New Nipple Monday at Reverend Jacks

[homersexual]

Actually I suspect the TPE quality for my doll was poor. I rejected the first one after purchase because they'd dishonestly attempted to sell me on heads that were too large n the original body. On top of this there was a lot of Covid issues, and Chinese new year, so they were in a pretty big crunch and likely cut corners on the doll. This is further evident in construction, and solid debris found inside the TPE. I've been trying to fix a lot of problems but the quality is just poor, so that's all I have to work with. I am thinking of getting a Kimber Deluxe as a basis for comparison (though Lush is nice to).

The primer was purchased from the 3M store, so it was legit. I think some of the shabby workmanship on Callista was ultimately the issue.

I've had pretty good luck with paste on rebuilding her, but it's taken a lot of experimentation. I hope to have some update before the year's end, but ordering appropriate parts like tinted TPE is confusing,

Grateful for the feedback as always, fellas.

[Wheezer]

Just tint your TPE paste with a very small bit of oil paint to get the color you need.
Much easier than trying to get the perfect source TPE to make paste or mold.

Stop in an art store and pick up a tube close to your target color.
If the exact color not available, you can mix two to make one that matches.

Cheers!
... W ...

[RevJack]

Just tint your TPE paste with a very small bit of oil paint to get the color you need.
Much easier than trying to get the perfect source TPE to make paste or mold.

Stop in an art store and pick up a tube close to your target color.
If the exact color not available, you can mix two to make one that matches.

Cheers!
... W ...

And/or mica based pigment powders. It is the same as the pigments in the oil paints but without the oil. It takes micrograms of pigment to tint or color TPE. And having just bought artist grade oil pant to experiment with, the powder pigments are quite a bit cheaper.

Reverend Jack

[Wheezer]

Interesting ... I will look into that.
Thanks!
... W ...

[Socratus]

Very good stuff. Thanks for showing us.

[sparklydocs]

So, first attempt!!! Happy with the silicone molds, but I think I need a bit more experimentation with the paste/pouring technique, as the end nipples weren't all that great

1. Prepped the mold (small ceramic ramekins) by smearing vaseline on the inside of the dish to act as a release agent, and also smeared a thin layer all over the silicone nipples. Placed the nipple at the bottom of the ramekin.
2. 60g of silicone rubber and 2g of catalyst (per nipple mold) mixed in small plastic pot and poured over the nipples in each ramekin. Left for approx 5 hours before easing out of the ramekin.
3. Drew up the thick TPE paste into the syringe, and gently squeezed into the silicone mold, trying not to get any air pockets! Left it to level out for 10 mins, then gently placed a silicone ' tube' into the centre of the nipple to create an indent. To prevent the silicone tube sinking too far down into the TPE paste nipple I poked some wire through each tube to hold it at a steady depth (made the silicone tube by filling a 2ml syringe - coated the inside of the syringe with vaseline using a cotton bud)
4. Left the TPE paste in the mold overnight to cure. Eased out the nipples from the mold, the TPE nipples weren't too bad, however areola had more of a chocolate mousse appearance, with lots of small air bubbles, rather than the texture of the silicone mold itself.

The TPE nipple wasn't as firm as I'd like, so think I need to experiment with the paste a bit more to get a firmer result. Might need need to try and leach out a bit of the oil from the TPE (going to try placing thin slivers of TPE on paper towel to 'pull out' some of the oil) before cutting the slivers up to make the paste. Using dark tan sample of Jinsan/WM doll TPE, as this was the colour I was after for the nipples and was almost identical in colour to the original silicone nipples. Also wondering if I made the original TPE paste too thick, causing the bubbly appearance on the areola??

Got another single nipple on the go as a test, this time just using the original thick paste in the nipple bit of the silicone mold, will leave to cure fully before putting in paste for the areola. It's all trial and error

[RevJack]

I made the mistake of stirring my TPE paste before drawing/pouring it. It was sitting happy in the jar overnight, bubble free, until I stirred it and added bubbles.
Since you are using a good mold, you might try 1) brushing a thin thin layer of 3M on the inside of the mold before you 2) slowly pour the rested tpe paste into the mold.
The thin layer of 3M should resist bubbles forming and sticking to the mold surface.
I think you did great, especially since it's your first try!
I make my areolas much thinner than you did to help with fitting to the boob. Also I shave the old nipple off smooth, so I don't need a back dimple.
You're doing great, keep it up!

Reverend Jack

[Wheezer]

So, first attempt!!! Happy with the silicone molds, but I think I need a bit more experimentation with the paste/pouring technique, as the end nipples weren't all that great

Nice nipples, and good to see that you used a method to leave an indent for the existing nipple.

Paste nipple cure as the solvent evaporates.
The problem being that the top cures first and can trap bubbles below, causing the pits you see.
I've found the solution to that is low heat cure.

Preheat a toaster over to about 250 F (120C). Insert the filled mold and let it warm for about 15 minutes.
Heating will liquefy the TPE paste, fill in all details and drive off any trapped bubbles.
Take out and pop surface bubble if needed and top off with more TPE paste if necessary.
Place in 250F oven again for about 15 minutes. At the end you have toasty and solid nipples made from TPE paste.

You can cool them faster if you want by using an ice water bath.
Just fill a pan with ice and water and place warm molds in that.
This will accelerate cooling/curing and the mold should be chilled and ready to pop out in about 15 minutes or so.
Make sure the water lever DOES NOT exceed the height of the mold.

With low heat and water bath chilling, you can go from TPE paste to TPE nipple in about 45 minutes.

For a thin areola, fill in the center up to the areola for the first heat.
Then fill the areola area lightly prior to the second heat.
The result is an areola almost paper thin that is easy to blend in.

Good results and I hope it helps.
Cheers!
...W...

[sparklydocs]

Thanks RevJack & Wheezer for the advice & encouragement, will give both options a try & see which works best for me. I don't have a toaster I can put the molds into, but do have an air fryer & can set the temp on that, so might give that a try (will put them on a pyrex dish, just in case!). I just have a query about heating the tpe paste, will it cause the paste to give off volatile fumes from the primer in the paste?

Will post the results, good & bad!

Not too bothered about getting them made quickly, my doll is still in transit and due to arrive in approx 30-40 days (tracking the shipping container online and arriving in Singapore port tomorrow ) so have plenty of time to experiment & learn.

[Wheezer]

Uh, an air fryer IS NOT GOOD, don't do it.
Those things heat by blowing lots of hot air, and you do not want that.

Best case would be to check a thrift store or other places for a toaster oven with a drop down front door. New and used ones are really cheap.
Those heat to a set temperature and stay there, letting the heat soak in.
Air fryers usually just keep blowing hot air all the time.

There will be some evaporation of the solvents from the paste, so if you are sensitive then do it on the back porch or a garage.
I've done that in the winter in a bathroom with the vent fan going and did not notice anything.
Since I like the smell of acetone and ketone and such, I might not be that sensitive.

But again - no air fryer. That world not work and probably make a mess.
However, it IS a test ... so try the air fryer if you want and post the results.
Just be aware that you might muck up the air fryer.

Cheers!
... W ...

[sparklydocs]

Thanks for the input Wheezer, here in the UK toaster ovens with a drop front door aren't typically a thing, ours just have slots for the bread slices and don't have temp controls. If the air fryer's not a good option, I'll probably consider using the grill / small top oven on the cooker

[seagull]

Wheezer is in the US, toasters, not quite the same meaning as the UK, a benchtop grill is better, can be used for toasted sandwiches

[MinniMagg]

Wheezer is in the US, toasters, not quite the same meaning as the UK, a benchtop grill is better, can be used for toasted sandwiches

While here in the USA we call the appliance a "toaster oven" a more appropriate name would be a "countertop oven with a toast feature". As the appliance is much better used as an oven than a toaster to heat bread into toast.

Below our pictures of mine. They are common in the USA. And even though they are called toaster ovens, the top heating element is usually farther away from the bottom heating element. And in my case, trying to make toast will result in the bottom being burnt and the top will be golden brown.

It is not the same as a traditional bread toaster.

It is much more handy as an oven to warm up leftovers using the 'Bake' feature' (lower heating element) when you don't want to turn on your high power oven. It can even do a decent job cooking a steak using the 'broil' feature (top heating element.

Here are two pictures of my 'toaster oven' (again, better referred to as a countertop oven, but we don't use that terminology. ) I just looked at mine today and the temperature now even reads in degrees Fahrenheit and centigrade. I may get a new one and relegate this one to the garage or outside when I start warming up tpe paste to cure.

I used to pour a lot of silicone and even aluminum molds. One thing we always did on the silicone molds was to coat to detailed inner part with silicone via a brush, then tilt the mold of a 30° and slowly start to fill it so that the air could Escape. Then put it level and fill the rest. In aluminum casting we would put a small downward Channel, then one going sideways and then one going upward to allow the escaping gases out. As well as some of the material we were pouring. Otherwise we would get bubbles trapped in me part we're trying to cast. Something else to think about as people start casting

In any event here are pictures of the ill defined toaster oven.

Front view, door closed

20230927_201544.jpg (2.24 MiB) Viewed 214 times

Partial side view showing controls/features

20230927_201626.jpg (2.1 MiB) Viewed 214 times

[seagull]

My education continues

[Wheezer]

Many thanks for the clarification and descriptions ... in my haste I forgot the translations issues between US and UK English.

The goal with the warming device is a slow and thorough heating of the silicone mold to accelerate the reaction of the 3M 94 primer to liquefy the TPE paste and drive off the evaporative chemicals to create a solid finished mold.
Thus the "toaster over", "contertop oven" or whatever you locally term a device like that pictured above. For that matter you can even use your home oven to accomplish the task.

Whatever you use needs to be able to maintain a stable heat that "surrounds" the target mold.
An air fryer is not a good choice since it blows hot in in one direction. Likewise a grill typically heats from below. Neither is an issue with food preparation, but not ideal for this case.

I suggested a temperature of 120C from my testing and observations. At this temperature the TPE pastes appears to "melt", actually it the reaction of the 3M 94 chemicals to bind the TPE is accelerated, thus giving the illusion of melting. This temperature is also low enough to prevent any reaction between the silicone mold and TPE paste. You can also use a similar temperature range to flow and increase bonding of TPE paste in wounds by using hot air. In that case the TPE paste will flow and cure at a temperature that will not damage or deform the surrounding base TPE.

The suggestion is also based on the fact that these inexpensive consumer devices typically are only approximate in their temperatures. Thus the temperature setting listed on the controls should be considered a guess and not absolute. So it is better to set an estimated temperature LOWER than the absolute, since you are not sure of the actual internal temperature. I measured the internal heat of my mold heating unit with sensors and found the reading were accurate, but yours may be off. This is NOT just a problem with countertop ovens. Even full size ovens are known to be off and the dials can be adjusted to give a more accurate temperature setting. Some food cooking applications NEED a specific heat to work correctly. In the past many cakes met a horrible fate due to incorrect oven temperatures, not so much today.

Finally the heat cycling of these device is pretty wide. That is the heating elements come on, glow red, furiously heat until the thermocouple shuts them off, the box cools a bit and it repeats. My mold heating unit is a digital version of the Black and Decker item shown above. With it I inserted test probes, set the target temperature to 250F (120c) and allowed the unit to heat up. It reached a high point of 265 (130c) when the heating units disengaged and the cycle restarted. Perhaps I was lucky with my unit, but that still was higher than planned. So for for optimal results I suggest 250F (120c) since I have no idea of the range of the heating cycle of the end users unit. If you have temperature probes and such you can map out the temperatures and heat cycle range of your specific device and adjust your methods accordingly.

Thus whatever you use or call it at your location, you need a device that will provide a stable, even heat to warm the mold, and large enough so that the mold is not getting point heat from only the top or the bottom.

Mold filling at an angle is always a good practice, so too here when filling a nipple mold. But heat set TPE paste adds an interesting wrinkle.

Typically you fill a mold with a liquid or molten material that will begin to solidify once it hits the mold. You want to avoid bubbles or voids that can be trapped in the solidifying solution.
But when you warm heat set TPE paste it becomes thinner and MORE of a liquid before it sets. Any trapped bubbles can now migrate to the top of the liquid, and VOC that need to evacuate are not trapped in the solid TPE, they also rise to the top. Plus the thinner TPE solution also flows down and fills in any mold details. KInda' backward to most molding processes.

A bit of a long post, but I wanted to give you some background and reasons. So if you want to experiment or tune it to your application you now have a better starting point.

Cheers!
... W ...