Maintenance Restringing Iplehouse JID girl

JID female are nortiously known to be really badly engineered and strung up.
Some of us who own JID females go with this method to improve the mobility of the doll overall by removing the clicky things in the hips and drilling a hole in each hip (by the second slot) into the torso and then use the elastics that was used for torso to ankle from neck to ankles like any other doll stinging method. This will farther improve the doll's mobility and tightness.

 

You might try restringing her with thicker elastic. I did a thicker elastic with a slimmer knot. Then I string mine very tightly! To be honest, it's better but not perfect. The hips still slip out of joint sometimes, but both of my girls sit pretty well. I do have to retighten sometimes after the elastic stretches.

 

I don't know off the top my head, but I'll try to find out. I can take a picture and show you the sort of knot I made as well. It's thinner, so it fits in the thigh. One of the people on the JID discussion thread suggested it originally. I won't be online for the time it's going to take until next week, because my daughter is in town. If you don't hear by Wed, feel free to give me a poke, and I'll get on it. My memory can be a bit fuzzy.

 

Okay, sorry that took so long! I used 3 mm string. The first knot in the picture is the regular knot used in every doll I've bought. The second will let the bigger string fit in the thigh channel better. TO tie it, you basically do the first part of tying shoelaces twice. Lol, sorry that's a terrible description. Just make sure you pull it tight. I also hot glue sueded their hip joints. hope that helps yours!

 

I've never drilled an Iplehouse doll (mine are the older version, strung in the normal way) but I do have a lot of experience drilling polyurethane doll parts for other dolls.

1. The first thing to know is that polyurethane, while not very hard to drill, does dull the drill bit very fast. Go for a fresh drill bit and don't be too cheap when chosing. Gently feel the bit with your fingers (carefully, so you don't cut yourself) and make sure the edges are not dull allready before you start. A dull bit will create a lot of friction without making much progress, wich leads us to the next point.
2. The second thing is that polyurethane softens a little when heating up, so the friction from the drill can cause it cut less efficiently. Drill very slowly to combat this. If the hole you need to drill is very deep, you can drill a little way and then take a break to allow it to cool before continuing. A drill with good speed control (especcially at very low speeds) and skill enough from the user to go slow and steady is more important than a strong drill.
3. Splitting is not something you need to worry too much about, that mostly applies to wood. Drilling plastics is a bit different since it doesn't really have a grain. With that said, drilling a small guide hole first may be a good idea. That way you can see for sure that the hole enters and exits in the correct spot before removing a lot of material. And when using a large bit after, the drill will want to follow the guide hole, so aiming becomes very easy.
4. As for size, go for the same size as the existing holes. See if you can measure the width of the channel on a leg part or in the knee. You need a hole big enough for the elastic to pass through, but you probably don't want to introduce a spot where the elastic can shift it's position, because that can mess with stability.

Safety:
If you drill slowly, you don't need to worry about gasses (but good ventilation never hurts), but you do still need to be prepared to manage the dust.
Use a good dust mask. A proper half mask-style respirator with a particle filter is best, but even a small diposable dust mask will do if you use it right. Read this thread and what is has to say about masks for sanding.

Cleaning:
The drill shavings are light and can get staticly charged and stick to things, so they can be hard to control.
Don't work in a home enviroment (like an actual living area, a garage or home workshop is probably fine if you have good hygiene routines) and clean up carefully. Placing a damp terrycloth towel beneath the piece while drilling can catch the bulk of the shavings before they have a chance to escape. Vacum clean or wipe surfaces with a damp disposable towel to get the rest. Take out the trash right away, don't let a damp towel holding dust lay about and dry out and re-release the dust. Wash you work clothes. Watch out for shavings stuck in your hair.
The reason to be so careful is that polyurethane doesn't really break down if inhaled, instead the particles get stuck in your lungs and can cause serious damage over time. It's very similar to damage from asbestos or stone dust.

If you live with other people, inform them about the project and the risks, to minimize the danger of people walking in at the wrong time, or in other ways endanger themselves.
If you live with pets, make sure to keep them away from the project. Pets and crafts don't mix.

 

@Honooko I'm happy to help!
You can probably use the same drill bit for all the holes. I don't know all the technical terms in english, but look for a bit that has as hard a surface as possible and a good cutting edge. It should last you for a few projects easily.

Just take it slow and steady and everything will be fine.

Best of luck with your project!