Weight Reduction Process - For TPE dolls

muesky6969 · Post by **muesky6969** » Thu Feb 25, 2021 8:07 pm

Okay, so I started the weight reduction process on my female doll. She was given to me and I just now got her out of the box so I could start the procedure in reducing her weight. I will post pictures here soon.

Here is what I am doing..
First I started with her thighs and butt by cutting her open and cutting out the TPE then I will pack the area with foam and polyfil stuffed in cotton batting.

For the chest cavity, I started making the insert from fiberglass cloth and resin. For the molding I am using the front ribcage of a lifesize plastic skeleton I bought and the back of an insert from a doll skeleton I was given from another TDF member. I will post pictures. The reason for the skeleton ribcage is I am going for more realism in the feel of the body. It is disconcerting to me that there is not solid definition under the TPE.

So far on my female doll, I have removed about 5lbs from just her butt and thighs. My overall goal for her is a 10-15lbs reduction, since she is very petite at only 4'10". Depending on how much of her weight is reduced by gutting her torso and installing the insert will determine whether I will hollow out her breast and stuff them with a lighter material. So wish I could get my hands on a pair of silicone breast implants, because I would love to do that for her.. Oh well, stuffing will have to do.

I lost my mind a couple of weeks ago and ordered my fourth doll, who weighs 145lbs, so the weight reduction is not an option anymore. That weight is way above my safety limit, especially since he is about 5'9". I believe I can get his weight down by at least 35-40 lbs which will put him just under what Xiel weighs. Of course all my dolls will go through the process, just for safety and convenience.

If anyone is interested in this I will walk you through the process, but just be aware this is new territory for me as well, so if you are not secure with your ability to fix any damage you may do, I wouldn't try this. Honestly if manufacturers would get off their butts and try some little innovation, what I am doing would not be necessary. Sai Le Vie!

DG · Post by DG » Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:18 pm

Far out! I definitely wanna follow your progress with Cleo!

gogodolls · Post by **gogodolls** » Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:51 pm

Me too, I will follow the evolution of your work.

Your project is very interesting.

Best wishes.

Cheers!

Tidjian · Post by **Tidjian** » Fri Feb 26, 2021 12:54 pm

Very interested! I will be watching closely

matt gloss · Post by **matt gloss** » Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:25 pm

Wonderful

Thankyou

Brunch · Post by **Brunch** » Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:29 pm

Following...

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:21 pm

Pouring hollow TPE dolls is a bit of a challenge
Most plastic bags melt at these pouring temperatures as well as the air/gas inside the bags would expand with destructive force
Metal foil is not going to melt but would have to be filled with oil that can be drained after the pour has cooled
Any air trapped inside will expand and likely cause considerable damage
Guessing the manufacturers have looked at this and decided not to play with bombs

That leaves people such as muesky6969 to do extraordinary modifications, leaving more than a few of us gob-smacked

Silicone is much easier to redesign for weight reduction

muesky6969 · Post by **muesky6969** » Sat Feb 27, 2021 4:26 pm

Here is where I am right now. The outer shell of the insert is done and I put the stabilizing layer of fiberglass into the insert, today. The first layer is kind of thin since it has to be shaped to fit in the dolls torso. Then I added a thicker layer of fiberglass cloth inside of each half of the insert and it is curing as I type. Once both halves have cured I will put them together with more fiberglass cloth and resin. I believe the insert will withstand about 200lbs of pressure without breaking. There will be testing once it is finished. The insert for Cleo will weigh about 2 lbs. So that is not bad, as I believe I can get about 10+lbs out of her chest and abdomen.

Okay, so I ran into a few hiccups with the insert. I wanted to have the feeling of ribs on the insert to give a more realistic feel to it. Well that didn't work so well. It is okay, since once I have the two halves together I am going to take strips of fiberglass cloth and make ribs. This will also help stabilize the insert and allow for it to withstand more pressure.

I apologize for not having pictures right now. With E'agle on the way, I am pressed for time. When I start working on his weight reduction I will post pictures of the entire process. FYI, the pictures are not for the faint of heart. There is no blood or guts but it is a bit disconcerting to see them flayed open and material scooped out. When Cleo's insert is done I will post pictures of it.

My friend asked me if I would consider making inserts to sell and the instructional video on how to do that part of the weight reduction. And I might, just not right now, as I have my hands full, just taking care of my own dolls.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:06 pm

There's no stopping muesky

muesky6969 · Post by **muesky6969** » Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:14 pm

Okay so if you are squeamish you may not want to go any further. I finished repacking Cleo's butt cheeks. Sorry there are no pictures of the carved out area, I am just running out of time fast. When E'agle gets gutted and stuffed, I will take more pictures.

The first picture is of one of the inserts Cleo's butt cheeks. It is a pocket made out of cotton batting. stuffed with heavy foam and polyfil. The pocket method if for several purposes. First off I don't know how TPE reacts to polyfil and the foam, it keeps everything together and lastly it will prevent the packing material from shifting around, once she is together. Have to admit in the picture it looks like a big messed up biscuit.. LOL!!

The second picture is paste and pinning the skin together around the insert. It is pretty gruesome but necessary. I will let that set for a few days before I heat treat and remove the scars. My goal tomorrow after work is to get the insert for her chest done, then I will pack and seal her thighs up. I need to go to the feed store and pick up some longer injection needles. There is still some air around the insert, that I was not able to get burped out. I had IV needles around here somewhere but cannot remember where I put them..

It is important to get all the air out, as the vacuum will keep things from shifting and compressing any more.

So far from her thighs and butt, I have removed about 6lbs of TPE and will only add about 1 1/2lbs. From the chest and abdomen I fully expect to be able to remove about 10-15lbs, with the inserts and gut packing that will put about 2-2 1/2lbs. So I will above my 10-15lb goal. This will put her right around 50lbs, which is the weight of a bag of feed, and I carry those around easily enough.

After E'agle gets his weight reduction, Xiel is next. I am pretty sure I can get 25-30lbs off of him. I am also going to deepen his chest and abdomen, with the insert and stuffing. The additional plan is to give him more definition in his arms and thighs, which I will have to add a bit of material to close the gap that will be created but that is easy enough.

Agares will be last, since his weight is not totally unmanageable as Xiel and E'agle's. To be honest, I wish someone had already figured this out and I could have done this right after Xiel and Agares came home. It is going to be a real struggle to cut them open, gut and stuff them. I am trying to remember my working in the hospital days and staying clinical about it. It is a necessity but still sucks.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Sun Feb 28, 2021 10:00 pm

Just changing the sculpture a bit

muesky6969 · Post by **muesky6969** » Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:39 pm

Well, I ran into a snag today. The first insert just wouldn't come together like I need it to.. **sigh** The ribcage from the life-size skeleton does not give the definition I wanted, anyway, so I took the insert that came with the doll skeleton that Z-Dollman gave me and separated the top and bottom of it and are using them to make the inserts. My plan is to use strips of fiberglass cloth to make the ribs.

Today I made the top and bottom flexible layer of the insert. Tomorrow I will add the reinforcement layer of fiberglass cloth and if the weather hold out I will put the two halves together of Wednesday. Then Thursday add the rib definition. It will probably be next week before I will have Cleo's chest and abdomen carved out, so I can install the insert.

FYI, I am using two different types of fiberglass cloth. For the flexible layer I am using a woven cloth, which is fairly lightweight. For the reinforcement layers I am using a fiberglass felt. It is much thicker and weighs a bit more, but is necessary to give the insert the strength to support weight and not fracture if the doll falls or someone is laying on their doll. I want the insert to be able to withstand at least 200lbs.

So that is where I am at in the process. Again I apologize for not having a lot of pictures. After I get the insert done tomorrow, Cleo will get her thighs stuffed and pinned closed. Thank goodness I am a seamstress, because it takes a lot of pins to hold these large areas closed.

drguild · Post by **drguild** » Mon Mar 01, 2021 11:40 pm

There was a manufacturer Candy8teen that did stuffed dolls with a tpe or was it silicone skin.

Mby there's a few members on here that have repaired there's and can give advice on best ways to do that.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:30 am

There is enough detail in your posts to give a very good description of the process
Pictures are more useful if the text is not good

ShadowFun · Post by **ShadowFun** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 6:39 am

Hey Muesky, hope the torso insert is coming together! I've a question. What are you using to scoop the tpe out? Does it leave a smooth-sided cavity? Thanks!