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Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2019 6:51 pm
by Arthur1960
I decided to open up Rachel's right hand today, this being the worse of the 2 with all finger wires apparently snapped. Initially I made a small cut in the wrist as was going to undo the wrist bolt and remove the whole palm plate but the nut was welded on tight and I would have had to cut the weld off to make progress. Instead I then made a cut (using sharp pointed scissors) just over an inch long in the middle of the palm around the end of the palm plate. I could see that only the thumb had snapped completely off as all the other fingers had their springs firmly bonded into the palm plate. With a bit of fiddling i was able to push the finger wires back into the springs thus giving the fingers some tension again. As Rachel is only ever going to do some light modelling work now I then I decided to leave it at that as the fingers looked reasonable. Doing a more permanent fix would really need the palm plate taking out and I just didn't think it warranted that extra work as I could now pose her fingers although she won't be holding any baseball bats just yet! Considering how this hand looked upon arrival with a wire sticking through the back of the hand and nearly all finger tips with pokes and green residue where moisture had got in, things looked a lot better. See pics, the 1st is the hand before she got to me and the next shows where I cut to access the end of the palm plate where the wires are supposed to be attached. The last couple are where I have partially sealed the cut with tiny amounts of super glue, I will later smooth it over with heat.
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:34 am
by Scrublord
That is some mighty impressive work there! She is almost unrecognisable from when you started.
Guessing she doesn't need too much more doing before her recovery is complete?
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 2:28 pm
by Arthur1960
Hi Scrublord and thanks, yes I've been pleased so far, I've been watching Mishka's latest video on tpe repairs and his technique for filling holes looks great so Rachel will certainly benefit from that, it's just finding time! I did try standing her overnight recently and she was fine so her skeleton is certainly up to the job of posing as a model, so watch this space!
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 3:07 pm
by -Ragnar66-
bookmarked!
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 2:08 pm
by Arthur1960
Winter seems to have returned to the UK so today was definitely a day for catching up with my repairs to Rachel. I've just got myself one of those variable heat soldering stations as seen in Mishka's recent tutorial on tpe repair so I thought I would have a go at filling one of Rachel's elbow holes. As is always the way, this first attempt taught me how to do it better next time but I'm still pleased with the result, the hole is filled and initial adherence seems good. Not the best colour match but it will do. So in first pic you can see the elbow damage, I've wrapped a new piece of crepe bandage around the joint. In the small pot are a couple of small pieces of tpe that I softened up and then spooned into the hole. Using the blade tip of the soldering station I then worked it into the hole, the next pic shows the tpe in the hole before I did this. After the tpe was worked in I then switched to the hot air station to smooth it over which you can see in the last couple of pics. This was a bit of a rough first try so next time I will have Rachel laying down so I'm working in a better position. I will also cut the tpe into even smaller pieces but if you watch Mishka's video you can see how well this process works.
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 2:17 pm
by djcdoll
Looks good Arthur1960.
Her elbow looks a LOT better in the last picture compared to the hole that was there orginally.
You could always try altering the colour a bit by using the same method that we use for nipples.
The colour may last a bit longer as elbows may not get the same attention as nipples! Ha ha.
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 2:30 pm
by adelea
Could you add some eyeshadow powder to the TPE when it melts to add some colour?
But that is a really good result - just looks like she has a bit of a scar on her elbow - all adds to her character!
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 3:04 pm
by Arthur1960
Thanks for the encouragement guys, I'm grateful to Mishka for posting his repair videos as they are so helpful and give you the confidence to have a go yourself and once you do you realise that it's not as hard as you thought it would be!
Here's Rachel sitting patiently prior to her surgery.
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 3:43 pm
by Arthur1960
This afternoon I decided to tackle Rachel's other elbow. This is probably the worse damage she has but after yesterday's experience I approached it with a degree of optimism. I stopped for the day after filling about 3/4 of the hole but I took a few pics As I went, so here you can see the initial hole and this time I have Rachel laying on the table to afford better access...
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 5:46 pm
by djcdoll
Gosh that's a really nasty big hole in her elbow. Poor girl.
I think you've done a good job on the repair so far. Looks better already.
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 6:56 pm
by Arthur1960
Thanks djcdoll, yeah I've just been and checked and it looks pretty good so will hopefully finish it tomorrow. This was the worse or her injuries so we are getting there!
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 2:44 pm
by Arthur1960
I spent this afternoon working on Rachel again, here you can see that I've added more tpe into that large hole in her elbow, I'm getting the hang of using the soldering station now, there's definitely an art to it, also one slip and you can create more work! I think the elbow has enough material in it now so will smooth it with hot air a bit later...
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 2:52 pm
by djcdoll
That's very impressive indeed Arthur1960.
A massive improvement on the original gaping hole in her elbow.
I can see a potential small business opportunity here, mending dolls that live in your part of the country!
I'm sure there would be quite a demand for your services.
It would be like being back in a hospital again: "Arthur's Dolly Hospital".
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 2:55 pm
by Arthur1960
Here you can see what was another large hole just to the side of her left knee. I've filled it the same way so that's all the large holes filled now. Next I made a start on her lady parts, she had about a 3" tear running up from her vagina which I think I've stuck together using the soldering iron technique, next I need to do a little sculpting to tidy the area. Incredibly her groin is like that of a new doll with none of the micro tears you often see!
Re: My attempt to rescue a tpe gal destined for disposal!
Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 3:09 pm
by Zippy81
Damn Arthur! that's great work there!
Good job! gives others hope and such to see such damage repairable!