Arthur's tpe doll repair thread inc. Rachel's resurrection

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Sun Nov 18, 2018 12:51 pm

Arthur1960 wrote:Another quick update on progress with this lady.I've been busy these past few weeks but hope to get back to the repairs needed to fix her further. Today I'm experimenting with grafting a piece of tpe into a hole on the elbow by cleaning out the joint, wrapping fresh bandage around it then partially glueing in a piece of tpe. Later the plan is to use heat to seal it up and smooth it over. Of course it will clearly show as a patch but if it seals up and copes with flexing the joint then I will consider that a success...

Looks good to me.

Just a quick question since you've been looking at her elbow.
My Tiffany has a loose elbow, her right elbow.
Which side of the elbow is best to access the bolt to tighten it, the side facing her body or the outside side, if you know what I mean?
I'll need to cut into the TPE so I need to know which side is best. Thanks.

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Sun Nov 18, 2018 1:09 pm

Hi djcdoll, you will have to expose the joint like you see in my photo but you only need to make a small incision as the tpe is really stretchy so I would say that maybe the best thing to do is to cut into the elbow at the bottom of the joint right in the middle and then push the tpe back to expose the joint. Bear in mind that the nut has a spot weld on it which will have to be cut off first. I've got one of those small tools a bit like a dremmil that I will try and use when I fix Sarah's original bodies elbow but without cutting the weld off you wont be able to tighten up the joint. Then the decision is how to keep it tight. I'm wondering if a lock nut is enough to do the job, I can see it becoming loose again. There's a thread on here somewhere where someone has tackled this problem by replacing the bolt with a type of bolt that I think has a hole in its shaft so that when you tighten up the nut you can put a split pin through the hole to keep the nut in place. Some googling should find what I'm on about and I suspect something like that is the way to go. I think soon I will get stuck into Sarah's old bodies elbow and try a locking nut first as they are cheap, the hard bit will be cutting that spot weld off without making too much mess. I would guess that getting some cloth and cutting a hole in it and placing it over the joint would be enough, much like they do in an operating theatre! The best tool for cutting into the tpe would seem to be a sharp, pointed pair of scissors, I would guess you probably only need to make the cut about an inch wide and then you should be able to stretch it over the joint. You will also have to carefully cut through the crepe bandage that is wrapped around the joint, good luck!

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Sun Nov 18, 2018 1:13 pm

Going back to your original question, you can probably see in my photo that the nut with the spot weld is on the inside of the elbow, so closest to the body while the hex head of the bolt is on the outside.

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Sun Nov 18, 2018 2:08 pm

Arthur1960 wrote:Going back to your original question, you can probably see in my photo that the nut with the spot weld is on the inside of the elbow, so closest to the body while the hex head of the bolt is on the outside.

Thanks for all the info Arthur1960.

I'll have a good look around at what others have do and see if I can come up with a solution.

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Sun Nov 18, 2018 2:24 pm

Thinking about it, I wonder whether it's possible to fit a circlip onto the bolt somewhere without cutting off the spot weld in order to tighten up the whole assembly? I think I have a tin of assorted circlip somewhere so I might experiment.

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 9:56 am

Well this little lady isn't quite ready to start her job as a model just yet but I felt bad that she's been neglected in recent weeks so I took a few pics anyway. Her skeleton is still nice and tight actually so she won't have any trouble holding a pose, also she has a name now! She will be Rachel, it dawned on me that I started something with the Orphan Black thing with Helena and Rachel here is a 46 head just like Sarah and Helena hence she can be another 'clone' and Rachel seems a good fit! Ok here she is, looking a little more like a 'personality' is emerging...

BigPapaPerv · Post by **BigPapaPerv** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 8:27 pm

That empty doll face in the first post is seriously creepy.

The Romantic · Post by **The Romantic** » Wed Dec 26, 2018 6:44 pm

BigPapaPerv wrote:That empty doll face in the first post is seriously creepy.

Perhaps to some. But really it is a testament to the talent and perseverance of Arthur's ability to breathe new life into one of these ladies that otherwise was destined for a rapid and inglorious end.

Considering the long line of new ladies constantly arriving at Poor Arthur's house, it's amazing that he has the time AND energy...

: D145_284_142_1200.jpg (97.63 KiB) Viewed 1865 times

Good job sir!

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Wed Dec 26, 2018 7:21 pm

Ha ha, thanks for that! I've got a bit of a cold just now so things have been quiet but that picture isn't too far off the mark! When I'm up to it I will have to get Rachel finished so she can pose for me!

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 8:20 am

I haven't had much time recently to get back to Rachel's repairs but I just caught sight of her looking very relaxed, basking in some welcome afternoon sun, sitting in a comfy chair, pondering whatever tpe gals ponder!...

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 9:28 am

Arthur1960 wrote:I haven't had much time recently to get back to Rachel's repairs but I just caught sight of her looking very relaxed, basking in some welcome afternoon sun, sitting in a comfy chair, pondering whatever tpe gals ponder!...

She's probably thinking:
"I like it here. I'm so glad that Arthur has found me and taken me in. I feel so at home here with all the other girls. Good things come to those who wait. I'm happy now.

".

At least that what I'd like to think she's pondering, but I'm a bit soppy sometimes!

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:17 pm

Ha ha, djcdoll that's so funny as that is what was going through my mind when I saw her sitting there this morning! The sun was beaming in and she looked so serene sitting there..I know that we do project stuff into our ladies but when you have a number of them then it changes the dynamic a bit. I can't keep up with them all now but they still seem to 'grow' and develop in my mind, I guess this is yet another trick my brain is playing on me although I wouldn't be too surprised if one day they all decide that I'm too old to be in charge any more and I take more of a back seat in things!

djcdoll · Post by **djcdoll** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:36 pm

Arthur1960 wrote:Ha ha, djcdoll that's so funny as that is what was going through my mind when I saw her sitting there this morning! The sun was beaming in and she looked so serene sitting there..I know that we do project stuff into our ladies but when you have a number of them then it changes the dynamic a bit. I can't keep up with them all now but they still seem to 'grow' and develop in my mind, I guess this is yet another trick my brain is playing on me although I wouldn't be too surprised if one day they all decide that I'm too old to be in charge any more and I take more of a back seat in things!

Yes I know we do project feelings and emotions onto our girls. I had a similar thing to you this morning.
Tiffany and I were in bed, she was lying down and I was sitting up sipping my cup of tea.
The curtains were open, the Sun was just rising between some trees causing shafts of light to dance across Tiffany's face.
I just sat there for a while just watching the scene, savouring the moment. I was thinking how glad I was that she's come to live with me!

It would have made a great photo, but the camera was in the other room and I wasn't going to spoil the moment by going to get it.

It's nice when you get a moment like that though.

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:49 pm

Yeah, I was lucky that that short BBC documentary actually featured one of my favourite pics of Sarah and me, where she is sitting up in bed and I'm there with a coffee, it was a lucky shot with the self timer on my camera as Sarah is looking into the lens, I do like that pic for a number of reasons but it perfectly demonstrates that our ladies are so much more then just synthetic sexual partners, they are also a great comfort just sitting in bed in the morning!

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:23 pm

Rachel is very patient, bless her! I neglect her for weeks at a time while her sisters grab all the attention but she doesn't complain! Now and then I have another little tinker but I'm now keen to get stuck into the serious repairs that require the sealing of some cuts in her elbows and knees. In a sense all serious tpe doll collectors should have a Rachel as it's proven very useful to have a gal to experiment on and what I've learned so far is that even a doll that seems too far gone can be saved with a little work and imagination! Ok here's a few pics from today, her face is still not quite right as I need to glue it back onto the 'skull' and I have touched up her makeup. I experimented last night, leaving her standing all night (she doesn't have standing feet) and her feet were fine, I used thick socks and a good pair of converse shoes.