The Doll Forum

My 2007 B2 recently stripped a bolt in her back and separated. I thought this would be a good time to make the back more flexible.I couldn't get certain poses that would be natural for a person. I thought of a small universal joint , or a hime joint. Both have the draw back in that they are free moving, no resistance. I could have repaired the stripped aluminum piece, and she would be back to being tight but not flexible. I chose the very flexible hime joint. The following pictures are shown small, but you can click on the pictures in my album to make them nice and big. The first one shows what type of knife to use. It has a long retractable blade that can cut deep in one cut this way your not making multiple cuts.



After opening her up you can see the top bolt had stripped out, but it was so short I thought it had broken.


Next remove the lower block so you can take out the dowel in the PVC pipe


With someones help to make things easier, remove the bolt that holds the aluminum dowel in place Then thread the big bolt in to remove the dowel.


"So that's what broke. Ouch!"


You can see how short the bolt was, and how little the set screw was holding. There was loctite on the set screw, but must not have been tight enough to hold the bolt from coming undone.


This is a hime joint that happens to be about the same size as the block that it replaces. It's also has longer bigger thread, and with the through bolt it won't be able to unscrew, even if the set screw doesn't hold.


After putting the joint in I had to put three 1/4"washers on either side to make up space. All parts are stainless and loctited.


You can now see how her back can move.


Clean the doll inside and out with acetone several times to be sure she is clean.


Use the Abyss adhesive on the entire cut but use a thin coat. A little goes a long ways. Clean up the excess with acetone. Try not to have much excess, you don't want to be rubbing the cut to much. Let it cure for 24 hours, and enjoy

story in pictures here: http://www.dollalbum.com/dollgallery/di ... 205&pos=41

I'm making this a sticky, because of the number of requests.

RealDoll repair is a bit like surgery without the blood and anesthesia. Looks like things went well. Glad to know.

WOW that looks like it went well!! thanks for showing in such detail what has to be done!!!

Really well done my friend, nice op

Exellent work!

That hime joint idea is the whip! Both of my dolls have proven to be much more fun with a loose back joint. Posing is trickier for sure, but these dolls are about more than just photography!

Well done!

Mahtek & his Ladies

Hey I recognize those Hands !

That Hime joint looks to be awesome compared to the other joint. Well Done...Sorry I could'nt help with the closing surgery.

Awesome work

That's great work. Downunder we call those joints rose joints - must be a regional thing - and they're popular with racecar builders because of the heavy loads they can handle. A doll's weight would be nothing to one of them. I was thinking of using one in the hip but it would have needed too much modification. Too much for my first major op anyway.

One big plus with surgery on a RD is the ease that the silicone can be glued back up again with barely noticeable scarring. Your pics don't even show the cut after its finished. Awesome work.

Downunder we call those joints rose joints. they're popular with racecar builders because of the heavy loads they can handle.

I got the idea from my snowmobile. The steering suspension is loaded with them. This joint was a spare from an older sled that was never used. I heard them called lollypops too. But there more commonly called rod ends.

Your pics don't even show the cut after its finished.

Its there, but the trick is not to use a lot of adheasive. A thin coat on both sides of the cut is all you need. Especially near the surface. To much glue and the cut wants to seperate and leave a clear gap. After a few minutes I wiped the access adhesive off with acetone but gently. This eliminated most of the shine.

Nice job on fixing the back. Any thoughts on how to fix a broken neck and a broken upper arm on a B3? And, please, DON'T ask how the disaster happened, I feel like enough of an idiot as it is...

If you or anyone can help, I would appreciate it. I've ordered the repair kit from Abyss and expect it by the end of the week. Once I'm sure I've got enough glue I can make the cuts and try to take some pictures of the damage.

Also I've heard of someone who calls himself the "RealDoll Doctor," who reportedly specializes in fixing problems with RealDolls. Does anyone know where he's located or have any contact information on him?

Please respond at your convenience. I appreciate your help in this situation. A month and two weeks out of the factory and THIS happens...

Thanks for your detailed pics Incrediwagon

A very nice job Incrediwagen, should of guessed it from a man who already owns a welder ......

I attempted to use "bearing blocks" for the hips but had to give up as I could not find them small enough.
These sort of joints are the answer, if it can stand the pummelling from a snowmobile I think it will take you a very long time to wear that one out!

Although I expect you will try ..........

Z970223, the Realdoll doctor actually sold me two of his dolls, so I been friendly with him. He can give you advice on how to fix your problem. He has galleries of repairs he has done, but not sure on neck or arm. You can email him here; realdolldoctor@sbcglobal.net His site is here; http://www.realdolldoctor.com/MainPage.htm It might be nice to get a second opinion from the doc, but see what Abyss has to say. They made the doll after all.

Realdoll doctor is no longer in business.

Thanks Incrediwagon. I was able to get in touch with Abyss and they seem willing to help, but I will also get in touch with the RealDoll Doctor. Again, thanks for sending the information.

This is great! It's so detailed that it will be very helpfull for someone in the same situation. But great that you've managed to fix her too.

Regards,
Slim