Need help how to fix this scar after knee surgery

[Thelord001]

I have been doing some knee surgery on Joanna, she had the "wobbling knee" problem caused by a loose nut. I managed to tighten the nut and glue the incision with transparent Shin-Etsu 1 component silicone, but i did not get a clean cut this time and the scar is visible and does not look good as you can see on the picture...

So my plan is to cover the scar and make it smooth with coloured silicon. How do you think is the best way to do this? I have heard there is several ways to mix and apply the silicone...

1: Mix silicone and hardener from the 4woods repair kit and then apply this using a palette knife. (This is the method i have tried before, with mixed results, sometimes it works really good, sometimes
the scar is visible).

2: Mix silicone and hardener from the 4woods repair kit AND hexan or bensin and then use a brush to apply the silicone mixture. (Never tried this)

3. Mix transparent Shin-Etsu silicone glue with coloured silicone, and then apply the silicone mixture. (Never tried this)

Which method do you recommend for me? And what do you think is the pros and cons for each of these methods? All tips and advises for this repair will be appriciated.

I post a picture of how the scar looks like:

[siliconefun]

Hi Thelord001,
Why you don't ask forum members BEFORE you make a cut on your doll? There're surely some experienced members who likes to help you to achieve a good result.
Have had the same problem like yours on both knees and now I show you the comparison when it's refurbished professionally by the manufacturer:



Note: the difference in skin color results from different light sources

When you can return your doll to 4woods (USA, Japan)/Doll Story (Europe), choose this option as only this specialists achieves the result shown above.
In my case, they did it for free and I never retry a such surgery again until I master this technic so the choice is on you if you have this skills or not.
1: Mix silicone and hardener from the 4woods repair kit and then apply this using a palette knife. (This is the method i have tried before, with mixed results, sometimes it works really good, sometimes
the scar is visible).
That works well, take care that the hardener and silicone is well mixed and the residues on the border of your mixing bowl too as only a perfectly mixed batch guarantees a perfect cure. Allow time to cure, at least 12hrs, better 24hrs at room temp.
Use this prior mix to close or fill the tear.
2: Mix silicone and hardener from the 4woods repair kit AND hexan or bensin and then use a brush to apply the silicone mixture. (Never tried this)
Start a new batch and dilute this mix with hexane until it flows slightly and apply with a stiff brush or sponge (depends on the area to be treated), keep the bead in a flat position to prevent down flowing. Work in well ventilated and enlighten area during repair. Cover the bowl when not dipping to prevent faster evaporation.

Thanks for reply as it interests us

Guy

[Thelord001]

Siliconefun, looks like you got the wrong colour of the silicone when you tried your repairs? Or did you use some other kind of glue? Regarding the knee repair, did you secure the nut with some loctite glue after you tightened it? I decided to do that, because i think otherwise the nut will get loose again sooner or later, due to the way it is constructed.
Im gonna try to fix this scar by myself instead of sending the doll back for repairs so i appriciate all advices i can get.

[Nescio50]

Which method do you recommend for me? And what do you think is the pros and cons for each of these methods? All tips and advises for this repair will be appriciated.

When using Shin-Etsu Silicone 1 Component RTV, use these instructions:

Repair of the knee scar :
1) Apply some primer with a cotton tissue on the scar, to prepair the silicone and help the adherence of the glue.
2) Mix a very (VERY) small quantity of silicone color (the size of a needle head) with some glue, on a piece of cardboard, with a spatula. The mixture must have the same color than your doll. If you put too much color, please repeat the mixture.
3) when the mixture has the right color, add some hexane (about 10 %, but more or less is OK, that will just soften the mixture), and continue mixing.
4) apply the mixture on the scar.
IMPORTANT :
Please make the repair as invisible as possible immediately, by wiping off the excess with a cotton cloth soaked in hexane.
5) leave to dry for 24h.

If you don't have silicone color, you might use make-up powder to color the mixture.
Also, it's very important to clean the cut before applying the glue. Use acetone or hexane to clean the cut.

[Thelord001]

Nescio50:
What do you mean by silicone colour? Do you mean the coloured silicone that comes with the repair kit from 4woods? Or something else?
You didn`t say how much glue i should have? Is it 50/50 silicone/glue or what?
Can i use chemical bensin instead of hexane? I dont know where i can find hexane.
Make up powder that sounds interesting.. maybe its possible to use foundation as well? But i think it might be hard to find the exact right colour.

Thanks for the help.

[Nescio50]

Nescio50:
What do you mean by silicone colour? Do you mean the coloured silicone that comes with the repair kit from 4woods? Or something else?
You didn`t say how much glue i should have? Is it 50/50 silicone/glue or what?
Can i use chemical bensin instead of hexane? I dont know where i can find hexane.
Make up powder that sounds interesting.. maybe its possible to use foundation as well? But i think it might be hard to find the exact right colour.

Thanks for the help.

There is the standard repair kit from 4Woods. This is 2 component silicone glue (silicone and hardener). This is coloured silicone.
Alternatively there is 1 component silicone glue: Shin-Etsu Silicone 1 Component RTV.
For both primer is necessary for adhesion.

If you have the standard 4Woods repair kit, the 2 component silicone glue is coloured already.
If you have the 1 component Shin-Etsu silicone glue, it's probably transparent. So you need to colour it. The silicone colour I referred to is a special color I received from Doll Story/4Woods. Probably you can use foundation as well, but as you said it'll be hard to find the exact colour. But almost the right colour will be good enough.

I don't know about chemical bensin. I did use hexane provided by Doll Story. Over here it's also difficult to get hexane, although I have found a specialized local webshop that has it. But maybe bensin does it as well.

[Obin]

I have a similar looking scar on an MLD. I'm considering the makeup method shown in this sticky: http://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtopi ... =7&t=24850. The method described does appear similar to some of the suggestions made here.

[siliconefun]

Siliconefun, looks like you got the wrong colour of the silicone when you tried your repairs? Or did you use some other kind of glue? Regarding the knee repair, did you secure the nut with some loctite glue after you tightened it? I decided to do that, because i think otherwise the nut will get loose again sooner or later, due to the way it is constructed.
Im gonna try to fix this scar by myself instead of sending the doll back for repairs so i appriciate all advices i can get.

Hi Thelord001,
I've worked with ELASTOSIL® E41 RTV-1 silicone which is very good for repairs but I've colored this batch with the wrong color tone (make-up powder).
The next bad thing was the cut on the left side wasn't properly done and I have had much trouble to close the opening evenly which leaved an uneven surface .
The right side was better but not perfectly too.
You can take a look on what happened on Mia here: http://dollforum.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ry&start=0
It really frightens me when I look back to these topic and it wasn't a wise decision to start this repair. I was unsatisfied about my worst repair ever done and for this reason I decided to send her back for a pro repair.
Never thought they could fix a such mess. Both knee joints were reopened and tightened again by Doll Story and they placed a cut on both sides of the knee to operate.
Several e-mails and phone calls were done and I was very near to sell this doll but the friendly and responsible customer service turned me back.

I wish you good luck and I'm sure you can make it better

Guy

[Thelord001]

Siliconefun, looks like you got the wrong colour of the silicone when you tried your repairs? Or did you use some other kind of glue? Regarding the knee repair, did you secure the nut with some loctite glue after you tightened it? I decided to do that, because i think otherwise the nut will get loose again sooner or later, due to the way it is constructed.
Im gonna try to fix this scar by myself instead of sending the doll back for repairs so i appriciate all advices i can get.

Hi Thelord001,
I've worked with ELASTOSIL® E41 RTV-1 silicone which is very good for repairs but I've colored this batch with the wrong color tone (make-up powder).
The next bad thing was the cut on the left side wasn't properly done and I have had much trouble to close the opening evenly which leaved an uneven surface .
The right side was better but not perfectly too.
You can take a look on what happened on Mia here: http://dollforum.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ry&start=0
It really frightens me when I look back to these topic and it wasn't a wise decision to start this repair. I was unsatisfied about my worst repair ever done and for this reason I decided to send her back for a pro repair.
Never thought they could fix a such mess. Both knee joints were reopened and tightened again by Doll Story and they placed a cut on both sides of the knee to operate.
Several e-mails and phone calls were done and I was very near to sell this doll but the friendly and responsible customer service turned me back.

I wish you good luck and I'm sure you can make it better

Guy

Sometimes its hard to get a clean cut, i really dont now why. I managed to make a really nice clean cut on her other knee and her elbow when i fixed the joints there, and those scars are.. Well, not invisible but almost, it looks really good. I think maybe the best way is to make the first cut not all way down but only about 1/8 of the depth, and then make a second cut all the way down? If you´re going all the way down on the first cut, you need a really sharp knife. Also, its hard to KEEP the cut clean while you are trying to do the repair job, trying to bend the silicone to reach all the nuts and stuff in a very tight space.

[Nescio50]

Sometimes its hard to get a clean cut, i really dont now why. I managed to make a really nice clean cut on her other knee and her elbow when i fixed the joints there, and those scars are.. Well, not invisible but almost, it looks really good. I think maybe the best way is to make the first cut not all way down but only about 1/8 of the depth, and then make a second cut all the way down? If you´re going all the way down on the first cut, you need a really sharp knife. Also, its hard to KEEP the cut clean while you are trying to do the repair job, trying to bend the silicone to reach all the nuts and stuff in a very tight space.

Sure, use a really, really, really sharp knife. Be sure skin and knife are clean. An old trick is to moisten skin and knife with soapy water (some liquid dish soap in a little water), this makes it more easy to get a smooth cut.

When applying silicone sealant to fix a seam in the bathroom, a repairman told me also to use soapy water to smoothen the surface of the silicone sealant (before it cures). Just put your finger in soapy water and smoothen the surface of the silicone you just applied. I also tried this once when repairing a doll, and to me it did work. I don't know if others have tried this. But most important is to use as less silicone glue as possible. Extensive silicone makes the scar worse.

I agree it's hard to keep the cut clean doing the repair. I haven't tried it, but maybe have some cling film on the silicone cut while doing the repair. Next, use acetone to clean the cut before applying glue.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on doll repair, all above is based on a few experiences. Whatever you try, it's your responsibility

[Thelord001]

Sometimes its hard to get a clean cut, i really dont now why. I managed to make a really nice clean cut on her other knee and her elbow when i fixed the joints there, and those scars are.. Well, not invisible but almost, it looks really good. I think maybe the best way is to make the first cut not all way down but only about 1/8 of the depth, and then make a second cut all the way down? If you´re going all the way down on the first cut, you need a really sharp knife. Also, its hard to KEEP the cut clean while you are trying to do the repair job, trying to bend the silicone to reach all the nuts and stuff in a very tight space.

Sure, use a really, really, really sharp knife. Be sure skin and knife are clean. An old trick is to moisten skin and knife with soapy water (some liquid dish soap in a little water), this makes it more easy to get a smooth cut.

When applying silicone sealant to fix a seam in the bathroom, a repairman told me also to use soapy water to smoothen the surface of the silicone sealant (before it cures). Just put your finger in soapy water and smoothen the surface of the silicone you just applied. I also tried this once when repairing a doll, and to me it did work. I don't know if others have tried this. But most important is to use as less silicone glue as possible. Extensive silicone makes the scar worse.

I agree it's hard to keep the cut clean doing the repair. I haven't tried it, but maybe have some cling film on the silicone cut while doing the repair. Next, use acetone to clean the cut before applying glue.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on doll repair, all above is based on a few experiences. Whatever you try, it's your responsibility

Yeah, cling film sounds like a great idea to protect the silicone while doing the repair. There is a lot of small metal particles inside the knee joint due to the friction in the joint. I tried alcohol to clean the cut but maybe acetone works better?

[Nescio50]

There is a lot of small metal particles inside the knee joint due to the friction in the joint. I tried alcohol to clean the cut but maybe acetone works better?

I guess alcohol is as good as acetone: degreasing.
Those metal particles are really trouble. I don't know what's the best way to get rid of them. Anyone else knows how to clean those?

[siliconefun]

There is a lot of small metal particles inside the knee joint due to the friction in the joint. I tried alcohol to clean the cut but maybe acetone works better?

I guess alcohol is as good as acetone: degreasing.
Those metal particles are really trouble. I don't know what's the best way to get rid of them. Anyone else knows how to clean those?

Don't use acetone as it evaporates to fast, I clean the cuts with 'white spirit' cleaner and a piece of non-fuzzing fabric.
It works well for wiping away the small metal particles inside. Best wear thin nitrile glows during the cleaning job to protect skin. Cover both edges of the scar with cling foil to keep them clean.
Only make smooth wipes with a well dampened fabric, no need to rub.

Guy

[jiayi]

For anyone contemplating major surgery on their silicone doll, take a look at this DS repair video.
http://youtu.be/OhQySUrYQZk
JiaYi

[Thelord001]

For anyone contemplating major surgery on their silicone doll, take a look at this DS repair video.
http://youtu.be/OhQySUrYQZk
JiaYi

The results of the repairs done in this video looks horrible! I cant believe why they cut up the whole leg? Why didnt they just make small cuts by the joint, just enought to remove the bone and reach the nut. Unbelievable! I would NOT recommend this video if you are planning to do repairs...