140cm TPE elbow repair

BWheeler1 · Post by **BWheeler1** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 2:34 pm

The elbow on my little 140 was pretty bad. It all started with a poke through over two years ago due to newbie stupidity (leaning her on her elbows). I tried a few times to fix the area, first by trying to melt it back together, then by cutting pieces of test piece and "welding" them in with a hot knife. In my opinion, that works better than the solvent. One time I even attempted to re-wrap the joint as the cloth wrapping had been chewed up and cut. I ended up with a big lump there, and when I trimmed it down, the TPE was too thin for my liking. So this time, I got technical. I should have taken pictures during the process, but I was too involved. First, I used my hot knife to cut the entire damaged area out. All the way back to good TPE on either side. She ended up with a three inch section of TPE gone, with her elbow joint in the center. This gave me ample room to re-wrap the joint correctly with cloth and fasten the cloth in place with two zip ties (no, you cannot feel them through the TPE, it's too thick there). Then, I made a form out of thin sheet tin and left a hole in the top center. I used an old Teflon lined small pot and with the range hood exhaust on full blast, heated up more than enough TPE until it was liquid. Through trial and error with a very small amount, I learned that very low heat and a longer time was best. Finally, I used an old Teflon ladle to pour the molten TPE through the hole until the form was full. After it cooled enough to remove the form, there was a divot where the hole was so I melted some more into it. I finished by using a hot spoon to smooth it down some and feather the seams. The result was better than I expected. Not perfect by any means, but pretty good for a first attempt. Best of all, this "new" TPE is melted to the skeleton and doesn't spin around on it.

Post by **Booty Call Dolls** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 3:05 pm

I learned that very low heat and a longer time was best.

same is true with a heat gun.
Thank you for sharing your method with the doll community.
Love,
The BCD Girls
Ximena and Mei ai

BWheeler1 · Post by **BWheeler1** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 4:42 pm

The uneven surface is 100% because of the form I used. If I had taken more time to make a smoother form, it would have turned out much better. But I wasn't sure how well it would work, so I didn't go all out in that aspect. Plus, the result is a whole lot better than before, and I can always smooth it out better later. Right now I'm engineering a new neck pipe for her since her gooseneck is so loose and her head flops. Temporarily I slid a short piece of steel tubing over it under the TPE just to keep it more stiff. When I come up with my new design I'll replace the gooseneck and then repair the TPE around it in much the same way. This little doll has gone from what should have been a throw away to serviceable. I've also repaired her feet where the skin had been cut by the plate and then pulled away by filling the gap with the windshield sealant recommended by another member who suggested it to glue her face skin back to her skull where it separated. So not only is she getting fixed back up (albeit not 100% perfect), but I am learning and improving at repairs in case my other two ever need fixed. But I've already learned through errors on this doll how NOT to handle them, so I hope I won't have to fix the other two!

Fantastic Plastic · Post by **Fantastic Plastic** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 4:59 pm

You can sometimes with practice get very good results with a heat gun or hot air solder reflow station for finishing things off.
Great work BTW!

BWheeler1 · Post by **BWheeler1** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 5:34 pm

I tried using a heat gun once, what ended up happening was the TPE got soft and liquid, but there was a layer of "skin" on top of it. I think the heat was too high but I don't know if the blower was too high and cooling the top surface. I'll just have to try it again, I have a piece about 3/8" thick the size of the bottom of the pot I melted it in. One reason I didn't try again with the heat gun was the amount of fumes it gave off. I'll have to set up an area outside to do that. Surprisingly, melting it in a pot didn't give off nearly the fumes the heat gun did and with the pot directly underneath the exhaust hood, I actually got more fumes and smell from using the hot spoon to feather it afterwards. I think if I make a feathering tool with an inward curve with the right radius, I can smooth the area out alot better. But since that's just cosmetic, I'll leave that work for later, after I'm done with the neck and hands.

Fantastic Plastic · Post by **Fantastic Plastic** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 5:49 pm

Yes it’s possible it was to hot. I always start from really far out and get the whole area warm and then go in for the flow.
Also the TPE has to be cleaned with mineral oil first. I don’t use baby oil, I use pure mineral oil from the pharmacy isle.
But bottom line is working with TPE is no different than working with any other sculpting medium.
You do what works for you. And you gain experience as you go.
I’ve been noticing this within this group for some time now.
It’s pretty impressive honestly.
Two years ago I knew nothing.
Now I could practically turn a square block of TPE and some SS tubing into a hot babe!
(At least that’s what it feels like)

FP

BWheeler1 · Post by **BWheeler1** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 9:32 pm

Fantastic Plastic wrote: Now I could practically turn a square block of TPE and some SS tubing into a hot babe!

FP

I've been fabricating with metal for years, and have built vehicles from piles of mismatched parts. I've also been thinking about better ways to build forms for different doll body parts in the event I need to do any more repairs...

Don't give me any ideas!!