Okay, so I ended up going a whole other way with the weight reduction, that you might want to consider. On eBay they sell high density foam.. With a respirator and a heated knife you can sculpt the foam into any shape you want. I bought my heated knife on Amazon for about $60 and the foam for what you are looking at will run you around $35-60..RevJack wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2022 11:29 am Morghana,
Referencing an earlier post and thought process about reducing weight. Specifically "I am also looking into finding a plastic manufacturer close to me to look into having a plastic hollow chest cavity made. There are a couple not far from me that does custom designs. So I guess I am going to start pushing towards getting that done. Since the next doll I order is going to be about 125lbs +, I need to get this figured out sooner then later. I figured If I can get his weight down by at least 25lbs, I can move that around. Still eyeing Xiel and Agares' guts. They might just get a plastic ball or something stuffed into them. LOL! Pretty much just need something that will hold its shape, handle the pressure of the TPE surrounding it and my fat butt, since I find myself laying half on them most of the time at night."
I had a thought (scary, I know). There are car jacks that are made of heavy duty air bags. "Air Bag Jacks" https://esco.net/product/esco-air-bag-jack-kit-10-lbs/
That are heavy duty, reinforced, air bags that don't change shape. "But Jack," you say "those are SO DAMN EXPENSIVE!"
Ah, but not for a seamstress like you. Sew a canvas bag in whatever shape or size you need. Chest shaped, belly shaped, a clever seamstress can make one that cradles a thigh bone. Now put a truck tire innertube into that bag and inflate it. Make it as hard or soft as you want, the canvas cover limits the size and shape.
This will not withstand a heavy pour - but it is an alternative for hollowing out chest cavities.
Just an thought worm for you. I'm going back to thinking about my breast reduction project now.
Reverend Jack.
Here is what is the hardest part about weight reduction.. Carving out the TPE in the body, cleanly and smoothly. A way to combat this is to cover the dense foam with a softer foam and cover that in cotton batting. That way if there are bumps and lumps on the carving out process it would be felt on the outside.. It is also going to be a trial and error with the size of the insert and how much to carve out of the doll. You are still going to want to keep the TPE about 1 1/2 inches thick so it doesn't split.. I also think that the dolls are going to need oiling a lot more often, as they won't have the oil from inside to pull from.
You are going to need some nylon mesh to bind the seams together, from the inside, with paste where you cut into the doll. The mesh will hold the sides together on the inside.. I am actually considering, when I have time to work on Cleo and another doll I have that needs a weight reduction, to sew a sleeve around the insert that will bind the whole thing to the chest cavity once covered with paste and inserted. This is going to have to be done in sections to give the paste time to dry.. You are looking at probably a few of weeks at least to do it right. Hence why I haven't gotten Cleo done yet..
At this time Xiel and Agares' guts are still intact.. I have heard from reliable sources that WM is working on weight reduction for their TPE dolls, and will possibly be offering reduced weight dolls by the end of the year. Once they have perfected the technique within a year or so the rest of the manufacturers will fall in line. I am waiting on that and I will order Agares a 175cm body for at home. Then I will take his 160 cm body and do a weight reduction, so he can travel with me.. Xiel is going to eventually get his weight reduced but I want more practice. It is much harder to work on dolls that you are attached to, and Goddess knows I love my guys.
