I tightened the elbow and knee joints by making a small incision. But the tpe around the hips is much thicker. Is there a way to get in there?
The hip joints are a bit of a pain, they can be one of the worst to get to, I have done a fair few over the years, my approach varies depending on the type of doll.
Firstly I don't tend to do repairs unless they are absolutely necessary, having loose hips doesn't always affect their ability to stand, she will always look a lot nicer wearing a bikini than the doll with big scare on her hip and running down her thigh so I avoid the cut if possible. If and when I get to the point that the joint needs tightening up... On silicone dolls I will always cut down the seamline on the outside. With TPE dolls I have used several different routes to get to that joint, it depends on the size and weight of the doll, a 50kg TPE doll with thunder thighs and a great big ass, I won't be going through that leg. If she is a doll with an insert I will go in though the side of wall, the hip joint isn't that far away, on a fixed doll I have used the back passage to gain access to the hip joint.
I have two TPE dolls that spend most of their time in my bed, they are both about 7 years old now, one is +40kg the other is nearly 50kg, over time mostly all their joints have become loose, I have only re-tightened their back and neck joints, the rest I have left loose, having loose jointed dolls in bed is something else.... We quite often go to bed and we are all snuggle up, then I roll over in the night and I decide they are in my space, even at their weight I can push their limbs about effortlessly with my foot, I am usually half asleep so I am always expecting one night to have a double thud😆, it's like having two floppy rag dolls in bed with me. I have also removed their finger wires a long time ago, they were no longer required.
I believe it is down to what we need from our dolls that determines 'if' and how we should approach a repair to get the best out of them to fit our needs. .
