Register Forums CrazyCajun Memorial Dollspital Standing Foot Mod

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3 replies, 3 voices Last updated by (Mod) Don Keydick 5 years, 1 month ago
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    • #1301

      (Mod) Don Keydick
      Moderator
      • Posts 179
      @DKeydick

      I wanted to pass along a mod for dolls with non standing feet to give them the ability to stand without damaging the bottom of their feet. I did this mod on my Rifrano 140 cm. so this method is specific to that type of foot known around here as the potato foot. It is a lump of hardened fiberglass like material in the rough shape of… a potato. Julia was my very first doll and through my own ignorance I damaged the bottoms of both of her feet. Funny thing about how it occurred though is most of it happened in the shower. for some reason after having her standing in the shower for her first couple of cleanings rubbed holes in the bottom of both feet. Having her standing up for photoshoots she always had on at least socks if not with shoes and it never caused much noticeable damage but a couple of times in the shower and they were a mess. I saw on TDF how someone used these threaded furniture glides to make an equivalent to the pegs on actual standing foot dolls. Looked like a pretty good idea but I thought it could be done better. I would caution anyone considering this for a doll not made with standing feet is to first make sure the leg and ankles are strong enough to support the dolls weight and as I said this is specific to only this type of foot. I used the type of furniture glide with a threaded insert that I would mount in the actual foot allowing the threaded glide to be removed easily instead of drilling and tapping the foot for threads directly. I think the insert being securely glued into the foot will give it more durability besides making the glide easily removable. As to why you would want to remove it well my twist on this is that a piece of threaded rod the same as the glide could be screwed into the insert leaving a couple of inches sticking out of the bottom of the foot. Trying to keep shoes especially heels on dolls can be a pain and sometimes just when I try to stand em up the damn shoe falls off so I thought what if I drill a hole down into the heel of the shoe that my threaded rod sticking out of the bottom of her foot can fit into and help hold everything in place. Well that worked like a charm and keeps the shoes in place with nothing showing and only a small hole into the heel of the shoe that you can hardly see. First photo is what I used, found at Walmart, I looked at Lowes too and they had the same thing. Second shows the damage, what a mess but all my own fault due to ignorance. 3 and 4 show the potato exposed at the heel and the hole measured and drilled into it. I wrapped a piece of tape around the drill bit at the length of the insert so I did not drill too far and possibly weaken the tater. Next was glue in the insert with clear Gorilla Glue and let dry. Last photo shows completed implantation. All that is left is a little work on fixing the TPE.

      "A woman is the most fiendish instrument of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man" Ulysses Everett McGill
      That is why I have Dolls
      "Making DollsBook Great"

    • #7403

      Anonymous
      Inactive
      • Posts 3
      @

      Hi Don,

      My doll is from AJ doll and the feet feel as if there  is a flat metal plate with a hinge at a point just before the heel right at the ankle. This  makes the heel a blob of tpe or rather squishy like her boobs, thus having zero support for this type of mod. However, a great mod for the specific foot type.

       

    • #7405

      Anonymous
      Inactive
      • Posts 56
      @

      Hi Don, My doll is from AJ doll and the feet feel as if there is a flat metal plate with a hinge at a point just before the heel right at the ankle. This makes the heel a blob of tpe or rather squishy like her boobs, thus having zero support for this type of mod. However, a great mod for the specific foot type.

      Your doll is non standing? I’d not recommend standing her if she is non standing. My dolls foot is the same as Don’s here. I had stood her in storage/hiding for only a brief period. A week tops. The TPE on her heels got damaged quite a bit. Looked like holes in it 🙂

      I was going to do this mod, and even had the inserts for gliders in, then I changed my mind.

      I’d cut her foot open to see how the foot was made.  It was a fair amount of work getting it back original 🙂

      The ankle on my doll is like a flex tubing, like some dolls have for necks. It is the reason I’d changed my mind. Don here has had luck with his mod

      I may not have had the same luck 🙂

    • #7911

      (Mod) Don Keydick
      Moderator
      • Posts 179
      @DKeydick

      I believe I did get lucky that the mod worked out for Julia’s feet. I thought long and hard before doing it but it just made sense to me in the end after the tears on the bottom of both her feet got to be so bad. Having the glider pads be removable made it even better as unless she needs to be standing it leaves her feet looking almost normal except for the small hole. It is definitely a crapshoot to try and stand a non standing doll since so many things could possibly go wrong, such as broken hip,  knee or ankle joints from the weight or failures of some other kind. Great care and planning are needed when standing a doll so that incidental damage from a fall does not occur. So far falling has been the cause of damage more than any from just standing in our situation. One thing that can help minimize the damage to the TPE from standing a non standing doll is as simple as a pair of socks. The socks will let the foot slide easier and not allow the foot “bone” to grind on the TPE, or whatever material your doll is constructed of, wearing the holes in the bottom of the feet. I have been doing that with Tracie and Gabby and they are showing no signs of the damage Julia sustained from standing. I think the weakest point will be the ankles, Julia has what looks like a gooseneck style ankle like Lulu and over time they have loosened to the point that any shoes with heels will just flop over when she tries to stand in them. Flats and sneakers are no problem and just socks is fine for standing also. I am still pondering a fix for the weak ankles but no great ideas yet. I definitely want to address this problem once a suitable solution makes itself available.

      "A woman is the most fiendish instrument of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man" Ulysses Everett McGill
      That is why I have Dolls
      "Making DollsBook Great"

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