Doll Head Stand (m16 connector type)

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Thu May 05, 2022 12:32 pm

Hi Everyone!

After shopping around for Head Stands and being shocked by the $50-$80 they want for such a simple item I decided to see if I couldn't just build one myself. My goal was to come up with something functional, well built and nice to look at. During the process I came up with two different versions. The first is designed off of what all the doll shops offer and simply threads into the dolls head. However upon completion I realized I wanted to be able to utilize the "new" quick connectors. And v2 was created. Both versions sit at nearly the same height. However, I took advantage of how I put together v2 so that it's height is adjustable. It's height can be increased by about 1 1/4 inches.

I used an additional nut to lock things in place when increasing the height. And as v2 is female threaded up top you can either simply insert the quick connector into it while screwed into your dolls head or if you prefer your quick connector threaded into your dolls neck you can simply add an additional quick connector to the head stand and then move the head from body to stand. I am still working on a reasonably priced source of quick connectors as these to are very over priced online.

While you can remove parts from v2 to turn it into a v1 threaded only stand, it is then to short for most doll heads and the chin will touch the base. I included an image where I simply screwed in the all thread connector that Kathryn was using, basically turning v2 into v1. I also did try adding the v2 hardware to v1 to make it work with quick connectors but I did not like how high it made it. It was still stable and not top heavy, but as my dolls living quarters are going to involve shelving I prefer not to waste the "head space" (pardon the pun).

I ask my two ladies if they would mind modeling them for everyone and Kathryn (being a prior photo model for her first owner) immediately agreed and with a little coaxing by her, she convinced Killashandra (new and fresh off the boat) to join in. They were both very happy with the results and really enjoyed that the stands allowed them to both have their hair easily done before the photo shoot. Kathryn is modeling v1 (left) and Killashandra v2 (right). Killashandra really liked v2 as she is normally shorter then Kathryn, but once I adjusted the stand taller she had a good 1 1/2 inches over her and pointed it out (the quick connector added a little additional height).

Base is solid wood 4 3/4 inches across and very stable. All other hardware is either stainless steel or zinc plated for an attractive and stain free finish. If there was any downside to the project it was that none of the components involved in creation are available in quantities of 1. Parts had to be purchased in quantities of 2-50 depending on the part. But in the end I built 4 and averaged my cost out to be about $25 each. ($30 with the extra hardware not used.) So creating just a one off would cost as much or more than buying one of the doll shop stands due to all the left over unused pieces. And yes I hit ALL the hardware stores, M16 parts are just not common enough and the one local place that did carry a few single pieces wanted nearly as much for 1 as I could order 6 for. This held true for online as well, the cost for 1 was nearly the same as the total cost of buying a quantity of them.

The ladies insisted that I use the camera flash to show their complexion better (and they were right), but the images without flash show the stand more true to color (the images are actually brighter without the flash).

Images for those that might be curious:

: Girls modeling v1 (left) and v2 (low); v1 (left) & v2 (adjusted low).jpeg (2.22 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: Girls modeling v1 (left) and v2 (high); v1 (left) & v2 (high adjusted).jpeg (1.98 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v1 Natural Light (shows actual color); v1 (natural lighting).jpeg (2.64 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v1 measurement above stand; v1 (measure above stand).jpeg (3.42 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v1 overall measurement; v1 (measurement overall).jpeg (3.3 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v2 Natural Light (shows actual color) w/ Head Bolt; v2 (natural lighting).jpeg (2.61 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v2 Low measurement above stand; v2 (measure low above stand).jpeg (1.93 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v2 Low overall measurement; v2 (measure low overall).jpeg (1.79 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v2 Tall measurement above stand; v2 (measure tall above stand).jpeg (1.89 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v2 Tall overall measurement; v2 (measure tall overall).jpeg (3.41 MiB) Viewed 605 times

: v2 w/ Quick Connector screwed in to it; v2 (quick cnctr screwed in).jpeg (2.58 MiB) Viewed 605 times

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Sat May 21, 2022 12:39 am

It was driving me nuts having the extra hardware laying around so I ordered a few more wooden bases and now have extras, but my OCD side is happier. Putting all that extra hardware to use lowered the overall cost more then I expected. It got the cost down to $20.00 each. So I'm pretty happy overall.

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 7:49 am

The number of heads here have grown and they are starting to literally "roll". I'm making another batch of these stands. 10 this time. I will have a few left over or could simply make more if anyone is interested. Here's an image of the stands in use and preparing to fill shelf 3.. The ten that I am making are all the convertible v2. I'm Waiting for additional wood bases to arrive to complete the rest. I may just start hand making my own wood bases, I just need a couple additional tools to do it. Then they could be made out of what ever kind of wood suits our fancy.

: 20230117_042319.jpg (2.98 MiB) Viewed 416 times

Zenrel · Post by **Zenrel** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 11:16 am

You can start a business selling these! I would totally buy a couple.

4891d · Post by **4891d** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:13 pm

Zenrel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 17, 2023 11:16 am You can start a business selling these! I would totally buy a couple.

Indeed.
If you were in France, I'd buy you two too.

gogodolls · Post by **gogodolls** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:35 pm

Great stand and aesthetic manufacturing! BRAVO!

Cheers!

Zenrel · Post by **Zenrel** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 1:26 pm

4891d wrote: ↑Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:13 pm
Zenrel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 17, 2023 11:16 am You can start a business selling these! I would totally buy a couple.
Indeed.
If you were in France, I'd buy you two too.

You're very thoughtful!

soonpk · Post by **soonpk** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 1:50 pm

Great project. These look way better than many of the ones available for purchase online. Looks like you actually put some thought into aesthetics as well as function.

Zenrel · Post by **Zenrel** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:27 pm

I got a great idea if you start making your own base. You should scribe the name of your doll's head on the base or scribe on a small metal plate.

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 11:19 pm

Thank you for the kind words Zenrel, 4891d, gogodolls and soonpk!

I was shocked when I finally took the plunge into this world at the cost of certain items. Head stands are such a simple thing, but what they ask for them is just ridiculous. The ones with the white molded and tapered bases were about the most affordable out there, but still over priced for what they were and limited to only attaching to a head with no connector in the head. And the ones with the round metal bases even more over priced. I found a source for the round metal bases to make them as well. But it was more expensive than wood and honestly I prefer the look of the wood and every dollar saved on something like this can then go towards something else related to the ladies! My other goal was to create a way to be able to make use of the quick connectors for those of us that like to leave the connectors attached to our ladies heads all the time. As you can see in the image I have most using quick connectors, but as those are also over priced (they aught to be no more then $5 and honestly only $2 in my opinion) I do not have quick connectors for all my ladies heads, so 4 of the heads in that image are using the stand with just threads so that it can screw into the dolls head. I am still hunting for an affordable source for the quick connectors. And have found one source, but they must be purchased in the 100s to be priced where they should be.

The M16 Coupling Nut that I have on the V2 can also be used on the V1. The stand will then always be taller over all then. But nice for doing makeup and slightly longer wigs. In my case I am using the shortest I can for display. I can also use a longer M16 all thread such as the V1 has. In the images the all thread is 100mm. The next size up is 250mm which would be great for longer wigs and for bringing the dolls head up higher for applying makeup at a level even with your face when sitting at a table and working on her. I think with the taller stand though I would go with a larger base. It is plenty stable with the current base (120mm). But there is also a 150mm wood option, but it doubles the cost of the wood base. I intend to build atleast two of the 250mm height stands with the larger base (the smallest quantity of the wood base in 150mm I can source comes in two at a time). The wider base would allow you to apply more pressure then applying makeup/changing eyes or eye lash work, with less potential for a tip over. I've not had a tip over happen with the current stand. But I can see the potential for it if not being careful or just being heavy handed.

If anyone is seriously interested, I've got the materials per stand down to about $20 now. If I order 100s of the stainless hardware I think we could chase it down to $15. But that's a lot of hardware and quite the investment to have sitting around. Assembly is easy as heck, two crescent wrenches work well and most of us have those on hand. It is not likely that many have box wrenches or sockets laying around to fit this size. It's just a little big. Hand tight could work, but I prefer no chance of anything coming loose. Plyers also work, but I would wrap them with a rag so as to not scratch the pretty, shiny stainless and zinc steel. I'll pre-fit everything in advance and disassemble for shipping.

Using Pirate Ship I can mail them Priority USPS for less then the $10.40 the post office wants, to anywhere in the US in their Priority Mail® Small Flat Rate Box. So I'd say call it $10 to help with the handling part as the post office wants them hand delivered to their office. Anyone interested can feel free to hit me up. A bonus of the flat rate box is we will never hit the 70lb weight limit so be it 1 or several, the shipping will remain the same. Only limited by the space inside and how many we can pack in there safely. I could price simply using a padded mailing envelope as that could be slightly less for singles, but with those they charge by the weight. The box is just so darned convenient and USPS provides them for free!

Thank you again for the words of encouragement! Keep your ladies and yourselves smiling! Best of wishes from The Lovely Lost Ladies and myself!

On a side note, when I was looking at the image I posted, some of my ladies have a little lean to them. Sadly this is their connector that is not straight and true, not the stand. But once attached to her body we simply adjust the neck so does it really matter? It just makes the stand look like it is crooked when it is not.

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Tue Jan 17, 2023 11:25 pm

Zenrel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:27 pm I got a great idea if you start making your own base. You should scribe the name of your doll's head on the base or scribe on a small metal plate.

This is a great idea. After getting just those done I realized I'm going to need at least little cards for each head as I just can't keep track. But I really like your idea. Carving into even the current wood base would be easy (many ways to do this) and if I did make my own bases even easier. Or a small brass plate. I think I like the brass plate idea best. It would be classier. And changeable if the need arises. Great Idea! Thank You!

EmmD · Post by **EmmD** » Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:32 pm

Hi I was looking right now for a solution to store my 2 doll heads since I don't have anything to keep them standing and store them at the moment and this looks perfect. I'm certainly interested but since I'm new, I can't PM you but, I will have to post more I guess! Great job

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:14 pm

Ah, great minds think alike!

I came up with something almost identical a few years back but I prefer the look of yours, the base is a bit neater than mine. I use round, pine, chopping boards I get off eBay for about £6 and as you say, if you buy the hardware in greater quantities then it works out cheaper so I made 4 but I could do with a few more now! They can also be rather handy for doing a complete make up make over as I was doing here, with a little help from Sarah! Oh I also fit 4 rubber feet, again off eBay, on the bottom which give extra stability.

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:37 pm

EmmD wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:32 pm Hi I was looking right now for a solution to store my 2 doll heads since I don't have anything to keep them standing and store them at the moment and this looks perfect. I'm certainly interested but since I'm new, I can't PM you but, I will have to post more I guess! Great job

Hi Emmd,

First off. Welcome to TDF! You have come to a very informative and supportive community. We all welcome you. Once you make 5 unique posts, the gates will open to be able to PM or DM (folks call it either one).

Thank you for asking about my stands. I'd be more then happy to build you 2 and send them on their way. Think about how you want to use them. And I can put them together in either configuration. Personally, I am currently using 4 of the V1 (I need 2 more) and 10 of V2s. The V1 is great if you do not have enough spare head connectors (such as myself). The V2 can be used in the same manner as the V1. The head just ends up very low. But, depending on the shelf spacing, this can be great if there is very little height between the shelves. The V2 can readily except either a screw in or push in connector. The part that the connectors go into can also be put on the V1, the stand just ends up taller overall when this is done. It increases the cost a little due to the extra hardware. When I first figured these out I managed to built each version at a cost that was close enough to each other to just call the cost the same (within pennies of each other).

I am also waiting on parts to make a taller version that will put the head at about 12 inches high (bottom of the head) this only adds about $5 to the cost. I had a request from another member for this. I also ordered a wider base in case the taller stand needs more stability. I don't expect this to be needed, but I'm curious and wanted to know. The wider base adds about $5 to the cost as well. The taller stand will make applying makeup easier and allow longer wigs to hang nicely while on the stand. Once completed I will post up images and share my thoughts on these options. I'm also working on an index of how the different options there are now can effect the cost. I wanted to keep these affordable. The $50+ cost for most stands just did not sit well with me. And I like the look of these to boot!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer (this will also add to your post count at the same time).

best regards,

The Lovely Ladies and PetDlr

PetDlr · Post by **PetDlr** » Fri Jan 20, 2023 9:22 pm

Arthur1960 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:14 pm Ah, great minds think alike! I came up with something almost identical a few years back but I prefer the look of yours, the base is a bit neater than mine. I use round, pine, chopping boards I get off eBay for about £6 and as you say, if you buy the hardware in greater quantities then it works out cheaper so I made 4 but I could do with a few more now! They can also be rather handy for doing a complete make up make over as I was doing here, with a little help from Sarah! Oh I also fit 4 rubber feet, again off eBay, on the bottom which give extra stability.

Oh heck yah! Spot on. Great minds do think alike!

Hi Sarah! Thank you for being so kind as to model the stand for us!

I've a felt bottom that can go on under the base once assembled. Rubber feet are a great idea and option as well. And most definitely, the more you make the better the value. I may invest in a couple more tools so that I can completely hand make the bases out of any type of wood of our choosing. The tools would pay for themselves over time due to lowering the material cost per base (bit more labor of course) And this would open the door to using different types of wood for the base.

That looks like a 250mm threaded rod there correct? I'm expecting some to be delivered today as I've been ask to go taller (they ask before I had even made one for myself). I'm currently using 100mm threaded rod or a 60mm bolt.

For the V1 I've got the same nut you have on top underneath. I choose to use a nylock nut up top (it was a bit thick to go underneath). And it looks nice up top. The first few were a lot of work, the nylock nut can only be started from the top of the rod and I did them by hand. I'm now using an impact wrench to run them down. Then I use the same nut you have on top underneath. I wanted as little chance of anything coming loose as possible. On the V2, with the bolt, I found those very nice looking flange lock nuts. They bite in and hold fast.

I'll have to look at the cutting boards, because why not. Your stand looks great! Thank you for sharing! You beat me to it by quite a bit!