Maintenance Restringing elastic: where and what to buy

I'm going to be getting a ResinSoul Rong here before too long, and I was wondering if the elastic width for the newer double-jointed body would be the same as the older body styles? I'd like to have a bit of elastic on hand to restring her when she arrives.

 

Actually I use ribbon, yarn, even smaller bits of elastic in place of s-hooks to tie on hands and feet. Most of the time I like my dolls to be a little extra-tight and s-hooks end up bent or broken; I also have a tendency to pop off s-hooks altogether and send my limbs flying

I've been doing this for a couple years without any horribly negative results. I think one friend did have the ribbon pop off a day or so after I restrung her BBB, but we came to find out I didn't tie the knot on the ribbon right in the first place.

More than likely. I haven't heard anything recently about any changes in the string they use to ship their dolls.

 

My BBB DDE exclusive Espree and RS Ju were getting floppy. I used this opportunity to image the process I use. Others may use a different approach, but this works for me. Here is the link:
http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/...BJD tensioning the BBB and RS slim MSD girls/
Note the low temp hot glue residue I used to suede the joints on the girls, including the heads (this really makes a difference when wigging them). I plan on re-sueding soon, as I need to replace the elastic on these girls, and I will do both at the same time.


I really enjoy working with these gals, as they do pose and well. Hope this helps those who may want to try this at home. Just take your time and you, too, will be able to work on your ABJDs when needed.


Anastasia in frigid central Arkansas.

 

Okay, before I begin: Yes, I know you can buy from Volks USA and Junkyspot, which is why I'm asking this.

I just bought a restringing kit from Junkyspot a week ago, having to meant buying two sets of the restringing kit, since my BBB Fei and Leekeworld Mabel girls need some restringing desperately.

I'm really... not to keen on buying another kit from a website and wait for shipping, since the only time I can really restring is on the weekends and I kind of want to get this out of the way. SO, GIRLS (and guys :P) do you know where else I can find elastic for their stringing? Possibly a craft store or something? Because that would be awesome.

 

Actually, a girl here on the MP sells elastic in different sizes. :3
Put that search to work

 

I figured that, but what I mean is I'm wondering if I could buy something close to it in person.

 

Oh!
Micheal's sold elastic last time i was there.
And also a other fabric/crafts stores like Joann's

 

Round fabric elastic works in a pinch. That's the stuff you find at local craft stores, and you can get it at any craft store.

The problems I've had with fabric elastic, though, make me pretty wary of it.

For one, the stretch and tension is...different. I don't like it myself. The elastic also tends to wear out faster in a doll, leading to a need to restring faster, and I've noticed the ends fray pretty quickly, which may not be a problem for most but makes me a little ARGH.

I would recommend getting elastic from a doll supply company, if possible, but if you really, really need to restring your doll NOW, the round fabric elastic will work.

 

check out doll supplies in your area. the elastic used in bjds is also used on other dolls, mainly composition and porcelain. also possibly the local doll hospital if there is one close by.

 

Hobby Lobby will almost certainly have a restringing kit. Also try Joaans and Micheals

 

For smaller dolls (minis/tinies), I buy my elastic at Joann's. You can buy it by the yard, and it's really cheap (like, $0.49/yard). It can work for larger dolls, too, but I really don't recommend it (have one of my boys strung with it because he originally came strung WAY too tight, and while it "works", he's really floppy).

 

for my dolls i use boating shock cord, but you have to be carefull because it's stiffer than normal doll elastic so you might need a smaller diameter. it's also really durable so you don't have to replace it so often. Unfortunately they only go down to 2mm so it's no good for tinies.

 

Photobucket decided that some of the images in this quasi-tutorial were offensive in some way. These images were replaced with big ugly red and white censor signs. I deleted these offensive images from my photobucket account so that you, the browser, would not be offended by the censor signs. My apologies to those I have offended.
Anastasia, who feels a bit picked on today.

 

My ResinSoul Dan is as tight as I can get her, yet she still falls over and will not hold a pose. The only result from tightening her is now she pops at her stomach. If I loosen it she falls over and comes loose at the belly joint as well. Does this sound like something restringing would help?

 

I'm with you on that one--all my early dolls came with string loops attaching the hands and feet, and I think they work really well for a lot of dolls. But tying on hands and feet with string isn't what I think of when I see someone claim that dolls are strung with non-elastic cord. I read that earlier post as saying that many people do the entire stringing with something other than elastic. I'm still curious whether anyone except Production Ariadne (as I already mentioned) actually does that.

dorkina, what you're describing is a common problem for a lot of dolls. It sounds as if what you need is sueding or hot-glue sueding, and possibly wiring. You can find links to threads about these simple processes in the Customizing Thread Index Sticky at the top of this forum.

 

Sometimes using a slightly thicker string than the doll came with can help posing, but you have to test if a double strand can get through the tightest channels.

 

After more searching, I had doubts about my stringing....So I checked into it, and I don't think she was strung correctly. I had only one double line coming through her stomach instead of both double lines(1 double per leg) and it seems to have helped tremendously. She still needs thicker string or some sueding(definitely in the stomach area), but it's like day and night!

 

where can I get string for my BJD? Do I just have the option of buying it from the net or can I go to a store and get it? what section would it be in? plz help my girl in pieces

 

Most places that sell dolls sell elastics, but I've heard of people using ribbon and shoelaces (but I don't know if that's a temporary fix.

 

Jo-Ann Fabrics carries some smaller elastics in the clothesmaking department that you can buy by the yard but for bigger dolls the web is probably the easiest way to get what you want.

There are several sellers on Ebay, Mint on Card and Junkyspot also sell string online and are in the US (which helps keep down shipping).

 

look under doll making repair/ supplies in your local area. bjds are not the first dolls to be strung! antique composition bodies were strung a hundred years ago, as were porcelain and celluloid bodies more recently. you want proper doll elastic, not the type used in clothes.

 

For those in the Austin area, Kirby Lane Dolls sells SD and MSD restringing tools and elastic, as well as kips, wigs, eyelashes, paint, and Zoikemura Powder Spray. They also stock Volks dolls and the stuff that comes with them. There is also Treasure Dolls on Bluebonnet Lane/Lamar that carries BJD stuff, but I haven't been there yet, so I don't know what supplies they have.

 

When I need string, I use ebay, coolcat has bjd string. Here is the link to their ebay store. If you scroll down click on one of the string auctions. Link: (CoolCat String Link)

This is their chart. It lists the doll sizes/brand of doll and string size.

Hope this helps.

 

I just ebay search 'elastic' and look for the diameter I want. I find that if it's not branded as for dolls, people don't charge so much I managed to get 4m of elastic in 2 different sizes for about £4 inc. shipping.

 

I second this in relation to eBay. Buying elastic from "doll" stores in the US can get rather pricey in comparison to just typing in "size" elastic. I find it much cheaper from general craft, or even construction-type stores. You can really luck yout and get large quantities of elastic for low prices this way. I got about 30 yards for a little over $10 shipped the last time I needed some. That's gonna last me a while

 

I found this on amazon and I was wondering if you guys think this would be too strong to use in a doll?

http://www.amazon.com/Rothco-550lb-...56/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1308789333&sr=8-26

 

Thanks, I wasn't sure if this was elastic or not and I wanted to get the opinion of at least one person before I ordered,

 

Ok i know this has probably been asked but I am having a hard time knowing if i have tightened my bobobie boy too tight. His arms are still very loose and the legs I have loosened a bit but im worried. the elastic is two different types the main is new from cool cats and very strechy (just changed it ^^) ..the arms are old and seem very loose.

How do I know when he is tight enough to pose good and not pop or flop?

I have enough left for my girl (RS Mei) but I think I want to try sueding with hot glueing first. She does not have s-hooks and the ones i bought were to big T-T.

What type wire would work to make my own?

Does the hot glue sueding make that much of a difference or should I not even bother??

I have never found anything video wise with before and after

please and thanks ^^

 

Knowing when a doll is strung tight enough...it's kind of a tricky thing, more a matter of personal preference than right and wrong...some people like their dolls floppier because they fall into natural-looking poses with more ease, and some people like their dolls tighter because they hold the positions you put them in better...you can try a couple different tightness-es (lol, making up my own word) to see what you like best?

Floral wire that is wrapped in string or fabric (it's sold already wrapped, usually it's white or green) can work pretty well, wire-wise.

Hot glue sueding definitely works, in my opinion...I especially find it helpful to suede wrists and necks. Every doll I own has sueding in the neck and wrists, even if they don't have it anywhere else.
Other joints...it really depends on the doll...some dolls do really well with most of their joints sueded, but others have issues with the hotglue making their joints stick out too far and not fitting in the sockets very well...

 

awesome thanks soo much

so the floral wire is tough enough not to fall out of the s shape then cool and will that also work if i wanted to wire the joints also? not that i completely understand that either ^^;;

 

No problem! ^_^


Oh, I had meant the floral wire for wiring joints, I'm afraid I've never tried to make any S hooks out of wire before. ^^;;

The floral wire comes in different thickness. If you find that the kind you buy is too thin to hold the pose, you can always fold it over on itself a couple times until it's strong enough, and twist so it all stays together as one...

 

ok awesome ^^

how does it go in the joints? bit confused there ^^;;

 

ohhh found a wonderful Tutorial for wiring ^^

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...ng-a-doll-for-better-posing&highlight=sueding

for those who also need the help

 

making s hooks requires wires that do not bend easily. i've a pair in my AA body's feet and it's a thick wire with white "strings" wrapped around it, if that makes any sense to you. pretty much anything that you can bend into a s hook with JUST your fingers probably WON'T work because it won't be able to withstand the tension. i'm not sure if that's helpful cos i never actually tried making s hooks from wires but just thought to add my 2 cents.

 

yeah I understand and thanks

I just got some 14 gauge wire and it was about right for my bbb msd boy with precise work but my slim rs girl there was no way so im going back today to see if i can either get next size down or some different kind

 

I didn't wanna get the elastic from jo-ann cause it wasn't thick enough, but after looking at every other store I could think of and not finding ANYTHING i just ended up getting the jo-ann stuff anyway. I hope it's good enough.

 

I'm thinking about re-stringing a batch of my dolls and I had a thought but I wanted to run it past more experienced folks.

I have an outerwear/sportswear fabric store in the area that sells an assortment of cord elastic. Does anyone know if there's a quantifiable difference between the elastics available from doll vendors and other elastic string/cord?

Thanks in advance!

 

I got some elastic from Michaels or AC Moore once, and I wasn't happy with it. I did know how old it was, and I wasn't too sure about the size, and the material was slightly different. The really nice elastics I've used have a slightly sheen-y look and feel, whereas the craft store stuff was more matte, and softer. I would say if you can find the exact size that you need in a store, give it a try. If it works, that's great, and if it doesn't work, you can get more from like JunkySpot or Mint on Card without too much trouble.

 

I'm the opposite, I like the matte softer more springy stuff like you get from CoolCat but I would say I like my dolls a little on the loose side rather than with really tight stringing so it depends on your preference

bunjee cord like for sporting stuff tends to be firmer but doesn't usually come in just white in my experience mainly bright crazy colours, fabric elastic does come in more doll suitable colours but its harder to get in thicker sizes so its going to depend on the size of your dolls

 

Thanks! I will keep your comments in mind. I believe there's a selection of diameters in white, so I shouldn't need to stray into black or multicolored bungee.

 

My hound need new elastic and I was wondering what size does he take in milometers? Im looking on ebay at doll elastic and it does not have BJD sizes .

 

I restrung my old Bernard with this elastic from Antina's Doll Supply:

They have a website and are on eBay, I bought a whole spool and have used that elastic for almost every SD and larger I've restrung.

 

Digging up this thread. I've recently been restringing several of my dolls but I don't really like the elastic I got. It's 4mm and you can pull it out quite a bit, even when it's short. I've noticed there's quite a difference between different kinds of 4mm elastic.

So my question is: Does anyone know a good address, preferably in Germany (or Europe) for elastics? I'd prefer some that do have quite some "pull" to them. Especially in the 3mm to 5mm range.

Thanks!

 

Is there any "good" length for MSD leg elastic? I'm restrung my Judith girl about 12 times in the last 3 days and I can't get it right. Either it's loose and all the pieces flop over, or what I am guess is tight and she stands, but them her legs twist around and she falls.

I've sueded her and everything but the elastic seems to be the issue. It's brand new elastic, I've had it about a week.

 

OK, I might have exaggerated when I said 'a lot' - but I did come across a video a few years ago where someone had said they were using a shoelace. It was at a con, so maybe they were using it as a temporary solution? I don't recall someone saying they were using it to help pull the elastic, though I do know what you meant when you talked about it. I tend to use blue ribbon - only you need to be careful, because pulling it can cause the color to come off if it's touching the resin.

For a good couple of years, we had a shortage of good craft stores near me, and I had been looking for an alternative to elastic. That's when I remembered the video I saw - way before I even had a doll - where some girl was helping someone by restringing with a shoelace at some point. It made me wonder if all I would have to do is go get some shoelaces and use them, rather than go on a search for suitable elastic.

 

I have a Souldoll Chiron that I need to get new elastic for, but I'm not certain of the size that he needs.
Does anyone know the proper size for the Souldoll Zenith dolls?

I would like to get some asap so that I could put him back together. : )

 

4-5mm As for length, keep his old string until the new one arrives, then measure the new string against it and adjust as needed! Hope this helps

 

Well, I just threw away my Delf EL's elastic.
It was worn out and wasn't doing anything for him.
I'm buying new elastic soon and I was wondering if the stuff from Volks is fine:

Anything I should know, lol?

Thanks!

 

It should be fine, as they use it to string their dolls!

 

The old elastic cord my SD came with didn't string well, when stringing it was to hard. and it wouldn't even go through his bottom legs, and when I finally did get him strung he was all loose and refused to stay posed. So I purchased new elastic cord issue is it's a tad smaller in thickness compared to the other cord. Is that bad? Is it going to cause an issue when he's strung?

 

Not at all. The only time you have problems is with too-thin cording, if it doesn't supply enough tension to keep the standing doll stable. Some people put in as thick as they can get through the channels.

Actually, you can have more damage from pulling the strings too tightly than from string diameter.

 

I'm wondering if this is fine for Minifee and Pukifee?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047BIRUS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

What's the general current consensus on the best elastics to use for restringing?

 

It looks like people really like Volks, though earlier on in the thread, someone was saying some craft-store round elastic worked well for them, so there seem to be two decent options.

 

Dollmore makes excellent elastic (and I believe they have it in several resin colors too). Coolcat (on Ebay) - also sells great elastic (and also sells multiple sizes and/or sets of S-hooks).

 

I'll be restringing two of my dolls in the near future and I'll be getting their elastic from Volks. It's great quality, they give you just the right amount to string with, it lasts for a long time, and it's very sturdy. I could probably get it cheaper elsewhere, but I'd rather not take a chance with my dolls and I know this stuff works! All my Volks dolls are strung with it, and I recently bought some to restring my 9 1/2 year old girl and it was just perfect.

 

I need to re-string my MNF but I don't know what size to use >.<

 

In the short term only, yes, craft store elastic can work well. However, from my personal experience, it's going to wear out a lot faster than proper BJD elastics; of my oldest dolls, while all need/have needed a decent restringing save the Puki, only one was so far gone that he felt like a rag doll, and that was the one who was restrung day one with craft-store elastic; all the others can still pose, even if they're getting a bit loose.

It really doesn't cost that much more to get the right stuff, honestly, especially if you jump in on a group order to save on shipping or buy it from someone local.

 

Bringing back a super old thread here, does anyone know what size elastic most pet dolls take?