First time owner - ds170 needs advice for apartment storage

figmacollector · Post by **figmacollector** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 9:16 pm

I'm a first time doll owner with a DS170. It's great, she's beautiful. Only I didn't anticipate problems storing her. At the moment I keep her under the bed in the original box. I tried to hang her on closet bar with the dollhook but it was too low that a natural pose was not possible.

Being in an single bedroom, storage space is a premium. A spare closet or under the bed were my only good options. Any suggestions on discreet storage? Thanks in advance.

imverynuts · Post by **imverynuts** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:15 pm

Well, you could get a case. Or maybe the original box is holding up fine? Since the closet seems out the question I'd say in the meantime look for a more durable box, and use the box you got right now until then.

Motoko · Post by **Motoko** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:35 pm

I'm going myself for a custom-made wood box / bench, but for a DS145. For a DS170 it should be pretty heavy.

rubyfan · Post by **rubyfan** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 11:01 pm

IKEA sells a good storage bed: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/produ ... #/40249876

TheIQF++ · Post by **TheIQF++** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 12:51 am

Congrats on your 170! I want one.

I asked John and he said the box was okay but they recommend hanging for long term storage.

Will she hang in your closet with her knees bent? What if you put some soft pillows under her shins so that her feet are not touching the floor?

I line my box with a soft white blanket and wrapped her in a sheet like a burrito (always powdered with hands and feet protected). That way I can lift her straight up with the sheet without having to scoop my arms underneath. It helps with a loose jointed doll. Just make sure there are no folds under her or the compressions might stay after too long.

Hmm, the IKEA bed seems like an elegant solution. Anyone tried it? For that $$$ I'd put it towards a new head!

Though I could store both my girls and their shoes and clothes. The queen size could probably hold 4 full size dolls if you pack them in like sardines.

figmacollector · Post by **figmacollector** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 12:37 pm

The closet bar doesn't hang high enough to keep the feet off the ground, the legs are already at almost 45" bend. There's an overhanging shelf that prevents me from putting her up higher. I wonder about the long term effects of storing in a seated position instead? There may be room to fit a folding chair in the closet.

Thanks for the tip on the blanket. Is there a type of cloth that works best with silicone? The body is about 74 lbs on my digital scale, I probably need to use multiple folds to keep it from tearing.

For anyone curious the shipping box was huge. It's 15" high x 18" wide x 62" long. I bought 8" bed risers which gave enough clearance to slide the box in but not much else. To pull the box out I wrapped three velcro straps to use as handles.

cmelater · Post by **cmelater** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:15 pm

Just my views. I noticed that creases and wrinkle lines may develop if you leave the limbs folded or bent for long periods of time. I wouldnt try to let it rest in sitting position for long.

Tufgngbob · Post by **Tufgngbob** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:02 pm

"The closet bar doesn't hang high enough to keep the feet off the ground, the legs are already at almost 45" bend"

The closet bar would not be nearly strong enough to hang her safely anyway. Get a strong rare earth magnet or quality stud finder and put a 2" eye screw into solid wood at the ceiling. Hang down a chain if its too high to reach.
Peace!

jonn · Post by **jonn** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:12 am

This may be of interest:

http://dollforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=67230

Tufgngbob · Post by **Tufgngbob** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 6:34 pm

I'm sure the bed box would work and it may be the best option for you. Keep in mind there are benefits to hanging vs laying. It's easier to put a catch tub under the doll and bath her that way then to break your back getting over to, and then down into a bath tub, and then back up and out. Trying to bath her laying own flat is a big mess and a big P.I.A.. It's so much easier to dress and undress a doll when hanging as well. You may have to wait till she's down for a pullover top but all else can be done hanging. Someone told me don't hang because if the chain comes loose she will come crashing down. I put a 2" long eye screw in the solid wood beam and another right next to it with a 2nd backup / safety chain that gets connected after raising her up. The maker also suggests hanging the doll for long term storage.

Good luck

DollAfficionado · Post by **DollAfficionado** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:17 pm

If you you can't get hanging to work...

If you are in need of a new bed, I would go with the IKEA bed option; otherwise, use some sort of padded container or truck box.

roninfiertze · Post by **roninfiertze** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:27 pm

TheIQF++ wrote: Hmm, the IKEA bed seems like an elegant solution. Anyone tried it? For that $$$ I'd put it towards a new head! Though I could store both my girls and their shoes and clothes. The queen size could probably hold 4 full size dolls if you pack them in like sardines.

For about 140 I managed to build a 16 inch deep storage bed myself from Lowes lumber. It worked out really well, but such a project isn't for everyone I know, and lifting it is a bit of a workout for someone scrawny like me. The IKEA one has assisting pistons and it's something I might add to mine eventually. I just put a scale between the underside and my hands to find out how much pressure it takes and with the bed fully stripped it's almost exactly 80lbs.

Don't tempt me with the 4 dolls... I'm susceptible haha (and know the exact ones I'd add). I'm going to soon be fitting 2 in with wardrobes for each, currently just 1 in there.

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figmacollector · Post by **figmacollector** » Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:25 pm

For those with hanging solutions, do you wrap the doll in any sort of bag/cloth?

@roninfiertze That's impressive work!

DollAfficionado · Post by **DollAfficionado** » Sat Mar 12, 2016 7:23 pm

I have not seen any pictures, but a soft cloth bag would do the trick, preferably white-colored to prevent the possibility of any color leeching onto the doll.

TheIQF++ · Post by **TheIQF++** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:19 am

Very nice work, roninfiertze.

I like how you wouldn't suspect there is a secret compartment.

A guy made a bed out of IKEA cabinets. He made a secret door in the back of 1 of the cabinets. There's massive storage under there if you really want to hide your doll. You could make it as long as you want width-wise, and maybe slide out your doll on a sliding slab of some sort (though it might feel like a morgue

).

The downside is he mounted it to the wall so it can't move. Plus I'd rather not carry my doll up the stairs whenever it's playtime.