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Another standing foot mod.

Ding! POP! Crash! Thud! oops...let's get her all fixed up!
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TDFnoob
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Another standing foot mod.

Post by TDFnoob »

What's to say. I've wanted a standing foot mod pretty much since the day I had my doll. I took her out of the box, stood her up in the tub/shower, and washed all the release agent/talcum powder off her the day I got her... I tore up the feet a bit in the process from her sliding around. I felt like an ass...

Today, I modded her feet. It cost me about $23, and I now have non-skid standing feet with replaceable pads.

I used completely off the shelf components bought at the blue home improvement store.

Left foot pre-surg
Left foot pre-surg
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Right foot pre-surg
Right foot pre-surg
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Here's what I did to the feet in my ignorance.... Yeah, I'm a noob... But I learned a valuable lesson..

Anyways to remedy my somewhat epic screw up, I had to go buy a few things.
The tools for the job
The tools for the job
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Pads and pegs
Pads and pegs
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Most of the tools I already had on hand. I bought the Leveling Gliders and the adhesive pads from the store. Had I not lost my 1/4-20 tap, I wouldn't have had to buy a new one. Thats the thread pitch for the pack of leveling gliders I bought. If you choose to do this mod, double check the thread pitch and make sure you're getting the right drill/tap combo. It was $8.. If I hadn't had to buy that, this mod would have been done for less than $15.

Now, you'll notice I also bought 2 different types of adhesive pads. I did that for a reason. I'm not 100% sure I'm going to like the way the small pads hold the doll in place. Especially in the shower or another wet environment.

So, tools and supplies collected, it was time to start cutting into the heel. My first incision did not go as well as I'd hoped. The lesson I learned, was to stretch the TPE over the hard object underneath the TPE that I wanted to expose. This kept all future cuts FAR cleaner and nearly invisible. I also discovered that the sub-structure was fiberglass, not a steel plate as I had incorrectly assumed. This was actually a really lucky thing because fiberglass is far easier to drill and tap into. It's also a lot more forgiving as if you screw up, you can simply shoot it full of 2 part epoxy and redo any mistakes after it cures.

Anyways, here's cutting into the heel...
Here's the heel bone
Here's the heel bone
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I guess I was in too big of a rush to remember to take a picture of drilling and tapping into the exposed heel. Just try your best to have the foot flat and keep the hole pointed vertically.

With the hole drilled and tapped, there's going to be fiberglass dust everywhere. A handy little dustbuster is a huge help here. Also a microfiber cloth is great for picking up any little flakes. Fortunatley, because it's the feet, they aren't super critical. And if you think they are, why are you considering a standing foot mod? You've obviously got a thing for feet, don't screw em up, just enjoy em. (To each their own thats why we bought our girls)
The jagged cut.
The jagged cut.
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Here you can see what the hole looked like when it closed up. Sure, some people will say it looks okay, personally, I think it's pretty jagged.. However, I also think I did a LOT better on the rest of the cuts. This is why I say STRETCH the TPE when you cut into it. It's not difficult to do. Anyways, threading in the glider, there really isn't a reason to cut into the TPE, pretty much just use the same stretching technique away from the hole inside the foot you just drilled and tapped, and start screwing it in.
Screw in the glider
Screw in the glider
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Here you can see me stretching the TPE away from the hole while threading in the glider.. If you don't do this, the TPE will bind to the threads and start twisting around them. Doing it this way, you don't even need to pre-cut the hole. Just keep gently screwing in the glider by hand, there shouldn't be any hangups or binding until the black plastic portion of the glider is practically sitting next to the fiberglass foot.. Release the TPE back to it's original shape aaannnddd... Poof!
Seat the glider
Seat the glider
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The TPE skin pretty much comes back level with the glider. It's clean, it's snug, and it's removable. Now, that being said, it's also now an entry point for water if you take your girl into the tub/shower with you. I HIGHLY suggest using some TPE glue or heat to bond the TPE to the slider and keep water from ever getting in. I'll say that again later... Now, on to the toes.
The toes and stretching the TPE
The toes and stretching the TPE
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The toe bone
The toe bone
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Here's the toe bone. It's a bit thinner than the heel bone is. That's a problem because the gliders threaded rod is so long, it will poke out the top of the foot if we don't cut it down. You can cut roughly 1/2" off of the threaded rod at this point. Personally I used an air cutoff tool, but you could use a grinder, saw, or whatever. Remember I said fiberglass was pretty forgiving? Well, it will forgive you a bit if you screw up the threads and still allow the glider to screw in pretty easy.

Well, at this point I seem to have run out of space to insert more images.. It's all good though, a second post awaits!

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TDFnoob
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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by TDFnoob »

So, with the toes out of the way, we drill and tap the hole...
Drilling the toe
Drilling the toe
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Then thread the glider in, again, this is the one I had to cut the threaded rod portion of the glider down about 1/2". Otherwise too much of the rod would stick up above the "bone" and very likely poke a hole through the TPE on the top side of the foot. Seriously, don't even try it unless your girl has some incredible hulk thick feet...
A clean cut and the toes are done
A clean cut and the toes are done
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Here's what I was talking about when I said the cut looks a lot cleaner when the TPE is stretched prior to cutting.. You can't even tell where I went in. By the time I put some tan TPE glue on the foot to seal it up, I won't even be able to tell.. And that makes me happy...

Anyways, with the gliders installed, be sure to wipe them down with some rubbing alcohol... Well, Listerine works... Basically, anything to remove any oils, dirt, etc that may have gotten on the gliders. Let them dry, and then install the pads on top of them. By now, the bottom of the feet should look like this...
The foot with the pads installed.
The foot with the pads installed.
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Once you've got the other foot done, it's time to stand your girl up on pretty much any surface you want without having to worry about tearing up her feet... You can still cover everything up with socks too, but it's nice to see her able to stand on her own..
Standing!
Standing!
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Even if she is giving you that "Really? I need a shower, I'm filthy... Put the camera away" look..
Ready for a shower
Ready for a shower
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Here's a couple of close ups of how the feet and the floor mesh up now..
On the floor
On the floor
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exposed
exposed
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You can see that the doll is fully supported by the pads. Now, like I said, I may end up switching to the larger pads in the VERY near future. We'll have to see how the shower goes, but as well as these little pads are sticking to the linoleum and the "dry" shower floor, I've got pretty high hopes. Still, it's time to get a nice little oil bath and a shower to clean up, and then a bit of powder.. Hopefully without another oops moment like the day I got her.

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by TDFnoob »

So, lessons learned...

1. Order TPE glue a bit earlier next time.
2. Always stretch the over the incision site TPE prior to cutting.
3. On the advice of another member (Dollyman) Order disposable scalpels from amazon or something, they're a LOT sharper than standard razor blades.
4. TPE is very forgiving.
5. Cut smaller than you think you need to. TPE is VERY stretchy, and pretty tear resistant. (Really makes me wonder how I screwed up the feet to begin with.)
6. Don't expect to find steel plates in a doll, even if that's what the "bones" feel like.. The only way you'll know for sure is to make a cut and check.

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by RainKing »

Awesome, My Theory has been proven!! I'm doing mine As soon as possible!

Was that a WM doll? and what did the footbone appear to be made of?
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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by TDFnoob »

It's a Racyme doll off ebay. I'm not sure who manufactures what. The footbone was definitely made of some type of fiberglass judging by the odor. It was really easy to drill and tap in to. I don't think I could have messed that up, even if I'd tried. I just stuck the tap in the drill and it cut right in. I mean it was stupidly easy to do. Someone who's never tapped anything before could do this, just get the right tap..

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by RainKing »

good deal, try and contact your seller to see if they have a TPE repair kit since formulations can vary, they may can help u out. To close the wounds.
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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by Hungry Bear »

TDFnoob, fantastic work and pictures. My Mitchy is also a racyme, I may have to do the mods on her. Never would have guessed fiberglass. Just need to get the glue.
It is okay to feed the bear! In fact, it is highly recommended! Just be sure to count your fingers afterword.

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by bentone »

Is this really all there is to a standing foot mod?? Is this basically the same, as when you order your doll from the factory with the standing foot option?

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by RainKing »

bentone wrote:Is this really all there is to a standing foot mod?? Is this basically the same, as when you order your doll from the factory with the standing foot option?

Not all dolls have the same "Footbone" TDFN just got really brave and decided to do it. I had sent him a PM as well as someone else sorta explaining a theory I had. We both thought the foot bone was metal, I thought it was too narrow, but his 2 point contact system worked really nice. I think its actually superior to what is offered by OEMs.
I was trying to explain the 3 or 4 point type in my PM. But sight unseen, I could only guess.
other doll manufacturers may use a different setup. You almost have to cut in to explore the options. (or at least I would think so) UNLESS you can get a pic of the non-standing foot skeletal foot bone. Or, have a buddy with access to an X-Ray machine!
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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by TDFnoob »

Okay, those small neoprene sticky pads suck. They lasted all of about 30 seconds in the shower and then came off. Later on, I'm going to clean everything up and try the larger rubber sticky pads.. Obviously not in the shower again, because she's already been given her monthly oil bath and cleaning, but I may even go as far as to use an epoxy to bind the rubber to the steel, and then a rubber cement to bind the TPE to the rubber and totally encapsulate the metal...

Side note, if all you want is a simple metal peg to stand your girl on, you don't HAVE to put the rubber pads on the steel. If you have a shower chair to clean your doll with (Thanks for the suggestion Dollyman), you can probably get away with the neoprene, as it works GREAT for hard surfaces like linoleum, hardwood, concrete, etc... And it won't slide. Obviously, if you don't buy the pads, the mod costs even less. I think it was like $6 for the pack of 4 gliders.

With regards to what's in the foot, see lesson 6. You can feel the bone through the TPE, and get a rough idea of the size of the object you're working with, but until you actually open the foot up, you'll never know for sure what the material is made out of.

Bentone, Yes, this is all there is to a standing foot mod. It literally took me all of half an hour and less than $25 to do. No, I have no idea how they're done on other dolls, I can only speak for my own and what I've personally done. :) Hell, I could have easily saved $10 if I could have found my drill bit and 1/4-20 tap and done this for less than the cost of dinner...

Rainking, A really bright LED flashlight would work too... You'd be able to see the shadow of the object through the TPE. Wouldn't try it with a maglight because the lense is huge, but a smaller one? That'd work pretty good, especially on the thinner areas. But I agree 100%, you're never going to know for sure until you open it up if you don't have a pic from the manufacturer... Which I seriously doubt they're going to provide.

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by Mr Franz »

Nice, TDFnoob! I'm sure a lot of people are going to find this helpful. :glou:

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by bentone »

Wow. Something Im considering for my girl. She is a Passion Doll Erika and pretty hefty so I would be great if she could stand on her own.

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by shotdot »

I would like somebody to propose a cleaner way to cut the access hole in TPE. I have one doll with standing feet and the holes are nice and round. How did the manufacturer do that?

I was thinking about soldering iron at lowest possible temp 200 C or so. But I'm afraid to try because conventional wisdom here says no soldering iron...

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by TDFnoob »

Bentone : I didn't do it because she couldn't stand on her own, I did it because as you can clearly see in the first pictures of the bottoms of her feet, they were getting tore up like nobody's business just trying to get her to stand steady without slipping around.

Shotdot : The sharp razor cut with the TPE stretched was barely visible. You can't even really tell it's been cut on the side of the foot after the toe glider was installed, and that's even with pushing the "bone" through the hole.. I'd be afraid to try and use a soldering iron, because I'd be worried about the surface being marred or puddled.. Now, perhaps a heat gun to kind of "gloss" everything over may be in order? I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do yet, however when I do make a decision, I'll be sure to post up more pictures. :D

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Re: Another standing foot mod.

Post by RGC_0767 »

I had a discussion with an experienced owner about making standing from a non standing.
He did suggest to possibly beef up the ankle?? Make it stronger. maybe even knees?

My lady feels like a flat plate as well for a foot. So it is fiberglass? Hmmm now I'm even more cautious in handling :)
I thought if it were steel, could spot weld a thin piece of plate onto it, and work out contact points somehow for soles..
Were you able to see what sort of joint is used for ankle? If ankle or knees get broken it's game over for standing :)

Doubtful I will attempt to mod her. But yes, the only way to really find out is get in there and see what is what. I found sharp scissors cut nicer than blades in my limited cutting experience. Stab right through, then snip like tin snips.

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