Zelex skeleton repair

RevJack · Post by **RevJack** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 6:37 pm

Plastic will not hold. Too many failures in the past.
Plus if you just sit and think about the stresses created when you sit the doll up, or bring her thigh up, there is no way pcv can handle that.
I create Halloween skeletons from pvc, nothing else.

john1972 · Post by **john1972** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 6:38 pm

I am confused...
We working on a Zelex or a WM?

Uniflux74 · Post by **Uniflux74** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 1:37 am

Thank you for the notify, My situation is very similar. My plan is to use stainless steel flexhose (Toilet flexhose). Run the flexhose inside the broken pipe and secure inside with jb weld, Then put jb weld wrap on the outside of break. then wrap with bandages, attach a little foam and then seal her up. Will upload pics and progress of success or failure. Unfortunately repair has been delayed due to unexpected family boarder. Will hopefully have repair completed before christmas. I hope my idea may help.

Synthian · Post by **Synthian** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:39 am

Ouch! Evelyn's first body broke the weld where the hip bone meets the back bone. I tried PVC secured with hose clamps, it worked for a few months then broke. DO NOT USE JB Weld, it will not hold long and will break up and get in everywhere inside: a mess to clean out.

My final solution was a solid metal pipe that fit inside I found at West Marine and a captive U Shackle and joined with aviation safety wire.

Your solution might be a 90 solid pipe with a metal elbow encasement that can be screwed down. Not sure how you will stop it from sliding off either end (I used the aviation wire for this). Good luck

#2 Leverages here is where the weld break occurred and completely split the hip bone like your break.

: Evie Skeleton Leverage.png (138.95 KiB) Viewed 1343 times

RevJack · Post by **RevJack** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 8:27 am

Flex hose. Think that through before you fuck your doll up permanently. How is that going to provide any stability to that joint? It is literally replacing a solid joint with a flex joint.
Synthian is right about the leverage and tortional forces. What is not mentioned is that we all told him not to use PVC.
(pause)
He wound up using the marine stainless two piece clamp that is recommended in most spine-to-hip breaks.
You need a solid elbow, as long as you can make it across the top bar. Clamped as tight as possible and secured inside with JB Weld classic. You have to transfer and combat the rotational torque from hip movement. If the applied elbow rotates at all you are defeated. Clamp it tight, JB Weld inside the entire length if the applied elbow.
Synthian's use of JB Weld with PVC caused his problem, not the JB Weld itself. Please get flexible pipe and PVC out of your options list, they are both express lanes to misery and failure.

None of my repairs has ever failed. And some are 3 years old now. Just saying.

Reverend Jack

elarring · Post by **elarring** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 4:35 pm

My WM174G broke at the waist, or hip, right on the joint of the "L" (after the "T" where the spine meets the hip). It broke on the weld which is a 45 degree angle. Deadman and RevJack's responses inspired my repair choice. I took an 1 1/4" brass 90 elbow (used in plumbing) to act as a cast to link the two broken pieces together. The elbow was made for soldering, by the way (or sweat if you're using slang). I used Jb weld (I've used this for years for automotive repair). The repair works, I have the doll hanging now and moved the leg around. holds beautifully. I put enough jb weld in there to bond with everything. I couldn't link the broken weld perfectly together, I had to go by feel and brace the leg in a way that would hold it in the best position. I made sure to brace the tpe away from the repair so it wouldn't bond where a bit of epoxy seeped outside the elbow.

Now I just have to close the wound. Thanks for the tips.

RevJack · Post by **RevJack** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:38 pm

elarring,
YES!! I am so glad it worked out for you.
Bravo.

Reverend Jack

Uniflux74 · Post by **Uniflux74** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 12:28 am

Thanks for the tips, will adjust repair techniques. Hoping for the best. Trying to be carefull not to end up with a torso doll. My girl is silicone so not very forgiving of mistakes.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 1:19 am

elarring
Arthur1960 had a bad reaction with bare copper in a finger repair, it turned green

The composition of brass, generally 66% copper and 34% zinc, something to keep in mind

RevJack · Post by **RevJack** » Mon Nov 13, 2023 8:16 am

seagull wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 1:19 am elarring
Arthur1960 had a bad reaction with bare copper in a finger repair, it turned green
The composition of brass, generally 66% copper and 34% zinc, something to keep in mind

Yeah, those fingers, I rember that now, nasty little reaction with the TPE. Turned it to green mush didn't it?

So how about if the OP wraps the repair in plastic wrap, then duct tape over that, hopefully sealing off the copper.
Unless it's silicone, someone in the thread said their doll was silicone, may have been the OP.
Has anyone experience with silicones reaction to Copper?

Reverend Jack

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Mon Nov 13, 2023 2:16 pm

Fairly confident silicone is practically inert as far as copper corrosion goes, just don't quote me on that
To those unsure, do your research

Rev is on the money with sealing the wire to prevent contact with TPE

Manufactured wire usually is coated with a fairly tough film, I know it as enamel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_wire
The insulation is typically made of tough polymer film materials rather than vitreous enamel, as the name might suggest.