Maintenance Re-Stringing Old Soom Heliot

If you cut the elastic too long, you can re-tie the knot to shorten the loop. Or, you can get a thicker elastic (larger diameter). I find that if the elastic isn't thick enough, the doll will still be a bit floppy no matter how tightly they're strung. I own 1/3 dolls (no anthros) and usually use 4.5mm diameter elastic for them. I think 3.5mm is the thinnest you can use for a 1/3 doll before the elastic stops being able to hold their structure together. If shortening the elastic doesn't help, maybe try thicker elastic in Heliot, the thickest that can fit inside the channels.

If thicker, tighter elastic still doesn't help, you can suede the joints to provide additional friction for holding pose, and wire to add some more internal sturdiness.

 

I don't have a Heliot, but I do have an old Chrom body (the wolf guy), and even with restringing, he isn't the best poser. I eventually wired his limbs (I used 16 gauge steel wire for the legs, the aluminum/copper jewelry stuff was way too weak) and gave him silicone kips in his hip joints. That definitely helped a lot. Unfortunately, he still tends to buckle at either the knees or, especially, at that joint between the knees and ankles on the anthros. I think it's partially an engineering problem, these were some of the first large anthro dolls out there, so they hadn't perfected it yet.

 

When I last restrung my Heliot, I think I had my friend help me so I could get him strung very tight. He poses wonderfully! It helps to premeasure and test the tension by laying out the doll while unstrung and pulling the loop with your hands next to the doll to see how tight it will be once strung. It's a bit tricky with his hooves and the s-hooks there, which is why hemostats and a second pair of hands are very helpful. Much of the time, restringing is just trial and error to get the tension how you want it though. Good luck!

 

I'm a tight-stringer, I definitely recommend doing parts together, so left thigh, right thigh, left calf, right calf, etc. to make sure you're keeping the elastic even. My first few restrings were very questionable!