The rot has spread, poor Ami.

Tyr · Post by **Tyr** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:26 am

Ami was booked in for a spa day today. Unfortunately it turned into an emergency maintenance appointment!
As I was removing her stockings, her right toe almost fell off! The dreaded TPE rot has reached her feet.

So, out with the repair kit...

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Her foot had 2 holes and a tear in the gap between her toes.

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Had to cut a chunk away and pull all of the snot out to prepare her.

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Fortunately, it turned out to be a pretty easy repair, I just kept melting TPE into the hole until it was full.
So Ami did get her spa day after all.

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Tyr.

Hartmudt · Post by **Hartmudt** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:47 am

Glad to see you were able to help her. I worked on Akeno for a whole weekend to save her. It's a good feeling.

And by the way, Ami is a sweetie

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:32 am

Yeah when tpe degrades to that point all you can do is keep cutting it away untill you reach some good tpe. That's an impressive repair though! I've found that melting little bits of tpe into a wound is the best way to get a more lasting repair

Tyr · Post by **Tyr** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:58 am

Thanks Hartmudt, hope Akeno is ok.

Hi Arthur, I agree, I only do heat repairs, Ami doesn't like solvents, even mild ones. The only one she could tolerate was the Cold weld adhesive that Indigo20 used to make. It's like the elixir of life,

I have a little bit left for use on tiny splits and tears. It's a shame, Ami seems to go all in when it comes to injuries, very rarely do we get a split. It's usually the rot or a ragged tear. Showing her age, I fear.
Tyr.

Tyr · Post by **Tyr** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 10:01 am

Just realised it's her left foot! No wonder I keep getting lost!
D'oh!

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 11:18 am

Tyr wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:58 am Thanks Hartmudt, hope Akeno is ok.

Hi Arthur, I agree, I only do heat repairs, Ami doesn't like solvents, even mild ones. The only one she could tolerate was the Cold weld adhesive that Indigo20 used to make. It's like the elixir of life, I have a little bit left for use on tiny splits and tears. It's a shame, Ami seems to go all in when it comes to injuries, very rarely do we get a split. It's usually the rot or a ragged tear. Showing her age, I fear.
Tyr.

If you haven't tried it yet then you may want to give 3M Primer 94 a go, I am constantly impressed with the repairs I can use it for where heat can be problematic. Take Dora's hand here, yesterday I noticed a deep split had formed in-between the thumb and the hand so I coated the surfaces of the crack with the primer then closed up the crack and kept it in place with some crepe bandage and this is the result. Basically it re-bonds the tpe but it's best left for several hours to cure, however it's much easier and kinder to use than the pure xylene tpe solvent. While I've tried melting tpe into such splits before it's fiddly around fingers and it's so easy to make things worse so, for me, the primer is a godsend!

Wheezer · Post by **Wheezer** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:13 pm

Nice hand job.
Or should I say finger job.

Cheers!
... W ...

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Thu Sep 21, 2023 2:21 am

Assume Tyr has tried the3M product but perhaps the sensitivity of the material Ami is made from didn't respond all that well
Suggest making a series of different viscosities (thickness) of pastes with 3M 94 Primer to reduce the strength of it to suit Ami's material

Arthur1960 · Post by **Arthur1960** » Thu Sep 21, 2023 3:24 am

seagull wrote: ↑Thu Sep 21, 2023 2:21 am Assume Tyr has tried the3M product but perhaps the sensitivity of the material Ami is made from didn't respond all that well
Suggest making a series of different viscosities (thickness) of pastes with 3M 94 Primer to reduce the strength of it to suit Ami's material

Yeah that's a good point seagull, I've always found that my best results with Primer have been bonding good tpe that's in no way over oily, then leaving it for several hours, preferably held together with some bandage. There's definitely an art to getting a good mix for a paste, too thin and it can be a bit aggressive and too thick and it doesn't bond so well but get it right it it does a great job!

Tyr · Post by **Tyr** » Thu Sep 21, 2023 4:47 am

Thanks for the comments guys. I've tried many variations of primer, mixed with fresh TPE but tested on pieces of TPE that have been removed from her body over the years. She melts. Sometimes it looks good,but come back later and it's melting. She is a very oily girl and that may very well be her problem. In the meantime, I have a solution that works and I'm comfortable with thankfully.
Cheers,
Tyr.