Obitsu hip/leg question problem

[Misheru]

I have a new Obitsu 60... LOL..yeah, they keep multiplying.

I bought a used body from someone an it wasn't exactly as advertised, but I want to make it work. It is not the ball-joint body, it has the slide joints. I like that just fine, not a problem since I have one of the others.

But her legs won't stay on very well and she won't stay standing. She wants to bend at the waist. Upon further inspection, she is missing a screw in the ball of her hip.

Her neck piece also arrived completely broken in half, but we had an extra already on hand. So that was an easy fix. *sigh* Thankfully she came with a painted head, eyes, wig, clothing and shoes or else the price wouldn't have been worth it.

I also am not crazy about the hard bust, but I can replace that later. Right now I need her to be able to stand. Any help on what bits I need to replace?

Thanks in advance.

M

[cirquemom]

It could be that the legs are simply not seated properly. On some of the dolls it takes superhuman strength to get the damned things in all the way. It SEEMS like they are in, but as soon as you use the doll they swing free again. I had to have my husband to it for me.

Not sure about the missing screw. Maybe a hobby shop would have a matching one? If you are 100% certain that the legs are all the way in, then it could be the hip joint is simply stretched out and too loose (like, whoever was messing with it stripped the screw hole). I had that problem with Alice, my 50 cm Obitsu. K2! suggested putting a drop of super-glue between the parts (the tube thingy at the end where the leg slips into) and squeezing it together until it bonds. Then very carefully giving the inside of it a very light coating of the super glue, being very careful to not let it get into the actual joint (or it will freeze it). When you are sure it is completely dry, put the legs back in. When I did this with Alice, the extra friction from the super glue inside that tube-part gave the leg something to hold onto and cured the problem

If that isn't it, then most likely it is this:
http://www.junkyspot.com/obindex.html

Scroll down until you see 60-903 Replacement Inner Abdominal Piece. That is probably what the problem is. And welcome to the club- it happens to all of us. It's a very easy and cheap fix. The hardest thing can be getting the legs back on- on some dolls you have to use super-human strength to get them to snap all the way in.

Time for a consult with Dr. K2!

[Misheru]

Highlander took her apart and looked and it is definitely and old doll. The hard vinyl is yellowed. I think the parts are loose. We have tried to put them in fully and that is not it (he had that issue with his Gretel (Mariko) and her legs were really stiff but he got her going). This one is looks like some bits are beginning to separate so the pegs won't stay put.

We have a couple abdomen bits, but the ones we have are not the ones in question.

I tried sitting her up tonight and she won't even sit up.

[K2!]

Do any of the spinal joints seem loose? The body (spine) stays in place and is not floppy?

From what I've read here, I'm assuming both legs on the body are loose at the hip joint. This could be from the legs having been removed and put back on numerous times. If the pegs on the abdominal/hip part appear sound, the short receiving tubes inside the hip balls on the legs could be the culprits. The missing screw (which sounds like it is on the hip ball) is probably missing from a previous attempt at a loose hip/leg joint repair attempt. I have two girls with these parts and I am reluctant to remove these screws to investigate the assembly (If it ain't broke, don't fix it). With only one side showing, (the visible screw head) the fastener would appear to be a screw, not a bolt. Multiple removals of a screw threaded into plastic can widen and loosen the threads cut into the plastic, hence my reluctance to remove them from "working" joints.

The little receiving tube on the hip ball is actually two halves, which can loosen up with usage. On these old joint parts you can attempt to tighten them up by gluing the two halves together. Take a pencil of small dowel and insert it into the receiving tube. Use this as a lever to gently spread the two halves. You may also discover hairline cracks in the sides of the tube while doing this. With the halves spread, apply a sufficient amount of super glue into the cracks and/or halves of the two parts. Use regular thin super glue and capillary action will help get the glue in the cracks. Take the pencil or dowel out and allow the openings to relax. Next, take a piece of wire, like a twist tie, and wrap it around the receiving tube, twisting it to hold the tube parts tight while the glue dries. Allow the assembly to dry completely before removing the wire. At this point you may find the wire glued to the tube. Carefully remove as much as possible. The clearances around the installed tube are small and unless the wire is very thin it will bind on the leg vinyl.

Try reinserting the hip/abdomen and the hip ball. If the joint is still loose, look to see if the parts of the receiving tube are spreading. If they appear sound, you can apply a light coat of thin super glue to the inside of the receiving tube. This will decrease the diameter of the interior of the receiving tube and help tighten the joint.

If the parts of the receiving tube are opening up when the hip/abdomen peg is inserted, you can try re-gluing the tube and wrapping the thin wire around it as before. If you use a twist tie, remove the paper or plastic covering and use just the wire. This time wrap as much of the wire around the tube as possible, tightening it by twisting the ends together with pliers. You are going to leave the wire in place to brace the tube, so locate the twist along the up and down travel of the ball where it won’t bind with the vinyl.

Of course the easiest thing to do would be to replace the hip balls.

[cirquemom]

I did this for Alice, with K2!'s guidance, and it did work very well. I actually described the whole process above in a response, and somehow it went flying into the ozone instead of posting here. But I did exactly that and it solved the problem completely.

[Misheru]

We will try this one night this week. Highlander is better at taking them apart than I am.

I looked for replacement bits at JS, but what I needed wasn't listed. So I will try the 'fix' method. I do think there are hairline cracks and that the legs have just been taken on and off too many times over the years. I think the person said she had her for about 4 years.

Anyway, I redid the head tonight (faceup) but that eill wait for a body since Makoto took this one. More floating heads!

Thanks again!
Misheru

[Misheru]

Thanks for the tips! I glued the cracks in the hip balls to tighten them and I also added some traction to the 'stem' bits. Her skeleton is fine, so this has helped a LOT! At least until we are ready to place an order with Parabox so I can get new pieces.

Makoto can stand now and sit upright and she and I thank you all for the help! ((hugs))