Maintenance Restringing elastic: where and what to buy

I think the hancock's might have spread from me somewhere way back when but that's where I get mine. I think that the string is just maybe a itty bitty bit smaller, but it's worked great for my boys I've restrung.

also yah i never thought about checking home depot....

 

I know people are often looking for small S-hooks and doll elastic - I found some.

Cool Cat Collection (member coolcat-coolcat on Ebay)

Carolyn

 

So, I've had my doll for about a month, and a few days ago I was really having trouble posing her. Soon I discovered the problem: The elastic in her leg had frayed and snaped! It had been around her knee joint, and soon it happened with the other leg as well. I think I can restring her, but I don't know where I should get new elastic. Does it matter what kind?

Has this ever happened to anyone? Also, your opinion on what you think is causing this and how to prevent it from happening again would be helpful. Thank you!

 

i know a few doll stores sell extra elastic:

http://volksusastore.com/dollfie/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=332
http://dec712241.gdreamweb.com/shop...b_code=B20101202054276&c_code=C20101202054456
http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step0.php?b_code=B20050603012757&c_code=C20050607065830

im not sure where you can find thick enough elastic offline

 

Try a fabric store. They often have thick elastic cord that you can buy by the yard.

You may want to take your broken elastic with you so you can try to get something simular, or if they do not have something simular in stock, they might be able to special order some.

You may also want to check the inside of your doll's legs. It's rather odd for elastic to fray and snap like that. Check and see if there is a sharp edge that may be slicing at the elastic.

 

Thanks for your help! I went to three fabric and craft stores, as well as the Home Depot, but I finally scored at Eastern Mountain Sports, where I found some replacement tent bungee. after several tries, I managed to restring her. I'm emailing the company for more elastic in case I want to restring her with that instead, but the stuff I used works really well and I don't think It'll be wearing down anytime soon!

 

I got my string today, and have the body out in front of me but I cant seem to find a tutuorial on how to measure how much string you actually need, I just have an uncut length of string, and I dont know how much I need for each part for the doll.

Its a MSD bobobie doll if anyone knows how much I should cut.

Ok, I strung it, but he has one kicky leg, that will not stay down-whether I tighten it or loosen it he still kicks back!!

 

If the one leg is kicky, you might not have used enough! Why don't you unstring him and try again?

 

So I could buy either 3mm of round elastic cord from JoAnne's, or 9/64" size elastic from Kemper Dolls, am I correct?

 

Luts has a really handy tutorial on their website for restringing dolls. I've used their method on a bunch of non Luts dolls and it works perfectly on all of them.

 

You can estimate how long to make the leg elastic by laying your doll down flat, then stretching the elastic the length of his body, from neck to ankles.



Are your boy's legs both strung on one piece of elastic, or does each leg have its own piece? If both legs are on one piece of elastic, he may be kicky in one leg because the tension is uneven.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I usually use the leg as a measure of how much string you need - each loop, when doubled (like in Galatia9's picture above, but not stretched) should be about the length of one leg, from the top of the thigh to the bottom of the calf. If you're using one folded loop for both sides (instead of two separate loops) the length is 4 x the length of one leg + enough extra for the knot (three or four inches).

I just restrung my Bobobie Sprite, and I found that Bobobie's elastic is extra stretchy and has to be shorter. Stiffer elastic, like Volks or Luts elastic, doesn't need to be shorter and (IMO) the dolls pose better than with the Bobobie elastic. I also used thin ribbon to tie the joints to the elastic, instead of stringing the elastic through the joints.

 

Hi
Which thickness would anyone recommend for a bobobie sprite - 2mm, 2.5 mm, 3mm or 4 mm?

 

Are the doll strings found only in doll companies? I need doll strings at the moment and I can't find any strings for my doll. The problem in buying strings from doll company is that...I must reach the money quota and $2 is way too low for their quota.

 

you could try ebay, cool cat sells it

 

I'm clueless where to put this; so if someone could move it quietly without too much fuss..thanks.​

Alright, so i was on LUTS and i was looking at the elastic string for re-stringing dolls. it says $1.00 and "Elastic string for both Delf and Kid Delf.
Length : 2mm." in the description. does that really mean $1.00 for 2 MILLIMETRES?! Or am I just mis-interpreting this?

Well, I was looking because my friend had orriginally given me the string to re-string my doll, and now im looking to do it again and well, i couldnt find the elastic string at any stores (bungy string you could also call it) I live in Canada so i checked Micheal's, Canadian Tire, Home Hardwear, Home depot and almost anywhere else I could think of. No one carries the elastic/bungy stuff.

...can anyone help me here?

Thanks~

My apologies if this is commonly asked.

 

Ummm, id assume its 2mm wide? Theres no way they'd sell it in lengths that short... id think O_o

 

...thaaat's the thickness ^_^;;;

I've heard of people buying elastic in hardware stores and things... or maybe that's a misfiring neuron >.> a DoA search didn't turn anything up. um, if you want to buy string but don't want it shipping all the way from Korea (or Corea, as it were o.o) you could check volksusa.com.

Edit: here it is http://volksusastore.com/dollfie/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=332 a bit more than Luts, but shipping to Canada should be less, and there's a lot of extra so ou could use it for future restringings.

Anuzzer edit: Or get in on a group order for Luts.

 

Just go to your local craft shop or sewing shop and get two mil elastic from there. It's common stuff.

 

Alright, let's say that you don't have any , you know, "official BJD Doll String", what would you use that would still give that same kind of stretch and elasticity?

 

I get the stuff from walmart, its elastic string, round and is about 2 bucks for 5 yards? it works really well for me

 

What she said, except I found it at Joanne's Fabrics. It's a little thinner than the usual SD string so I tend to use it in my MSDs, but it works pretty well. Otherwise, there's always ordering some directly from Volks USA, their shipping isn't too bad.

 

hmm, I should try that.There's a walmart not too far from me. Do you happen to kjnow the brand name of it?

 

I want to restring my doll. I measured the string in her head cap and arms to see what size to buy. They measured 3.5mm so I ordered that size online. When I took her apart lastnight I found out that her main body string is 5mm I'm wondering if I can use the smaller gauge elastic or should I buy the bigger size. It also seems to me that the string rubs in some of her holes like it might be a little to big. I am also going to hot glue suede her, so I didn't know if that would affect the string size as well. Thanks.

 

I was wondering if I could just go to the craft store and purchase elastic that seems strong enough instead of order the string from a company and having to wait until it comes all the way here, plus saving a ton on shipping.

Would this be smart? Or should I just avoid the notion?

 

Yes you can definitely do that. As long as the elastic is round in cross-section (not flat) and you can stretch it to get a feel for whether it is strong enough. You can even use shock-cord if you can find it in a sporting goods store.

 

Out of curiosity, aside from the white cord we usually use, if different colors of elastic cord for your doll(s) were available to purchase...

Would you go for it?

Such as... Pink, Yellow, Black, Blue, Brown (tan)?

Personally, I was thinking the colored cord would be best for the different colored dolls.

 

I had a pink cord with an angell studio doll I bought. otherwise I think darker (black, brown, dark blue) would stain the insides.

 

True enough.

I guess that brings up another question:

Is staining the inside of a doll truthfully a concern?

 

I know when i bought my dolkot day from dolkot his legs were strung with black elastic, though his arms were still strung with white. It was kinda funny but different. Though I think if I were ever gonna go for a colored doll like say one of the bobobie colors I'd totally love to have matching string so it doesn't stand out as much when you see the joints

 

Coloured string would make me smile! I mean, I know I don't see his much of Keli's strings, but still, it'd be kinda cute if he had some neon green strings to go inside him. C: I'd love that.

 

I had to buy black elastic for my doll, because it was the only kind they had that thick and it doesn't stain at all. X) I don't think it really matters though.

 

I have a whiteskin, so I'm happy with the white, but pink is my favorite color, so a nice light pink'd be nice... But mel-mel-chan's response about seeing the elastic made me think red would be cool. It'd be like blood! ^^; But I'm sick and loopy today.

Happy pi!
~Angelkitty

 

I think colored strings would be a cute way to express your dolls personality. I know pink strings in a few of mine would be perfect and would give me a smile when opening headcaps to change eyes and such.

Like others have said, my concern would be staining. If I'm concerned enough with the color of their strings, I'd definately be concerned enough to worry about internal staining. *_~

 

My doll's elastic is brown...

 

Well my Lance came with beige string.

 

I strung Adam with black and gold elastic, to match his clockwork mods




no staining.
I found the elastic at my local sewing and craft shop

 

Kuru: He's awesome! Great work! :> And good to know the dark string doesn't stain. It settles concerns here.

 

My purple bobobie is a butterfly child and her wings are pink, so I strung her with a pink cord. It looks awesome!!!

 

Many fabric stores will have a variety of colored elastics. I would call ahead and ask what colors they have in elastic cord by the yard and packaged. You can find it online too if you looky . I have found a wide variety myself, for different projects at The Mill End Store. From hot pink to Kelly green etc.
QZ

 

Dollmore has skintone colored string on their website. I bought some; I like that it's harder to see, since her stringing is really visible around her knees. It's just a touch lighter than their NS.
I guess, if you couldn't see the strings, pink would've been cute. XD

 

I'd definitely buy coloured elastic. pink please!

 

Colored strings- reminds me of colored rubber bands on my braces lol - cool idea!

 

All of mine have white body elastic, but I have seen conventional doll shops sell white striped cord (with either black or dark blue stripes). I imagine it could look really odd in a doll!!

Brown in a tan doll would be great, IMO.

My SoulDoll Paris inexplicably came with a piece of orange elastic holding his neckbar to his headcap bar.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I think blue and red would be neat; like mock veins and arteries. .^^

For grey-skin dolls, black stringing would look really cool too.

 

I think it'd be fun to have colored elastic, like bright green~ I can't really see Rosalynn's strings in her joints much anyways. I could tug on her joints and be all like "look, it's GREEN!"

 

I'm going to be joining a Dollmore group order and I see they have some flesh colored stringing elastic I'd like to get...thing is they advertise both the 3.5mm and the 4.0mm for 60cm dolls. Which would you use to restring your 60cm doll?

http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step1.php?number=6718

http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step1.php?number=6719

 

From the descriptions, I'm getting:

"This string for MSD & SD dolls * length : 2M, diameter : 3.5mm"


and


"This string for dolls 60cm tall or over.
* length : 2M, diameter : 4mm"


So it would appear for a doll at 60 cm, you could use either; the thinner is for 60 and under, the thicker for 60 and over. So.. go with your own preferences.


(And that's a great idea, to do it flesh colored, I'll have to keep it in mind for the next time I do a restring.)

 

Alright I looked through other threads this morning and couldn't find anything on this. I went to a Doll Panel yesterday at an anime convention and I was asking one of the hosts why my Bobobie Ophelia (whose a 60 cm doll) couldn't stand, she tried to stand her and then looked at the elastic and said it was way too thin. She said to get a different size and restring her, but the problem is she didn't tell me what size would work best. So does anyone have any suggestions or know what will work better for my Bobobie? Thanks in advance!

 

My Bobobie Weylin came strung with 3mm elastic too, and it is the super stretchy kind that you can pull out for a mile. I've been restringing and sueding dolls for a couple of years now, and he was baffling to me. When I got him, he couldn't sit up on his own. I shortened his strings twice, and he was STILL very loose... but he is posing very nicely now, and I kind of LIKE that he is loose. He stands very well, as long as his knees are locked properly top and bottom.







He's been sueded with hot glue and his elastic has been tightened from its original (which was VERY loose).

You could probably upgrade your girl to 4mm elastic for her legs and keep the 3mm in her arms.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

You can also use the 3.5mm for the arms and the 4mm for the legs.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

Thank you so much! I couldn't find any new elastic today so I might just restring her and tighten her but your Weylin is posing great! You totally gave me hopes she'll pose better! And she's sueded so hopefully so tightening more will help, thanks again!

 

3.5mm elastic is really good for SD's too, 4mm may be too big in some. If you add S hooks to her, it would help greatly in her wrist movements. ^^

I would only use 3.5mm through out the body for a 60cm doll. Anything bigger than 60cm I would use 4mm. ^^;

 

Here are the elastic measurements for different sized dolls (and you can get the elastic strings at Cool Cat too)

http://us.sk-coolcat.com/front/bin/ptlist.phtml?Category=158911

I upgraded my Sprite elastic to 3mm cause she was really floppy when I got her and her elastic was thin, so I think your Ophelia needs, at least, 3,5mm (my other SD sized dolls have very thick elastics, I think they are like 4mm)

Bobobie dolls don't come with the right elastic size.

My SD sized dolls have 4mm elastics and they are great.

 

My Bobobie Weylin is still using his original 3mm elastic and seems to be doing well, but I may upgrade him to 4mm in the future.

A good place to purchase elastic is online from ebay or doll shops. Most craft stores don't have it.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I ordered some 5.5mm elastic from ebay which is far too big. Just something to keep in mind. You can go too big lol.

 

yeah the elastic I got from leeke is way too big for either of the dolls I intended it for (mecha angel, dollshe female), even for the legs. I think its around 4.5mm

if in doubt I would say 3mm/3.5mm is a good bet, you an always increase the size later

 

I have helped a lot of Bobobie 60cm dolls stand and pose by switching them to the elastic I bought for my Domuya D1-60 (who also came with slightly too soft elastic for his mass). I got a full spool from Antina's (http://dollsupply.com but right now their website is down) of the stuff marked as cotton covered (only one size is labelled cotton covered).
As a little note, this elastic is just good for their body/legs, but just barely fits in the arms, I generally just tighten the elastic in the arms and recommend the doll be well sueded. I have also used this elastic in my Dollshe, and a Mecha Angel, and I think one or two other dolls I can't remember now... It can take a bit of work to get it through, but once the tension is on it it's great.

Definitely switch to having a joiner between the hands/feet and the elastic, it'll be a lot easier to tension if you do. S-hooks are one option, but I far prefer to use twine secured with a square knot.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone ^_^

 

My friend put 4mm elastic in her bobobie elena and it was too thick. ^^;; So it really does depend on the mold.