Broken back repair on my Sabrina doll

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Wed Dec 23, 2020 3:49 pm

With repairs there are never bad ideas, just opportunities to improve

roninfiertze · Post by **roninfiertze** » Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:48 pm

Dollarhyde wrote:Excellent repair Siliconeman thanks for sharing... question? Could you have used JB Weld to make the repair even stronger then the original weld?

JB Weld doesn't always bond well to polished metal, you'd want to rough it up pretty good with low-grit sandpaper first. I've used an excessive amount inside a doll to modify the spine before when attaching a tail, and it popped right off the metal from very little force after a few days because I didn't rough up the attachment point enough first.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:39 pm

JB Weld between clamped surfaces might be a good option with the metal really roughed up

Siliconeman · Post by **Siliconeman** » Sun Dec 27, 2020 1:18 pm

Hi folks!

I have another patient on my table(or couch). I just bought very nice looking Piper with broken back. This time there is a one single broken connecting bolt. This bolt connects lower part to upper torso. I think I will inspect the possibility of making a tubular sleeve to reconnect the halves. May require some lathe work! Any other suggestions welcome.

Please inspect the images.

: PatientChanel01.jpg (188.46 KiB) Viewed 1046 times

: PatientChanel02.jpg (163.23 KiB) Viewed 1046 times

Skeleton at the picture below is not the Piper skeleton but shows which bolt is broken

: PatientChanel03.jpg (292.53 KiB) Viewed 1046 times

Cheers!

Sili

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Sun Dec 27, 2020 3:32 pm

You are on the right track
So far I have not seen any need for lathe work for this type of repair
A Tee split into 2 halves and clamped around the break is usually enough to make it one piece again
Does remove the bending capability though

Another method involves these marine fittings

: Tees.JPG (33.58 KiB) Viewed 1038 times

Making a new section involves a spot of welding but will restore the ability to bend

: Waist_Brace.JPG (19.74 KiB) Viewed 1038 times

Will probably need to be modified for your doll repair

catdaddy · Post by **catdaddy** » Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:08 pm

Whenever metal is welded it becomes "brittle" or harder than it was before welding, combine that with thin wall and you can have this issue. MiG has the habit of making the metal "harder" thus more "brittle. TiG and gas welding less so, I suppose the manufacturers are not normalizing the welds after welding due to time constraints. Normalizing metal after welding causes the metal to relax, all it takes is a couple hours of heating in an oven around 150-200 degrees..

Sorry about the rabbit hole excursion...

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:20 pm

The degree of brittleness is influenced by the material being welded, (Stainless tube in this case), the welding material (stick is the most easily matched) and the skill of the welder
Most of the time it all comes together, and sometimes it doesn't

catdaddy · Post by **catdaddy** » Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:32 pm

About the stainless steel chips, I have often put some grease on the drill bit to capture the bits, just wipe off the bit and chips, re-grease and keep going, of course you can't use grease but you could use some Vaseline.

BTW, drilling stainless requires a different angle on the bit usually 130-135 degrees. Stainless is not so much harder it just creates more friction which builds heat.

And don't forget you are drilling hardened metal from the welding process when the doll was put together. So the cheepo drill bits need to be avoided (spend 5-10 bucks on a good tool steel bit).

Spraying some soap and water on mild steel is a great way to go, don't need a lot, you will be surprised how fast the bit will cut.

I know I know - the rabbit hole again...

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:01 am

The doll rabbit warren, once in, you can never find your way out again

Kaori Kusanagi · Post by **Kaori Kusanagi** » Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:29 pm

catdaddy wrote: Stainless is not so much harder it just creates more friction which builds heat.

It can also work-harden, making it very difficult to drill, though if it's thin it probably won't be an issue--but as you say, a *good* bit is much more likely than a cheap one to work.

blimpbiscuit · Post by **blimpbiscuit** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 3:51 pm

Wow, clever repairs!

I have an smdoll with a skeleton issue as well, only on her arm/shrugging shoulder than the spine.

I contacted the manufacturer and they provided a picture of the skeleton; they claimed a weld may be necessary but I'm hesistant to even open up my doll let alone weld near it.

I marked the areas that I believe are loose.

Any tips on diagnosing the issue/making a fix? I imagine limb repair can be simpler than the back but I'm completely new to this sort of maintenance.

Kaori Kusanagi · Post by **Kaori Kusanagi** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 4:37 pm

Depends on exactly what broke, as to what the fix is.

You can usually feel pretty easily thru the shoulder TPE to find the exact break location, just don't push super hard or a sharp edge may cut into the TPE from inside. Once you know where the break is, you can post a pic showing that, and we can help you work out potential repair methods.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:58 pm

Both Silicone and TPE are easily sealed up now
The Silicone gets difficult only if you cut into a foam core

Siliconeman · Post by **Siliconeman** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:06 am

Thank you all for helping to keep our dolls alive!

Back to Chanels back repair (pictures at my previous post see above)

I had to break welds and remove a bracket at her lower part. I made couple of cuts to the weld with dremel and cutting disc and with big enough tools the weld broke. I found out that there is square metal piece with 10mm diameter hole for connection to upper torso.

: _back01.jpg (137.1 KiB) Viewed 978 times

At the picture below broken removed bracket and some aluminium stock which will be used to fabricate the replacement part.

: _back02.jpg (167.23 KiB) Viewed 978 times

After some milling and turning the bracket is ready. A simple plastic pipe will be attached to the upper part of the bracket and upper torsos central pipe which acts as her main spine will slide into the tube.

: _back03.jpg (143.1 KiB) Viewed 978 times

: _back04.jpg (145.63 KiB) Viewed 978 times

One 10mm x 50mm bolt is used to connect the fabricated bracket to lower part. I adjusted tension with a washer and by tensioning the nut to proper tension. I used nylock nut which should not loosen by itself.

: _back05.jpg (129.25 KiB) Viewed 978 times

You don´t see this every day:

: _back06.jpg (165.65 KiB) Viewed 978 times

She should be better now! Next I should clean and close her wounds and then clean her again. I hope she will be well, she is a stunning doll.

Cheers!

Sili