The Doll Forum

Who uses this to repair tpe? If not then please specify what you use.

This is a survey to see how many people found success with repairing tears with tpe.

How does it repair tpe is it like glue that doesnt melt their skin??

Hot air.
That's why it's called TPE (ThermoPlastic).

I use heat (solder iron/ hot air)
it is less unpredictable. And can do a much nicer job.

Xylene will NOT work on areas with stress. groin especially.

It's a USE AT YOUR OWN RISK repair method.

But I use Xylene to de grease tools car parts, cleaner etc... thin oil based paints etc...

Lacquer Thinners better anyway, but not for dolls.

Your first question "Who uses Xylene ?"

I'm using xylene and its isomere because I have a business for chemicals.
I use always clean chemicals and not the crap which is available in the hardware store.


Your second question "Who uses this to repair tpe ?".

Please replace the word "repair" with "destroy".
No, I'm not destroying TPE with xylene.
Why should I destroy TPE ?

Please explain to me why you want to use xylene ?
Why not other aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene, or how about benzyl acetate, benzylbenzoate, benzaldehyde, tetrahydrofuran, cyclohexane, etc.
Oh, I just forgot, you can do it much cheaper, so why not using nitro thinner or petrol ?

Please explain to me or better to the community, why it has to be xylene and why you want to destroy TPE ?

I read it here. https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... ne&start=0

I wanted a cheap solution because $15 for a tiny vial that dries out is too expensive.

What chemical would you recommend?

Xylene will melt you gal faster than you can imagine. Just about no amount is safe.

Mishka

I just tested a small sample of cheap hardware store xylene on scrap of tpe. It appears that I was supposed to shake it up and mix the container, because it took forever to dissolve the tpe. It did not become a consistent paste, more like chunks and milky xylene. Put a dissolved chunk on regular tpe. Seems to bond alright but i will wait a day to see how strong if it holds.

I was considering melting a spoon full of tpe scraps and then drizzle it on to the tear. However the toxic fumes from burning tpe is dangerous.

I wished they made a hot glue gun for tpe.

I use Xylene. I use it a lot. It works great.

Guess what? Most of that TPE glue you pay $35 for a half ounce is Xylene that I buy for $20 a gallon.

Indigo has got his chemistry down. And I'll say he knows what he's doing. But....

Xylene works. And it's really cheap. And it is what most TPE glue is. And it doesn't "destroy TPE" like Indigo says. I've used it a lot.

Perhaps there are better solvents for TPE. Maybe Indigo would like to tell us better solvents, or he'd like to keep his formulas to himself.

Xylene dissolves TPE and evaporates slow enough to adjust fine repairs. I don't see how it destroys TPE. I'm sure Indigo will come in with some chemistry example. On my real dolls it works great. That's all we really care about in the end.

I'll be interested to see if Indigo will post publicly what solvent he prefers for TPE.

I might end up using it.

Tybalt wrote:I just tested a small sample of cheap hardware store xylene on scrap of tpe. It appears that I was supposed to shake it up and mix the container, because it took forever to dissolve the tpe. It did not become a consistent paste, more like chunks and milky xylene. Put a dissolved chunk on regular tpe. Seems to bond alright but i will wait a day to see how strong if it holds.

I was considering melting a spoon full of tpe scraps and then drizzle it on to the tear. However the toxic fumes from burning tpe is dangerous.

I wished they made a hot glue gun for tpe.

It takes me a few hours with shredded TPE to get Xylene to completely dissolve it. Given time I can make pudding thick TPE for whatever purpose. It really all depends on how thick you want your solvent liquefied TPE slurry.

Tybalt wrote:I just tested a small sample of cheap hardware store xylene on scrap of tpe. It appears that I was supposed to shake it up and mix the container, because it took forever to dissolve the tpe. It did not become a consistent paste, more like chunks and milky xylene. Put a dissolved chunk on regular tpe. Seems to bond alright but i will wait a day to see how strong if it holds.

I was considering melting a spoon full of tpe scraps and then drizzle it on to the tear. However the toxic fumes from burning tpe is dangerous.

I wished they made a hot glue gun for tpe.

Molten TPE cools super fast.
I made some crazy videos on some crazy ideas I have. It's just for fun, and just testing a crazy idea.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=104285

There is bunch of videos just for fun.

Xylene? who the hell needs that?

It got filthy out in my garage, but was just curious on what would happen.
Plus, I'm helping a friend out with a project he is going to be working on.
It's just some backyard research, not a clean lab
LOL

I thought a long time how I should answer.

1. Different TPE blends:

We have a lot of forums, for computer, software, motorbikes, cars, music equipment, electronic devices, etc.
The manufactures have updates, new devices, new gear and old stuff is not more supported.
If you are talking inside these forums, you have to be specific, you know what I mean.

We have different TPE blends.
And there are big differences between these TPE blends.

Why do you put all in the same TPE pot ?

You have a TPE doll from a specific brand and therewith you know about the other brands.
- The doll manufacturers are introducing their dolls and TPE in the sub section of this forum
- You can find additional information on their websites, like D4E has standard and platinum TPE, and DH168 and DH168 EVO
- The vendors are providing information if a manufacturer brings out a new TPE blend and new skin tones
- I mentioned it several times that you have to devide between the different TPE blends

You are asking me about details of chemical reactions and you want to have insider information, but you are not telling me which TPE blend you mean ?

Make your homework.

2. Xylene and the not given logic beyond:

It was about 3 years ago that someone said, that the TPE glue has the smell of xylene (well, no, it is not xylene).
The word xylene was said and the community reacted (as this is given for every new things, remember the mineral oil care introduced by me).
Since that time, the xylene-hype pops up from time to time, like weed in your garden.

Without going into deep chemical details, just think logic.
If xylene, as single solvent, would be THE solvent to do TPE repairs and making paste for all old, current and future TPE blends, than we would have the following situation:

a.) Since 3 years, we would have an article about xylene as sticky with more than 500.000 hits on this forum, and several hundred posts with successfully repairs.
Do we have such a situation ?
NO !

b.) I'm running my chemical business since 3 years, and hey, I would have only xylene in my chemical cabinet. Damn, that would be cool and easy.
Since that time I would sell xylene in small bottles to you as "cold-welding TPE adhesive", for all different TPE blends.
Ok, to be honest, I would include 1% MTBE and 1% MIBK for enhancing the evaporation time and for having a more fruity smell.
Do we have such a situation ?
NO !

c.) All doll vendors would sell xylene in small bottles, for the people that do not read in forums.
Do we have such a situation ?
NO !

3. What does xylene do with TPE:

LOL, you answered it yourself, it dissolves TPE.
Yes, it destroys TPE.
It has the destroying effect with All TPE blends used from the TPE doll manufactures.
Other aromatic hydrocarbons doing the same.
It destroys the hard and soft block-copolymers and therewith you do not have TPE anymore, you have chemical mud.
And xylene paste itself has no welding capacity that is transferred to the TPE surface.
With a bit of force, you are able to peel xylene paste off from the surface.
You have to prepare the surface with xylene to have a cold-welding effect.

But this is all nonsense.
Cured xylene paste is softer and more stretchable as real TPE.
A filled outbreak is always be feelable as a soft dent.
You think that the additional stretchability is an advantage ?
No.
This is a result of the destroyed hard block-copolymers that would normally work as anchor points and for the firmness inside TPE.
It shows me that nobody made real testings.
You will notice after a while, that skin cracks apear, especialy on locations you have material tension from time to time.
And the chemical resistance is completely down.
If you are using diluted soap more often, your xylene paste is becomming porous.

But hey, let's give a fuck on these facts.
We want it cheap and we make it cheap, and it does not matter how dangerous this solvent is.
We do not have the equipment to handle solvents and how to store it properly, this is far too expensive for us.
We use spoons and glasses, we do not even think about the danger and prevention regulations.

an entrepreneur who manufactures chemicals and registers them properly, labels them and sells them with instruction manuals.

Do yourself a favour and please don't ask me about my formulas for the chemicals I use / sell.
such things are business secrets.
And in addition, those of you do not run such a business will not have the license for the purchase of specific chemicals.
nor the right equipment for the proper storage of chemicals, nor a contract with a company for recycling the waste chemicals.