Introducing ... Lila von Shredhead! (Another Custom DS145cm)

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 7:36 pm

samara78 wrote:Very good work. Encouraging to see the lovely Lila back up and running around.

Thanks Samara! And thanks for the tips!
Lila's feeling like herself once again!

Cheers!
Von

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 7:46 pm

Bud Bundy wrote:Hi Von and Lila!

Lila wrote:You can barely see it's there. Von did a pretty good job blending it with the original seam line.
You are so right Lila!
Von you did a great job! You can barely see the scar indeed!

Oh Lila, you look so beautiful in your bikini with the flowers in your hair and the Hawaiian leis at your neck. So beautiful pictures of you! ❤

Hey, and we can't wait to see you in an awesome cosplay outfit!
We are looking forward to it very much!!

Big *hugs* from me and my sweeties!

Cheers!
Bud and the Bundy Babes

Hi Bud!
Thanks!
Lila's scar is almost invisible ... results came out much better than I expected ... totally happy in the end!

Cheers!
Von

Hiya Mr. Bud!
Hey Sweetie ... I felt like I was in Hawaii! I like it when Von picks me fresh flowers ... smells so tropical and invigorating. <giggle><giggle>
Thank you for the wonderful comments.
I'm still working on Von to get me a cool cosplay outfit ... but he seems to have forgotten how badly I want one! I think it's from all the traveling he's been doing lately.
Seeya soon!
L♥vya!
xoxoxo
Lila

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 7:49 pm

luckyleaf wrote:Lila you look great! Your leg looks perfect. Like new!

Hiya Mr. Lucky!
Thank you sweetie!
My legs feels like new ... maybe even a bit better.
Hey, I miss you and Miah ... are you two okay? You've been pretty quiet lately.
We miss you!
L♥vya's!
xoxoxo
Lila

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 7:52 pm

pastydude wrote:Dr. Von is awesome

Thanks Pastydude!
And congrats on your recent adoption of a DS Mini!

Cheers!
Von

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 8:05 pm

mi6c wrote:Oh, hi sweetie, nice to see you recovered and about again.
Also sooo nice that you got lots of flowers.
You look ready for an island vacation, we wonder what's planned ?

All the best from us.

Hiya Mr. 6c!
Thank you sweetie ... I feel great now and am ready to take on anything ... WOOHOO!
The flowers were great and I love it when Von picks me little bunches of flowers every so often ... depending on what's bloomin' in the ol' garden, as Von says ... <giggle><giggle>
Oooooh ... I'd LOVE to go on a long island vacation ... aaaaahhhhhhh yes!
Seeya sweetie!
Big *hugs* to you, Yuzuki and Tsuya!
L♥vya!
xoxoxo
Lila

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 8:08 pm

LoneRanger wrote:Lila looks perfect to me Von....you did an excellent job and it is nice to she her up and about again.

Thanks Lone!
Lila says we need to go check out your 3 little ladies' thread ... we haven't stopped by in a while. Sorry, been a bit busy.
Anyway ...
Seeya!

Cheers!
Von and Lila

pastydude · Post by **pastydude** » Fri May 19, 2017 8:22 pm

von_Shredhead wrote:
pastydude wrote:Dr. Von is awesome
Thanks Pastydude!
And congrats on your recent adoption of a DS Mini!

Cheers!
Von

I'm still waiting for a tracking number on that one. Good thing I've got Bridgette and Lucy to keep me distracted in the mean time.

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 8:40 pm

pastydude wrote:
von_Shredhead wrote:
pastydude wrote:Dr. Von is awesome
Thanks Pastydude!
And congrats on your recent adoption of a DS Mini!

Cheers!
Von
I'm still waiting for a tracking number on that one. Good thing I've got Bridgette and Lucy to keep me distracted in the mean time.

Bummer on not receiving a tracking number yet. From her pics from DS she looked pretty much ready to pack and ship.
Yeah ... Bridgette and Lucy are around to keep ya busy!

Cheers!

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:21 pm

Howdy All!

Lila and I put together a little tutorial on how to replace a broken shin "bone" in a DS145 doll. DS Dolls has a sweet video illustrating a shin "bone" replacement here -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhQySUrYQZk&spfreload=5-. I've taken some different steps then DS Doll uses in their video and will comment on "why" I chose to do differently. Grab yourself a fresh cup of coffee and sit back, get comfortable and stay a spell ... this is gonna be a rather lengthy read.

Tools needed :

: Lila Knee Repair (01).JPG (676.41 KiB) Viewed 1167 times

Cutting tool with fresh blade, hammer and punch, 10 and 13mm (or 1/2 inch) wrenches.

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Acetone, isopropyl alcohol, plenty of shop towels/rags, disposable nitrile gloves.

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Adhesives - SilPoxy, liquid latex, CA glue (super glue), 1/2" wide fan brush for spreading latex, 1/4" wide fan brush for spreading SilPoxy, small pair of scissors, some spare PU foam pieces, small glass for water/solvent use, small plastic tray for holding blobs of SilPoxy and large supply of cotton swabs/Q-tips.

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Large pair of scissors, masking tape, cling wrap to use for pulling cut silicone together and (not pictured) an ACE/elastic wrap bandage to pull all repaired wounds together.

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Here's our patient resting on an elevated and well padded table.

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First find where the bolts/nuts are and mark 'em on the leg. You can find these bolts/nuts by gently squeezing around the ankle and knee area. Once you can feel the bolt/nut make a mark on the leg with a water soluable marker.

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Using these marks as a guide, make another set of marks about 1 inch/2.5cm above the knee bolt and below the ankle bolt. The cut needs to be long enough to allow tool access to both bolts/nuts.

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Position leg in a stable and solid way so it does not wiggle/slip/move while cutting into the silicone.

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Starting at the ankle carefully press the blade into the silicone and start cutting along the seam line up to the knee. You may not be able to make this cut completely to the "bone" in one try/pass. This is okay ... we will go back and make second and third cut in the foam layer to reach the "bone". What is most important about this first cut is to do it all in one pass. This will keep the edges of the cut nice and neat and will make gluing up the cut much cleaner looking. Do not worry about not hitting the "bone" on the first pass ... concentrate on making a clean straight line as first cut.

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Carefully remove the broken "bone" from the foam core. Using the 10mm wrenches, carefully remove the bolt and nut from the ankle joint and finish removing the entire "bone". When removing the ankle hardware (bolt/nut/washers) make note of the assembly order of the parts. You MAY need to use a punch and hammer to gently tap out the bolt.

( more to come ... )

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:27 pm

( ... more )

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A split nylon washer from the ankle joint ... this will need replaced with new nylon washer.

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This was when I discovered that the replacement parts sent from DS Dolls were not compatible with my doll model/year. SHIT!!! Top assembly is replacement thigh and shin "bones" sent from DS. Bottom "bone" pieces are Lila's.

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Major differences in design.

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New parts look cool and better built but unfortunately not compatible with my doll.

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No dice on being able to modify this new "bone" to work with old skeleton design.

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Even if I was able to grind and reshape the end to match Lila's "bone" end ... length is still too short. DAMMIT!!!

Soooo ... I sent email to DS asking if there was a mix up in sending parts. I was informed that my doll's skeleton design is obsolete and no longer being produced nor are there any NOS (new old stock) parts available. I had 3 options suggested to me by DS Dolls ...

1. Replace entire thigh and shin "bone" assembly and HOPE that the new thigh "bone" is compatible with my older doll skeleton.
2. Use screws and try to screw everything together into a functional hodge podge.
3. Take my broken "bone" to a local shop and have it re-welded.

First two suggestions ... Oh I don't think so!! That's not how Shredhead rolls ... he does it right the first time!

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Took Lila's "bone" to my favorite machine shop and had it rebuilt and reinforced. Also picked up some nylon and steel washers to replace the split washer in the ankle joint.

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Finished job. TIG welded. Built up collar around tube end and filled in weld under the hinge piece. Much stronger than original weld.

FYI : Skeleton tubing IS stainless steel.

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Pics for those interested in the welding job results.

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Pics for those interested in the welding job results.

( more to come ... )

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:31 pm

( ... more )

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Pics for those interested in the welding job results.

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Pics for those interested in the welding job results.

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Okay, so I cannot use the replacement "bone" sent by DS ... perhaps I'll use the hardware. Newer hardware stack above ... old original hardware stack below.

** Newer hardware was incompatible with old "bone" and knee joint assembly. Found this out after trial and error! Soooooo ... none of the replacement parts sent from DS Dolls was compatible with my "obsolete" doll skeleton.

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Need to vacuum out all the loose foam shrapnel.

: Lila Knee Repair (25).JPG (373.62 KiB) Viewed 1164 times

Same here.

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Loose foam removed. Can see damage in foam core near the knee joint. This will need repaired.

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Nice and clean. Missing small chunk of foam. Will need to make small repair.

: Lila Knee Repair (28).JPG (365.33 KiB) Viewed 1164 times

All looks good here.

: Lila Knee Repair (29).JPG (466.66 KiB) Viewed 1164 times

Getting everything ready before installing repaired shin "bone". Have ankle and knee joint hardware cleaned and lined up, ready to install.

: Lila Knee Repair (30).JPG (372.27 KiB) Viewed 1164 times

Wipe down foam with rag soaked with isopropyl alcohol. Let evaporate thoroughly. There will be a bit of foam dust/particles/pieces rubbed loose that will need vacuumed/hoovered out ... AGAIN.

( more to come ... )

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:38 pm

( ... more )

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Same here ... wipe down foam with rag soaked with iso. Wipe down/clean end of thigh bone/knee joint. Let evaporate thoroughly.

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Same cleaning procedure here too.

After all the iso has evaporated, vacuum/hoover all the foam bits and pieces left inside. Clean up work area a bit ... put vacuum/hoover away. Take a break.

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Before proceeding, it would be wise to tape up/tie off tight behind the end of the incision. This will help prevent any further tearing/ripping/elongating of the incision when using tools needed to reinstall the shin "bone" bolt and nut. This is optional and not necessary, but I recommend it.

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Installing the shin "bone". There is a sandwich of nylon washers (4 total) between all the metal surfaces of the joint assembly. A nail punch works well to hold and then center the stack of washers prior to installing the knee bolt. Remove the nail punch as the bolt is inserted through the joint assembly.

: Lila Knee Repair (35).JPG (368.77 KiB) Viewed 1163 times

Finish off with washer, lock washer and nut. Tighten firmly to bring everything into alignment, then loosen off a bit so joint moves freely (but not sloppy loose)

: Lila Knee Repair (36).JPG (150.36 KiB) Viewed 1163 times

Notice the tang on the upper part of the shin "bone". This is the "stopper" that limits the knee from bending further forward. Make sure the "bone" is not installed upside down. This will be mentioned and covered again later in this tutorial.

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Installing the ankle joint hardware. Tighten bolt/nut firmly to set everything in place, then back off till loose. Test move the foot. Now tighten ankle joint tension to be slightly tighter then the other ankle's tension.

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This is what it all looks like at this stage.

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Carefully insert bone into foam core. Carefully wrap foam core around shin "bone".

: Lila Knee Repair (40).JPG (355.53 KiB) Viewed 1163 times

Knee joint still accessible for adjustment.

( more to come ... )

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:44 pm

( ... more )

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Ankle joint still accessible for adjustment.

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Okay, here is a view of how the knee stop functions. Tang 1 will hit tang 2 and stop. This keeps the knee from bending forward ... WHEW ... that would look bad!

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Have some foam repairs to do here. Silicone skin will also need re-glued to foam core and small rips in silicone repaired.

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: Lila Knee Repair (44).JPG (384.86 KiB) Viewed 1162 times

Same here.

: Lila Knee Repair (45).JPG (365.22 KiB) Viewed 1162 times

And here.

Okay, before proceeding further we need to readjust the knee joint tension. Situate doll/arrange work area where both legs can be moved around without bumping into something. Adjust tension of rebuilt joint to be slightly tighter than the other joint. Not much tighter ... just a bit. When ready ...

: Lila Knee Repair (46).JPG (430.46 KiB) Viewed 1162 times

Carefully pull foam and skin together and hold using strips of cling wrap. NO GLUES/ADHESIVES!!! We are going to exercise/break in the rebuilt knee before sealing everything up permanently.

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Wrap elastic/ACE bandage over entire area.

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Do ankles move equally?

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Yes. Rebuilt ankle is slightly tighter but has matching mobility/flexibility.

: Lila Knee Repair (50).JPG (449.58 KiB) Viewed 1162 times

Do the knees move equally?

( more to come ... )

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:50 pm

( ... more )

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So far, so good ...

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Full mobility established.

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Time to break 'em in.

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Extend leg ...

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Flex ankle ... Reset joint positions. Repeat 10-15 times. Rest for 10 minutes.

: Lila Knee Repair (56).JPG (496.71 KiB) Viewed 1161 times

How you hangin' in there Lila?
Well ... my knee kinda hurts a bit, but otherwise I feel pretty good! Thanks!

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You know we're gonna need to do more exercises, right?

: Lila Knee Repair (58).JPG (414.59 KiB) Viewed 1161 times

Yeah, I know. You want me to "wear in" my new joint.

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How long is this gonna take?

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Just a few more sets should do it sweetie.
Okay then ... let's get going!

( more to come ... )

von_Shredhead · Post by **von_Shredhead** » Fri May 19, 2017 10:59 pm

( ... more )

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Okay ...

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Extend knee ...

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Flex ankle ... reset and repeat 15 times.

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WHEW!!! How much more of this should I do?
How 'bout another 4 sets?
Okay! Seeya in a while!
Don't forget to rest sweetie. Don't melt your joints!

<giggle><giggle> I won't!

After breaking in Lila's new knee joint we're now ready to set the final tension of her knee and ankle joints. I set her joint tension in the new knee and ankle to be a slight smidgen/bit tighter than her existing joints' tension. I expect a bit further break-in will happen and all joints will eventually be equal in tension.

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Are we finished now?
Yes.

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Unwrap the leg. Obtain a small piece of PU foam. Will be using this to fix areas where foam is missing.

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Like in here.

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Getting ready to test "foam safe" CA glue on small pieces/scraps of foam. Results from test were unsatisfactory to my standards. Glue dries/cures hard and crunchy. Under compression and expansion (flexing) the super glued foam eventually crumbles into a chunky dust. New plan with new tests.

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Testing liquid latex as a foam adhesive. I've used liquid latex very successfully repairing Candy8teen foam dolls. Coat foam with latex, let dry. Put another coat of latex on foam, gently press foam pieces together. Let dry and cure for 24 hours.

Results from test ... latex holds very well and remains soft and flexible. Foam feels a bit more dense/lumpy where latex is used. We have a winner!!!

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Coat surface of exposed foam core with thin layer liquid latex. Work the latex into the foam using a small stiff-bristled brush. Don't worry if latex gets on the silicone layer, it peels off easily when dried. DO NOT let the foam core halves/pieces come into contact with each other. KEEP separated and let dry/cure.

( more to come ... )