Working with TPE paste

55mrradiohead · Post by **55mrradiohead** » Mon May 13, 2024 11:56 am

The girl has stretch marks! Yikes!

Yes, some girls do get stretch marks on their thighs, near their crotch.

And so did one of my TPE dolls, about three inches away from her LH.

I made up a half pint jar of TPE paste and got it to the type of consistency for this type of repair. RevJack was nice enough to share some useful tips for me in a PM on the subject, plus a few other notes. I've already applied one thin layer of TPE paste. For any one familiar with this type of repair work, what is the typical waiting time between layers of TPE? In other words, what kind of cure time should I expect before I follow up with another thin layer of TPE paste, if necessary. And will the TPE paste stay glossy when it dries and cures?

RevJack · Post by **RevJack** » Mon May 13, 2024 1:56 pm

Spread thin on the surface, 12 hours tops, probably 8.

And yes, it will stay Glossy unless you texture it (oil soaked sandpaper).

Reverend Jack

55mrradiohead · Post by **55mrradiohead** » Mon May 13, 2024 2:46 pm

RevJack wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2024 1:56 pm Spread thin on the surface, 12 hours tops, probably 8.

And yes, it will stay Glossy unless you texture it (oil soaked sandpaper).

Reverend Jack

Thanks RevJack. Well obviously I didn't do something right. The repair I was making started making *holes* where I applied the TPE paste. I'm thinking I had the leg stretched open too wide and the paste is not thin enough. Yikes. I'm not touching this again until I actually know what I'm doing. I'm going to royally screw up this doll and she's going to look like crap. And she's one of my favorite dolls

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Mon May 13, 2024 5:17 pm

Eek!
Always keep the TPE in it's relaxed position or you'll get the beginnings of another Grand Canyon

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Mon May 13, 2024 5:18 pm

Arthur1960 probably would have just used heat, but same relaxed TPE rule applies

RevJack · Post by **RevJack** » Mon May 13, 2024 7:10 pm

55mrradiohead wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2024 2:46 pm
RevJack wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2024 1:56 pm Spread thin on the surface, 12 hours tops, probably 8.

And yes, it will stay Glossy unless you texture it (oil soaked sandpaper).

Reverend Jack
Thanks RevJack. Well obviously I didn't do something right. The repair I was making started making *holes* where I applied the TPE paste. I'm thinking I had the leg stretched open too wide and the paste is not thin enough. Yikes. I'm not touching this again until I actually know what I'm doing. I'm going to royally screw up this doll and she's going to look like crap. And she's one of my favorite dolls

Ok, one, your paste was too thin. Thin paste has more active solvent, a thick paste has less active solvent.

Second, place the scruffy TPE in a relaxed position. If it is stretched wide, under stress, solvent will create a zipper effect and unzip the TPE like a razor blade. If all you got were holes, you lucked out. Now relaxed doesn't necessarily mean slammed shut, that is compressed, but a neutral position (which is how she was molded).

Relaxed, and thick, pressed into the scruffy splits and (new) holes.

Oh, and heat would have unzipped it faster. You got lucky.

Reverend Jack