Mini Doll broken spine repair

PetwarB · Post by **PetwarB** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 8:29 am

Wow, great work, OP.

Not sure how happy I'd be about receiving a new doll in that condition, but at least you know it can be repaired, and it's DIY.

Pumpster · Post by **Pumpster** » Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:24 am

DarkOne wrote:You might be able to still get replacement parts from john however. I would recommend asking for both thighs while your at it, because S/H is very expensive from DS ($69 to canada)

OK John promised to send me all the parts free and shipping cost seem to be the same 69 bucks. I hope he understood that I meant complete thighs and not just the joint part. I think it was you who got the wrong part for the broken knee? Now I guess it takes 2-4 weeks for parts to get here... sigh.

DarkOne · Post by **DarkOne** » Thu Jul 14, 2016 7:20 am

Pumpster wrote:
DarkOne wrote:You might be able to still get replacement parts from john however. I would recommend asking for both thighs while your at it, because S/H is very expensive from DS ($69 to canada)
OK John promised to send me all the parts free and shipping cost seem to be the same 69 bucks. I hope he understood that I meant complete thighs and not just the joint part. I think it was you who got the wrong part for the broken knee? Now I guess it takes 2-4 weeks for parts to get here... sigh.

No I got the proper part for my broken knee.

I would recommend circling the parts on the DS skeleton picture and sending john that picture.

Pumpster · Post by **Pumpster** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:32 am

Damn that thread part inside the torso is a b*tch to get out. No matter what I try the plastic is so mushy that it just crumbles away. I tried hammering swiss knife blade in and then turning it but it's so thight that blade started warping. Maybe I need to drill it out too, but I suppose then the hole must be rethreaded. Wouldn't want to mess up so that the new part doesn't screw in anymore.

hollows+fentiman · Post by **hollows+fentiman** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:55 am

Have you tried any penetrating oil like WD40 or similar? A dry joint will have a lot of friction. Make sure you put tissue round so you don't get any oil on the silicone.
Also, the thread remover tools shown in one of the earlier posts are good. They have a counter thread so they screw in while you wind anti-clockwise as if you're undoing the bit left in.

Pumpster · Post by **Pumpster** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 12:38 pm

I think penetrating oil might cause plastic to degrade? I guess I'll get that screw extractor kit and try with it as last resort. Might come in handy elsewhere too lol.

hollows+fentiman · Post by **hollows+fentiman** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 1:37 pm

Hi Pumpster!
I've just tried WD40 on the same broken bit I took out of my Eva1 and no problem as far as I can see! The thread is still in the torso like yours but the top of the torso is cracked so I have to replace the whole thing.
One thing I can say is that there were bits of silicone left on that broken bit and the oil doesn't feel as though it will do any harm but I would take all precautions to stop it getting on the inside as I think it will stop the silicone bonding once you want to close up again. It could be tricky to clean up!

Pumpster · Post by **Pumpster** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:16 pm

Petroleum based penetrating oil might not ruin the plastic right away but I afraid it might make plastic brittle over time, and as this doll is fragile enough I don't want to risk it, heh.

You are really going to replace the torso part? I think I would give up at that point, sounds like too big of operation as she would have to be cut open completely!

Post by **LoneRanger** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:54 pm

I thought about how I would have done this without new parts. Looked like the 2 pieces were still in the right place and it broke due to a left / right snap. I would measure the hole in the middle of the broken piece. Gone to a hardware store and bought a threaded metal rod that would just fit in that hole without great effort but as snug as possible.. Cut a piece long enough to just fit the length. Gloop it with plastic bonding, glu, what ever floats your boat and insert into the lower threaded piece. Harden for a day or 2 - gloop the metal rod sticking out and the cracked pieces - slide it in and let it harden, Bet it will hold.

Pumpster · Post by **Pumpster** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 3:09 pm

Doesn't look like this can be fixed with anything else than glue and glue won't propably hold.

hollows+fentiman · Post by **hollows+fentiman** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 3:40 pm

I agree. I don't think the small parts are worth trying to glue. Given that DS will supply new parts which could be nylon rather than the original ABS, we don't know how long a repaired part will hold even if we can glue it effectively.
My Eva1 has to have a new torso because the top was cracked in transit. The torso is made up of two parts which seem to be screwed together. The top has an Allen key bolt insert with a screw thread inside it which holds the mounting bolt. I think the package must have been dropped onto a hard surface and the shock went through the bolt cracking the torso top. I don't have any choice but to replace it all. However, I still haven't heard from DS so I'm not sure if they're willing or able to supply it! All I can do is sit and wait!

Post by **LoneRanger** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:31 pm

Your right - I thought the hole went thru both pieces

Pumpster · Post by **Pumpster** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 6:41 am

hollows+fentiman wrote:I agree. I don't think the small parts are worth trying to glue. Given that DS will supply new parts which could be nylon rather than the original ABS, we don't know how long a repaired part will hold even if we can glue it effectively.

This seem to be melting the plastic and could be used to fuse pieces back together, but welded joint won't be any stronger than the piece originally was so it'll just snap again eventually.

hollows+fentiman · Post by **hollows+fentiman** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 7:16 am

Yeah, it's a bummer whichever way you look at it! Once you've had to cut open it seems a waste of time trying to repair when you can put in a new part anyway! If this was a one-off I think it might be justifiable but now we know the plastic was too brittle in the first place we need to be looking at longer term solutions.
I hope DS come up with something more rigorously tested for the next generation, although probably for most of us here it's "once bitten twice shy", which is a shame as they are such beautiful dolls!

madshagger · Post by **madshagger** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 7:52 am

Pumpster wrote:
hollows+fentiman wrote:I agree. I don't think the small parts are worth trying to glue. Given that DS will supply new parts which could be nylon rather than the original ABS, we don't know how long a repaired part will hold even if we can glue it effectively.

This seem to be melting the plastic and could be used to fuse pieces back together, but welded joint won't be any stronger than the piece originally was so it'll just snap again eventually.

Having just done this, and mine also snapped off flush I was tempted to epoxy mine as well. But when I tried to match up the 2 broken bits I found the stress that broke it warped the plastic enough that they don't mate back up clean and flush. No amount of glue will fill that void and hold it together.

You can see my thread - I got the threaded section out with a pocket knife with a very strong blade. It wasn't easy, but it was well worth replacing it.