, long way to go though...

Yes, but you are going the way, so I am with Samara here.

All the best.

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:02 pm

Not sure how you are going to make a mold around those boobs?
If you fiberglass them, you may need a upper and lower half.
Otherwise a Dragonskin silicone mold would work.

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:45 pm

Yeah, I may have to make a mold starting with a thick silicone (dragon skin) inner mold then make an outer rigid mold. My preference would be making a fiberglass mold but I would have to literally break apart the "plug" into pieces to remove it from the mold. Still not ready yet to make the decision.

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Sat Feb 11, 2017 12:02 am

And even w/a fiberglass mold/ broken plug, it may be difficult to get the silicone boobs out.
I'm not sure how the pro's do it regarding large boobs.

I have thought about a 3-pc fiberglass mold. One complete back then the front having a upper and lower section w/a seam at the boobs. The upper and lower fiberglass front molds could go over a thin Dragonskin mold over the boobs only.
Once you remove the front mold halves, you could peel the Dragonskin mold off over the boobs leaving them seamless.
This may leave a slight seam where the boobs attach to the torso though, but better than a seam along the sides of the boobs.

Just an idea to ponder.

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Sat Feb 11, 2017 12:41 am

Yep, for sure I'll be pondering over this for sometime. Time is on my side, though, as I'm just beginning the smoothing process for each piece. But, I'm in no hurry as I want to get them as perfect as possible before assembly so I'll just keep on truckin'!

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Sat Feb 11, 2017 12:17 pm

Really good to here you are well on your way.

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:16 pm

Okay, well, I'm half-way done, so to speak:

This is a long, long process to get all the parts not only to fit (they fit pretty well) but also to make the "seams" between the parts, seamless. And what's critical, in my mind, is to make the seams as perfectly smooth as possible. I mentioned earlier I'm using a product call "Perfect Plastic Putty" and it's working extremely well. It's easy to apply and easy to sand but I normally have to apply more than one "layer" as there are always small areas that have "voids" that have to be filled in after the first main sanding process. I especially had a lot of work to do where the breasts join to the torsos. In the photo you might see those joining areas look uneven but I can assure you they are perfectly smooth and they blend in very well with their "surroundings". Needless to say I want the entire finished body to be perfectly smooth everywhere and thus the reason for the long process. I'm in no hurry, though, so I certainly don't mind the work involved. Heck, an old retiree like me needs something to keep him busy!

I ordered more filament yesterday so once that arrives I will be able to finish the last part which is the upper leg on the left side. Once both sides are complete with all parts joined I will then have the laborious task of sanding the entire body starting with 100 grit sandpaper and then use finer and finer sandpaper ending up with 400 grit. Only then can I join the left and right sides along with the head.

A lot of work to do!

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:16 pm

Oops, accidentally posted a duplicate of the "half body" photo. So I erased one of them!

locombo · Post by **locombo** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:47 pm

mi6c wrote:I am not aware of the sugar sprinkling for a matte look - like with silicone surface creation - if that is so it would be nice to get some reference.

Sprinkling a powder does change the surface texture, much like it does on Pt silicone or TPE toys. (I've used baby powder, but powdered sugar should work, too). If it's the appearance, rather than the texture, that you're interested in, then I'm not sure how sensitive this is to the amount, composition, and grain size of the powder. I can confirm that the surface will have a more "matte"-like appearance, in 100% of the one trials I ran.

MannequinFan wrote: On second thought, the high build primer may be the better way to go for a project this large.
You only have a few minutes work time with the XTC so you'd probably end up having to do it in sections.

The cure time for 3D-XTC is HIGHLY dependent on temperature. In theory, the reaction rate should increase exponentially with temperature, and this is consistent with my results with both 3D-XTC and every other 2-part epoxy I've tested. If you do want to use XTC but need more time, you can cool it down to to ~50 F before mixing. Obviously, this makes the mixing process more difficult. It does work, though, and any bubbles you trap should disappear when you spread it on your print. If you can cool it fast enough, mixing then cooling works, too.

Personally, I prefer the cheaper epoxy from AeroMarine Products. It cures much more slowly, too, so cooling isn't really necessary. I don't have the part #, but it's their standard low-viscosity epoxy for bar countertops, etc. They also have a UV-resistant version, but you shouldn't need this unless your doll will be tanning a lot.

With either of these epoxy coatings, you can get a matte finish by using a powdered filler. Both Smooth-On and AeroMarine have various epoxy fillers. I've never tried sugar, though. I think the only key property is that the powder should not dissolve completely in the liquid epoxy, so...theoretically...it sounds OK. The owner of AeroMarine has lots of experience with them and his recommendation would be worth 100x more than mine. I'm sure Smooth-On could provide guidance, too, but I have not personally tried to get their tech experts on the phone or sat through "Epoxy Fillers for Dummies" with them.

If you want to alter the texture *and* the appearance, then you'll need a surprisingly large volume of filler (likely >100% of the epoxy liquid volume before mixing). For the matte appearance, you could probably just sprinkle the powder on the epoxy immediately after spreading it. I tried that once with a larger (fiber) filler and wound up with clumps of filler with holes in between them. My suggestion would be to mix the filler in completely, which will also improve adhesion to your print.

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 6:04 pm

She looks real nice! Great work

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 8:36 pm

Thanks Samara! Gotta long way to go, though.

And thanks to you Locombo. I found a very good item on the web about how to smooth a finished 3D printed piece. It's very involved but it will be the way to go for me.

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 10:50 pm

I forgot to include where I found how to finish 3D prints so here is the URL:

https://www.fictiv.com/hwg/fabricate/ul ... nted-parts

Cheers!

Androol · Post by **Androol** » Sat Mar 18, 2017 12:36 pm

I'm new here received my first doll 2 days ago and stumbled on this post.
I didn't read the full 11 pages so I may say stupid things. ( read some part obviously)

Your project it very cool, there is taste choice I m not really fond of, but all in all the realistic feel of the body is pretty good with good human proportion everywhere ain't the waist and boobs that are obviously unrealistic on purpose.

I didn't find any mention that there is TPE printable material. Maybe it's not the right TPE but since I stumbled on a couple looking into printer some days ago I wonder if this isn't an option.

An example but I bet there is other brands too. http://3dprinting-blog.com/tag/tpe/

The skeleton hand you printed looks cool but how is it supposed to oppose the silicone elasticity to get the finger back on the molded position?

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Sat Mar 18, 2017 1:56 pm

Thanks Mike.

MIKE238 · Post by **MIKE238** » Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:34 pm

Hey guys, and welcome to the site Androol.

Rubherkitty, I'm using PLA plastic filament for the prints. Actually, the filament I'm using is a blend of PLA and ABS, a special filament made by the fine people at ColorFabb. It turns out to be very strong and extrudes quite nicely. As for my "taste" in what I'm looking for in my doll-to-be, it is my "taste" and everyone has their own expectations of what they like best with the body woman. I'm actually quite pleased with the results so far and I'm looking forward to finishing the "plug". I should be getting another order for filament this Monday and I'll the be able to print the last part - the left upper leg - which will complete all the pieces for the sculpture.

And, yes Androol, I'm very aware of the finger "problem" and I know silicone would resist movement of the fingers. So I'm re-designing the fingers to prevent that.

Later!