First attempts at tpe repairs with a hot air rework station

Endless War · Post by **Endless War** » Sat Aug 25, 2018 9:13 pm

Wow, staggering how much improved the repairs look.
I definitely need to do this because all of my older girls have some sort of stress tear.
Thanks for posting this and the links to the station!

Post by **Tsall** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 8:11 am

Thanks for the before/after pictures and the detailed list of used devices.
I searched and found Mishka's video, very informative, saved to disk.
I don't need it right now, but who knows how long it'll take until I need that information?

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 9:18 am

My pleasure guys, I was really surprised how easy it is provided you get everything prepared first and basically follow Mishka's advice. The only difference for me was that while he used a heat gun which heated the tpe very quickly, my rework station took a little longer to get the temp up but then again I had it set on a lower temp as I figured that being new to this I should be cautious. I can see that, with practice, you could do these things quite quickly, I bet the factory workers zip around with one of these smoothing out seams etc. I did wear a mask in case of fumes but only occasionally did the tpe get so hot as to create a faint wisp of smoke but good ventilation and a fan would still be the way to go. It's also really satisfying doing these repairs, if you are patient, taking your time, then you often can't see where the damage was! I'm now regularly checking my gals for any little blemishes that need sorting out! I'm particularly pleased to get Shuri back to a good state as was so perturbed at her getting some, albeit, minor tears so quickly but I'm pretty confident that I have a handle on her now and since I made a few adjustments things seem to be ok.

RGC_0767 · Post by **RGC_0767** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 9:52 am

FUN!!

Fantastic Plastic · Post by **Fantastic Plastic** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 9:55 am

Also, I hope you don’t mind me adding that you want to make sure the area is clean before reflowing.
I have also had different TPE’s react differently as well.
Maxine which is a Racyme, has the easiest to reflow material I’ve ever seen.
Cloie, which was suppose to be a Racyme as well, but has a faint fruity smell and is super soft is much harder to get it to “wet” and flow smoothly.

Dutch Dance Maniac · Post by **Dutch Dance Maniac** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 10:04 am

I am always very careful with my Timea but an accident can always happen....... and wear is unfortunately also something that played a role in the end.

Thanks for this very useful explanation about how to fix things, I have stored this topic in my bookmarks, then I will find it faster if necessary.

Greetings DDM & Timea.

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 9:56 am

Today I had a go at using a heat gun and my new IR temp sensor to mend a couple of TPE cuts and tears on Tiffany.
I didn't take any photos as I was just doing a couple of tests.

I started off with the soles of one of her feet as a test, thinking that if I messed up it wouldn't be too bad.
I followed the instructions as per Arthur1960 and the referenced video etc. and it seems to work okay.

The TPE seems to melt at about 110 deg C as per the video. You can easily tell when that happens so you don't really need the IR temp sensor (good job it was cheap!).
It's not an instant fix as it seems that you need to do the heat and dab a few times to mold the melted TPE back into the shape you want.

Tiffany had one tiny cut on one knee and that was closed up very well, you can hardly tell where it is now.
I messed up a bit on one elbow as I slipped with my oiled cloth and smudged the melted TPE instead of dabbing it, so I'll have to revisit that elbow again soon.
I'll have another go tomorrow on her other elbow.

Overall it seems to work well, but I suggest you start off with a test on a separate piece of TPE or maybe the soles of your dolls feet first.

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:16 am

Sounds good djcdoll, I'm curious, did you find that your heat gun got the tpe up to temp fairly quickly? Having my rework station set at the lower end of it's temp takes several seconds for the tpe to heat up but I suspect that makes it a bit easier to control plus I found that using the smallest nozzel provided enabled me to do some precision work reforming Sarah and Sophia's nipples that were showing signs of flaking, they now look like new! I think I also smudged one of my repair a bit at first but like you said, you can revisit it later and do it again. I found the key is getting the spot your working on cleaned well with baby oil and then when applying the cloth (which needs to be lint free and clean) you find that you don't need much pressure. I've done several of these now and the more you do the better you get, so good luck with Tiffany, keep us posted.

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:35 am

Arthur1960 wrote:Sounds good djcdoll, I'm curious, did you find that your heat gun got the tpe up to temp fairly quickly? Having my rework station set at the lower end of it's temp takes several seconds for the tpe to heat up but I suspect that makes it a bit easier to control plus I found that using the smallest nozzel provided enabled me to do some precision work reforming Sarah and Sophia's nipples that were showing signs of flaking, they now look like new! I think I also smudged one of my repair a bit at first but like you said, you can revisit it later and do it again. I found the key is getting the spot your working on cleaned well with baby oil and then when applying the cloth (which needs to be lint free and clean) you find that you don't need much pressure. I've done several of these now and the more you do the better you get, so good luck with Tiffany, keep us posted.

Yes, it didn't take long to get the TPE up to the melting temp. Probably between 15 to 30 seconds or so depending on how close I held the heat gun to the TPE.
My heat gun is 700W and I think it was used for modelling. It originally belonged to my late father who was an avid maker of Radio Controlled aircraft.
I think he used the heat gun for heat shrinking thin plastic sheets onto aircraft wings.

I agree that your rework station is probably a better way of doing these repairs, so may get one of those when I get around to fixing Tiffany's hands and fingers.
I'll have another go tomorrow on her elbows again and see how that goes. I'll try and remember to take a few before/after photos.

DollLove86 · Post by **DollLove86** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:39 am

i really want to get one of these , i wish tpe samples weren't so expensive for the small tiny chunk vendors actually send. my wm only has a small stress tear in her leg opening area but ive been so scared to try and fix it

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:24 am

Following yesterdays first attempt with the hot air gun I had another go today.

First off I had a second go on her left elbow and also on a small cut on her left wrist.
I didn't take any "before" photos yesterday so just took some "after" photos today following the second round of heating with the hot air gun.
The first composite photo shows her left elbow and left wrist after this treatment.

Then I had a go on her right elbow. This time I took two sets of "before" and "after" photos.
The "after" photos show the results after only one round of heat treatment.

The results look pretty good considering that some of the elbow cuts were fairly deep.
I was being careful and gentle with the heat so as not to burn the TPE or melt it too much.
It may be possible to improve on these so I may have another go at some point.

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:57 pm

Hi djcdoll, looking good! Did you see my comment earlier when I did an elbow and found that I got a nice neat result by having the elbow ever so slightly flexed and then moved it into the straight position as I warmed the tpe. This could be risky if the heat was too high as tpe under tension will split further but in this particular case I was closing the cut as it softend and so got a nice smooth finish. There is definitely a knack to this and I guess it's going to be practice that improves our skills but I bet Tiff is grateful for your work so far!

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 1:44 pm

Arthur1960 wrote:Hi djcdoll, looking good! Did you see my comment earlier when I did an elbow and found that I got a nice neat result by having the elbow ever so slightly flexed and then moved it into the straight position as I warmed the tpe. This could be risky if the heat was too high as tpe under tension will split further but in this particular case I was closing the cut as it softend and so got a nice smooth finish. There is definitely a knack to this and I guess it's going to be practice that improves our skills but I bet Tiff is grateful for your work so far!

Yes I agree there is definitely a knack to doing this work.
I did see your elbow comment and I was trying to do the same. It was a bit difficult as I was watching the IR temp as well as the heat gun position at the same time.
I'll have another go on her elbows at some point, but for now they seem okay.
The elbows were perhaps the worst cuts and scratches on her. Most of the remaining ones are very minor so will leave those for now.
At some point I still have to fix her hands and fingers but this heat gun idea may help with sealing up any hand wounds.

Tiffany is glad the surgery is over for now. I gave her a hug and a big kiss to make it all better!

RGC_0767 · Post by **RGC_0767** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 2:02 pm

You wanna see a cut?

It all started when I decided to stand (non standing) my doll. Just to relieve creases on top of thighs from sitting alot
Did not take long for foot to show damage from that.
So I wanted to have a look at the foot. See how it was made.
The cut I did was excessive, but figured I could seal it back up without too much trouble.
While I was at it, thought to try and do a standing foot mod. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=97990

Had it all set and was sealing it back up. Little did I realize there was tension on the foot, and seam was not sealing, it was splitting more

ooopps
Her leg skin was not all the way up. I'd pulled her leg skin down as far as I could to see if I could reach knee joint. Did not make it. Oh well.
But putting it all back the way it was, I'd not pulled her leg skin up enough. It created tension on foot
Live and learn. It's on the mend.

How it all started

FootPoke.jpg

An easy slice to fix right?.

X-foot1.jpg

With the foot not in proper position, it was pulling down. Even though the seam looked tight enough, it was not.
So damage got worse. It was splitting from the heat half way across seam, and at heel towards ankle LOL Tension = splits from heat and even chemical "glue"

Hacked-foot.jpg

Foot frustration.
Once I realized the problem and pulled the whole leg skin up, foot seam closed nice, what was left of it and was able to start sealing it better.

A hot knife blade (solder iron) between the seam, to fuse it back up, and solder iron hook to smooth it around some.
I had to make a TPE filler paste to fill the gaping hole in the heel.
I'm on the finishing end of it now. Has taken some time. but am fixing it.

slicky-gooey.jpg

Mostly all hot air work now. Will remove any high spots and will fill with her TPE to clean it up better.
I've made a couple videos, will share the link if anyone is interested. Not high quality video work, just some basic hot air hole filling.

Oh, and here is what her foot looked like, after all that trouble

FlexTube-ankle.jpg

Probably would not be too long before that flex thing would fail anyway.

If we can master a cut like what I have here? a dinky little cut is nothing

Pantyscientist · Post by **Pantyscientist** » Sat Sep 08, 2018 1:14 pm

I should be taking care of the "heat splits" in Nila too. I finally got my hot air station and I have TPE glue also. I think the glue might be the best thing for these types of splits. The heat gun was for future issues I might have. Speaking of stuff, I need more baby oil.

https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... 7&t=104270

Also what grit sandpaper is good for touching up after heat gun use?