Restringing stories: how do you feel about the process?

The tools I use in restringing include shoelaces, leather twine, jewelery wire, pliers, and a screwdriver. I've gotten to the point where if it's an SD I can probably restring it in maybe tops twenty minutes, assuming there're no hitches.

Just the other day I was outfitting my boy with some jointed hands and somehow the elastic of the fingers slipped off the internal resin hook in the hand and fell right off. If I didn't have any wire on hand it would've taken me ages to string the fingers back on.

 

I'm scared as hell to try restringing my bjd. Why? Because I was pretty rough when trying to put her head back (I took her head off just to try it out and I was making shirts for her so it was easier to put the shirts on) and for some reason while trying to get the S hook back in place inside the head a piece on the neck chipped off right beside the dent the S hook lays, and while during that time half of the S hook got stuck in the neck which made me panic. This happened just a few days after I got her and she's my first bjd so I was really new to the whole thing. Luckily it's not visible when the head is on. haha

But I hope to restring her once I have the courage and more knowledge on how to.

 

I'm restringing my girl SD Philippa right now! Well, she's together but she'll be restrung again soon as I don't think I've done it right. So far, it has been incredibly frustrating, but at the same time it's made me less afraid to handle her and I think eventually I'll get it done correctly. I feel like I'll be able to bond more with her, however, if she's put together well!

 

I was afraid to unstring my first doll, RS Ni, until I got a Bobobie I ended up having to take apart to sand.

I just got my pukifee and I'm kind of scared to unstring him because of all the little extra bits for joints. ResinSoul/Bobobie don't have extra joints other than what's attached to each limb piece so they're easier to unstring and restring.

 

I was nervous to take my doll apart the first time, but I really wanted to seal and blush him, and I wouldn't get nice results sealing him with the body still strung. I tried not to think about it while I was washing, sealing, blushing, re-sealing and letting it dry.
Then it came time to put him back together.

I strung his arms in less than two minutes, with no tools to help and no problems at all, and I was surprised! Then I used ribbon to pull the string through the legs, but I wasn't strong enough to get it far enough down to hook his feet on. The elastic Iple used for him was very thick and VERY tight. I asked my husband if he would help, so he pulled the elastic out while I put on my boy's feet. The whole process took less than ten minutes, and once he was back together, my doll and I had a better understanding of each other, to boot!

 

Restringing isn't so bad really, what is really annoying is when the doll is strung so tightly you can barely pull the elastic out more than half and inch. This was the case of my AoD and I broke a couple of paintbrush handles because the pressure was too much. ^^"

 

just wanted to say thanks... I was extremely nervous about having to restring for the first time ">_>
but now it really doesn't seem to bad :3

 

I have to admit that I'm not that fond of the re-stringing process (along with sueding and adding eyelashes) itself but love the satisfaction you feel once it's done, and done properly ... feeling like you've accomplished something and done right by your dolls. It is definately a goood bonding process if you haven't already bonded well with a doll.

 

I always hate having to restring my RS Song, Fynn. He never wants to cooperate with me when I do. I actually had to get a friend to come help because he was being so difficult! We looked like idiots pulling the elastic through with coat hangers and pens XD

 

I just unstrung and restrung my Zaol Luv (my first bjd) for the first time yesterday so that I could mod her hands and body blush her and I found it really easy. I used the ribbon method and had a needle nose pliers and chopstick on hand and I didn't have any difficulty. Of course I also figured out how to mold and cast my penny sized sculpture of a horse on my own so I'm kind of a crafty person =/ I also felt that it was kind of a bonding experience.

Now spraying her with matte finish on the other hand.....

 

Otavi got destrung and restrung several times in the first couple of weeks I had him. It did help me feel more aquainted eith him! All I used to restring him was a ribbon and some chopsticks... But it seemed to work just fine. ^^; I didn't get bitten and he didn't get scratched.

It helped me get to know him a lot better, and it made me feel easier (since he was super tight when he arrived) that I got to restring and MCS him. He's gettin' sueded next! And a modified faceup!

 

I just restrung my BBB 1/4 boy last week, second time I've taken him apart. It's really pretty easy, and all I use in the way of tools is a crochet hook, a pen, and a bit of yarn to pull the s-hook in his head up. Didn't even get my fingers pinched this time. ^^

 

I tried it on my girl but kind of messed it up and she's still way too tight.. I didn't have enough elastic

 

It all depends on the doll for my. My tiny was a cinch to restring, and I had given her a tad larger string than her original (As I couldn't find anything closer to the same thickness).

Lesley (Impldoll Bosco) I've restrung (using same string mind you) twice now after taking him apart and his arms another separate time. He's rather simple to do, he's not the tightest strung and though I tightened his legs a tad it works.

My first time with him the narrow channels of his elbow pieces were a hassle!! I though I was going to have to drag boyfriend over to get him to manage to get the elastics through. I managed it easy enough the second time..

Third time though.. o.O, I was pulling it through and got it partially the way through, enough to see the elastic so I thought I was set.. I use ribbon and just any straight thing I could find. the second time I had used a paintbrush so I did so this time as well. I strung the other part of the arm onto the ribbon, so I can pull it all through in one fell swoop and hook on the hand... My paintbrush broke though and the entire arm goes flying across the room.. No damage but I felt my arm in my throat (after I got around the fact that the force forced me to punch myself in the face).

I've not been pinched once.. but definitely Punched.

I've not yet taken Jat (Dollfamily Nuada) apart yet! Well his one arm needed a quick restring after having dropped elastic when changing hands.. but that was nothing compared to Lesley.. Him, for whatever reason I'm nervous about. He's much tighter than Lesley.. so I suppose I fear he's never going to get back together with my strength. (though I like him at the tension he is so don't want to replace stinging)

 

I don't mind my big girls so far. No mishaps in restringing and there are nice big holes for me to pass my threader ribbon through or even a long 6 US 4mm crochet hook to snag the ribbon if it won't come through completely. I haven't yet tackled my little mini gem because I haven't picked up a super thin long stringing hook yet, but I'm thinking tension won't be bad but the narrow interior might get annoying depending on what I use to pull the string through. I really like restringing or even just taking the dolls apart and puting them back together again. It takes the awe and fear of it out of your mind.

 

I just got my Ai and the first thing I did was take her apart even after reading all of the stories. XD
It was actually a lot easier then I've read. o.0

 

I just got my Bobobie in the mail the other day, and despite people saying it was hard, I took her apart immedeiately to string her tigher, as she was very loose and floppy. It was a very enjoyable experience, and I now know the ins and outs of my doll

 

I feel very nervious not for break but yes for don't get fine elastics and loose tension >.<

 

It's kind of calming. Right up until you have to put the darned doll back together. I recently sueded my girl, and when I was putting her back together, she decided that the knot in her arm elastic HAD to pop out of her right shoulder. No matter what I did. So now all my hard work at making her more poseable is going to have to wait until I can find new elastic and figure out how to cut it and urgh.

When it works out like it's supposed to it is quite soothing, though!

 

I like stringing a doll up, makes me feel like I'm putting it together myself. The first one I did was a Volks MSD. I was scared, but after figuring it out, I can restring pretty easy now. I actually recommending it for bonding with a doll too. I really does help you to figure out the ends and out of your doll.

 

I need to. But I have none of the proper tools and I'm scared.

EDIT: Restrung my Delf girl. It was all good until I got to restringing the legs. Dear God, my fingers. I know why she kicks now, that string ends up tight when you yank it back through! But now her body blushing looks good and she's all clean, and the taking apart was super fun.

 

Re-Stringing a doll is not difficult, I was terrified too the first time I had to restring my doll. Last week I got my CH Cebee head back from her beautytreatment in order to give Cebee back her body I had to remove my now bodyless Dolkot Leaf head, the head was on a donut I pulled hard because she was strung tight and suddenly something snapped the head flew across the room (not a scratch on it btw), the neckdonut was broken in half and cut my finger bad. Now I change heads by removing the feet first another lesson learned !

@GypsyRain The only tool I use is a hemostat its not expensive and very usefull I dont use a stringpuller just a piece of rope/string or a ribbon is good enough. On YouTube you can find a few good tutorials.

 

Stringing isn't scary at all. Depending on how tight you make them though it's sometimes nice to have someone help you with the last step of putting the feet back on. Or atleast I've found it so without proper tools. I just use ribbon and/or jewelery wire to do mine and it's a simple process. It seems scary but honestly you'll be ashamed of yourself for being so scared of it once you're done lol.

 

Oh, thank you. Would a hardware or craft store have a hemostat or should I order one online?

 

sounds a lot scarier than it is--I really needed to give Misha a bath, so I went for it. Unstringing him was really easy, and it was easy to see how the parts work together. Restringing was actually not that bad either---I used florist wire to pull the elastic through all the parts, and it worked out quite well--not too tight or too loose (i think..) although his head is a bit tight... My biggest problem is the arms right now..the elbows are being strange, I've redone just his arms but they're still a bit..messed up >.> , I'll figure it out eventually though...

 

I've never dared to think about restringing. XP I need to restring both Elly (because I've realised he's way too tightly strung) and at least one of my SD13 bodies, but I don't know if I'll ever get round to it. :P

 

I see this thread has been revitalized.
I just received my mnf Ryeon and she is a mess...my first bjd and I don't know how to fix her. Her body is way tight and her legs and arms are floppy. If I take her apart would I use the same elastic but tighten/or loosen the elastic knots?

 

You can re-use the same elastics and tighten/loosen them to your liking!

 

today i finally tried restringing my first doll ellyce (deardoll shabee). when she came the elastic was too flimsy and she was as floppy as a newborn. it seemed to me that the elastic was just too thin and tightening would not solve the problem so i ordered 3mm elastic to replace it. it took me almost two hours because i had to keep retrying/rethinking it to make it work

first i tried just replacing the elastic with the thicker stuff but the wrist and ankle hooks were too small to go around the elastic and have it move at all so i couldn't tighten it. probably the easiest way to fix that would have been to simple replace the hooks with bigger ones but i didn't have any so i had to come up with another answer.

i took the elastic she came with and looped it around the hooks then tied that around the heavier elastic. i found i had to tie the knot as tight as possible (just enough slack to let the heavier elastic move when i tugged on it.) or the knot pulled up into the knee joint and messed that up. the heavy elastic threaded through all the limbs with no problem, just a bit of wiggling in some places.

she still takes a bit of fiddling to get into position but she now sits and stands like a rock once i get it right! i am extremely pleased with her now, the difference in my girl is amazing and was definitely worth the effort i wouldn't say i liked restringing but i'm not scared of it now if it has to be done.

 

I personally really enjoy re-stringing my girl. I have a techie mind so I think it's really neat how everything fits together and works.
It might help that it's pretty easy for me, I've got strong hands for a chick and need minimal tools.
We'll see if this holds true when I get into different size dolls!

 

I've just spent the 2 day for restringing my Ella( Gaby from custom house .) Her legs were so floppy that she couldn't stand alone at all.
I used half day for cleaning with tinner and washing her body and I desired to done body brushing for her.So another half day for done body brushing
I feel so nervous and worried that her will came out so ugly.
but finally everything is so easy and flowing
So this is my first re-string to my doll.

For any people that never done re-string and brushing body. just try , you can do it !
it's will look creepy and make you feel nervous panicked in first time only . Next time you will feel so easy!

 

Haha I remember the first time I restrung my girl. When I took her apart and realized I didn't know which parts were which I was like: what have I done?!! Hah but it was actually fun, that is, until I noticed that I put the elbow joints upside down c': I was so nervous about taking her apart again back then, that I kept her like that for 2 weeks... I lately restrung her once again, and the memories came back... Man, I was so stupid back then :'D

 

It's so painful. >.<;
My hands always come out raw afterward.
And its especially annoying when the hooks don't want to get into the string or constantly fall out of the hand/foot. I usually end up using my feet as a third hand.

But, don't let this hold you back from restringing your dolly! It definitely speeds up the bonding process. And if you can get a friend to help, it is always a godsend. My bf doesn't like helping me even though he has strong hands. I think naked dollies make him feel awkward.

In the end, it is definitely worth it. I'd do it over and over until I get their tensions right if I have to.

 

i've re-strung Astrophel twice and Mona once after sueding... to be honest, i enjoy it, but each time i've been bitten by the s-hooks. my dolls have blood-stained elastic.
i usually use yarn and a home-made string puller to pull the elastic through.

 

lol Baptism by blood. My Heliot's got a spot of it somewhere on him from the same thing. The hook gave out and straightened right into my thumb in the middle of putting his hooves on.

 

I'm getting much better at re-stringing now...i took all of my 4 dolls apart (not at the same time!) to clean them and re-do their hot glue sueding, which i need to do every 6 months because i handle them so much. It now takes me no time to put them back together and i find that a key ring is really useful for putting heads back on. You can hook it on to the small part of the big head s-hook and it gives you a better grip and unlike using a string or something you can also use it to turn the hook!

 

I restrung my doll for the first time a couple of days ago; I was scared at first, but it was really fun and only took me a couple of hours.

My girl wasn't made for S-hooks, so I used the wire I was using as a stringing-tool/was going to wire her with later on, and created my own S-hooks that fit her like a glove ^^
I was never good with practical stuff, but the restringing gave me a confidence-boost And she stands so beautifully now, after a sueding and a wiring, she is quite the poser :>

 

I am scared to try...I got the Pipos O. Charlotte, and I am even afraid to change her shoe feet for real feet or undress her because you have to take off the hands....I don't want to mess up a very expensive item...Not sure how to deal with the fears...but I am not a mechanical person...have trouble changing a light bulb...Do think if and when I can do it, it will empower me and help me feel closer to her...this way she is just eye candy...can't even design for her....

 

I just restrung my Resinsoul Ju, it was so much easier than I thought! Only took less than an hour, it was my first time restringing, I thought it would be much harder. There were tricky parts like putting the hands and feet on but it came right eventually! I used a pipecleaner to string the elastic through, its quite nice and soft but stiffer than string. Yay now she can stand and pose beautifully!

 

Man, I hate restringing but with the right tools it goes from root-canal-awful to just a necessary chore.

 

I like restringing dolls, actually... as long as they have hooks. I hate it when they have the string that you have to loop over the elastic and then pull the hand/foot through. Goes on simply enough, pain in the butt to get off again! And tinies... they're just too small for my restringing tools I like to use that make me feel sortof scientific.

 

It's painful. On that note never try and restring with your teeth. It never ends well ^^;

 

I still don't mind restringing. After a few years and four MSD's, it's pretty simple, so long as you don't put the wrong parts together. Left shin does not fit right knee. Never. XD I actually have to restring one of my boys (My DollFamily Wind) because he got some work done today and needs to be put back together again. He's currently in pieces on the floor waiting and glaring at me. X3

 

I don't mind it -I think it brings the bond stronger. I never had the problem of catching my fingers though, and I still only use a ribbon for restringing, maybe a chopstick.

 

I enjoy restringing well-engineered dolls. S-Hooks (or resin hooks) and a simple layout for the elastic, where I can take off any extremity (or the head) without taking the entire doll apart, is what I consider good engineering. Putting together anything less than that and I get overwhelmed with the urge to throw the doll out the window. B( I shouldn't have to take apart the entire doll just to give a pedicure.

 

I like restringing dolls. I dunno why.. it's never bothered me at all. I tend to like it because it means I'm in a time where I am maintaining my dolls instead of ignoring them, so it gives me a good feeling.

 

painful =/ i just re-string my boy few weeks ago, the body was fine, but the strings was too tight for the arms and hands and i don't have any extras so it was quite something to get it done. i ended up peeling the skin off my hands in the process =/

 

mixed emotions of happiness, and rage..since I don't have those scissor-like thing to hold the string(I forgot what it's called)..I was happy when I finished restringing my MSD boy..but was in rage when the string kept on slipping on my hand..and i need to improvise like using ball pens to hold on to the string..and use non-stretch string to pull the elastic..but it's fun.

 

I'm dreading the process. I eventually want to buy a Soom Amber Pure Spirit head, and put it on a normal body. So I'll probably have to do it then. But I feel like I'm going to break or, or do it wrong and she'll be a limp noodle.

 

I've discovered I just don't seem to understand the process of stringing... I spent 3 hours tonight trying to get my doll put back together ... and this was an attempt to re-do a stringing that left her head floppy and one leg with odd tension. I wanted to make her a little tighter because of that... but at first, I made it TOO tight, so I couldn't even string her myself. T_T Then... after 2 more tries, I finally got it in a place where I could get her together... but one leg is still tight and the other is floppy.

I'm so frustrated... honestly feeling kind of sour toward my girl right now, even though it's not her fault I'm no good at stringing her. I haven't even been able to make myself put her clothes and wig back on... she's just sitting naked on my table. >_< I feel a lot like crying.

 

I absolutely hate restringing! I've stringed my Chi couple of times in really short time and he's still like some overcooked spagetti... Maybe I should give up and my new strings...

 

I enjoy it. And, because I completely fail at doing it on my lonesome, I get my boyfriend involved, who has this macabre fascination with organising all the boys' bits when they're in pieces! So it's a bonding activity for my flesh boy as well as my resin boys

 

I feel completely fine about it I suppose the things I hate about it is a) losing the S hooks, and b) getting the left/rights mixed up OH, and the main thing C) not having materials on hand when I decide someone needs a restringing!

It's not something I feel like doing every time I play with my dolls, but if they need restringing, I'm happy to do it.

 

I've re-strung every doll that has come into my home first thing. I feel it helps me bond with them and I learn more about how they work. I still remember my very first re-stringing. My hands hurt for DAYS! But it was worth it and ever since then it only got easier.

To any newbies: Go for it! Most of the time it's straight-forward. All you have to do is make sure you sort your parts as you're taking your doll apart so that putting it together is no sweat. ^_^

 

I just did my first restringing....ouch, but then again I wasn't truely prepared. I wasn't expecting the tension to be so tight once you got to the last leg, struggling to put on that last left or right foot. I should't have picked red ribbon to be my restringing too either, should have gone for white >> Oops. Oh well that's what magic erasers are for!

But its fairly basic, it just gets hard once you reach the legs part. But maybe restringing tinies are easier than restringing the big SDs?

Note: Try your best to avoid paper clips at all cost, I accidently let go of the S hook AND elastic and it got stuck in my doll's leg. I had to take pliers, bend a paper clip into a stick with a tiny hook to pull it back out so I could remove the S hook and continue (took me a good 30 -45 minutes!). While restringing after disassembling the doll and putting it back together, I didn't have a pen or chopstick so I used the paper clip... BAD IDEA! The tension in the elastic was strong enough to bend and then PULL the paper clip almost back into the leg. I had to use the pliers to hold on to the paper clip, pull the paper clip out, and restring that leg back on.

The paper clip is now in the garbage as its been brutally bent, twisted and manhandled...

 

I havent restrung any of my dolls in ages... I'm currently trying to restring one of my CP boys, I bought some elastic from Junky Spot, and I got the arms perfect, how ever I dont have enough for my legs. ;~; And that was the whole reason for restringing him in the first place! He could barely stand cause all I was using was this super thin stuff from Joanns and I've already cut it up, so now my boys lying in pieces on the floor. ;O; Is there anywhere you can buy thicker elastic locally? Or anyway to MAKE IT WORK.

Literally, all I need to do is put his foot on, but I'm afraid I'm going to be doing damage to him if I force it, cause I pulled with all my might to try and get it but it's not happening. D:

 

I'm fairly new to the hobby, as I just got my first dolls this summer (and only one of them actually has a body). My girl desperately needs to be restrung, the string's pulled a bit taut and I feel it could stand to be loosened...

But I'm absolutely terrified to take her apart... ; 3;
I've watched tons of restringing vids and the like but I'm still very hesitant to try it myself. I'm eager to learn how to, though!
> w <

 

Liking or disliking restringing depends on the doll for me. I like restringing some of my dolls very much. Some are a pain to restring, though and I don't like that so much, then. But restringing itself is a great way to improve your doll and the bond you have with your doll, to understand how they work and see how they're designed. I always take new dolls apart, shortly after they arrive.

 

My Feng has just arrived and he can stand on his own just but his legs could do with tightening a bit, and his arms are very wobbly, looks like I am going to have to jump in at the deep end!

 

Someone here turned me onto the idea of having my doll's legs strung on separate elastic loops. I've never had a doll strung like that, but it sounds like such a no-brainer, this-will-make-stringing-them-easier, idea. I'm really trying hard to stop myself from doing that to my 1/3, because I don't have any extra elastic if I screw up.

The only time I didn't like messing with my doll's stringing was when was unstringing her and I lost my grip on the S-hook and got my thumb stuck on it. I ended up tearing chunk off my thumb. I will never unstring or restring a doll without chopsticks stuck through the elastic again.

@Gr8pes: Yeah... I wouldn't use a paperclip for that, but they can be very useful. A paperclip is a main part of my standard restringing kit. It's completely unbent, with a very small hook curled on one end. I use it to thread ribbon through my dolls limbs to pull the elastic through.