Neck Hole Repair

While found this thread concerning this same topic:

 

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=8567&p=131549&hilit=neck+hole#p131549

 

That thread is almost 5 years old. I decided I'll post something new with images. Below is Smart Doll Kizuna's neck hole.

 

 

Seeing that huge crack and a few others below, I used a "plastic welder" and covered them with it.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009EU5ZMK/

 

 

 

 

 

So far, I'm happy with the results. The repair is holding.

 

Additional rambling here:

 

http://blog.doll.cafe/2018/08/doll-head-neck-hole-repair.html

 

(It's additional rambling. No additional photos.)

Thank you so much for this! I just had a MDD arrive with some cracks in the neck hole and wasn't sure what to do. For now, I've hot glued it, but I may give this a try if the hot glue doesn't hold up.

My Crimson’s neck hole started to crack due to family members always messing around with him, so I was unsure of how to fix the cracks. Thank you for posting this.

Just to add a bit of info to this, be sure to use one of the "plastic welder" epoxy types as mentioned. They should specifically say they are for vinyl. Most other types of adhesive won't adhere to the vinyl to a degree they can withstand the stress that caused the cracking in the first place.

 

The above linked item is a JB Weld version which I haven't used but I'm sure works fine. Not for this particular application, but I've used a Devcon one on this type of vinyl and it worked well:

https://www.amazon.com/Devcon-22045-Plastic-Welder-Dev-Tube/dp/B003NUGL9S/

 

I found this product to not have too much of a shelf life so it's best to order it from somewhere that presumably goes through a lot of stock and not a store where it's been on the shelf for years.

Hope it’s ok to reply to this thread rather than starting a new one, but is it normal for heads to arrive with cracks like this?

 

I’ve just received a brand new DDH07 with similar cracks on the inside of the neck hole and I’m not sure if I should be contacting the seller, or if this is just to be expected? Obviously when I push the head onto the neck piece the cracks are opening up, so I’m a bit worried about this.

is it normal for heads to arrive with cracks like this?

No.

 

If it were normal, there would be a 1000 replies to this thread instead of less than 10.

 

I’ve just received a brand new DDH07 with similar cracks on the inside of the neck hole and I’m not sure if I should be contacting the seller, or if this is just to be expected? Obviously when I push the head onto the neck piece the cracks are opening up, so I’m a bit worried about this.

As you should be.

 

I suggest contacting the seller. Provide photos to the seller to make your case.

 

While I hope you get this issue resolved with the seller, if the seller refuses to work with you, at least you can ask more questions (if you have any) about making repairs in this thread.

I have additional photos.

 

I'm an idiot. I thought I'd make the hole area more robust by using regular epoxy glue and then carve away at the excess. The newly applied epoxy glue was so strong, it broke off bits and pieces of vinyl as I carved away at only the epoxy glue. I SHOULD NOT HAVE APPLIED THE REGULAR EPOXY GLUE ON TOP OF THE PLASTIC WELDER.

 

So here's what I did to repair the additional damage I caused. I applied (green) epoxy PUTTY around the hole and covered up the areas of vinyl which chipped away. After the epoxy putty dried, I drilled a hole in it for the neck peg.

 

 

 

If the cracks are minor, then the plastic welder method will work well enough. If the damage is extensive, then the epoxy putty repair method works wonders.

is it normal for heads to arrive with cracks like this?

No.

 

If it were normal, there would be a 1000 replies to this thread instead of less than 10.

 

 

Thanks so much for replying. After I posted I did decide to contact the seller and they will send me a new head if I send the old one back, so I will be doing that.

 

Your repair with the green putty looks good - when I thought about repairing my head with glue I wondered how it would withstand being removed and replaced multiple times, but I guess the putty adds strength to the hole. I hope you’ll update in a couple of months and let us know how it’s holding up.

Your repair with the green putty looks good - when I thought about repairing my head with glue I wondered how it would withstand being removed and replaced multiple times, but I guess the putty adds strength to the hole. I hope you’ll update in a couple of months and let us know how it’s holding up.

The epoxy putty repair was done 3 months ago.

 

One thing I might do different in future is to make the hole slightly larger than the neck peg, and then cover the peg with shrink rubber. If the hole and peg are the same size, then the hard plastic peg will rub directly against the hardened epoxy putty. (This is the situation for me now. So far, it hasn't caused any damage I need to repair again.)

 

Larger hole + shrink rubber will prevent hard surfaces from rubbing one another and the thickness of the shrink rubber will keep the head tight on the neck.

@growcian I know this thread a bit old, but hoping to get a reply. Is that plastic welder stuff still allow the vinyl in the neck area to be flexible? I have a couple of small cracks in my Sailor Moon's neck and I want to reinforce the area to stop them from spreading or more appearing.

Has anyone every tried Sugru for repairs? It's quite flexible after curing, I'm just wondering if it would bond to vinyl or not.

11 hours ago, Cauldroness said:

Has anyone every tried Sugru for repairs? It's quite flexible after curing, I'm just wondering if it would bond to vinyl or not.

Yes, I've tried it. It won't work because the vinyl is too oily/slippery. It just peels right off the vinyl. Tried this on a Smart Doll bust and a DD hand.

Edited July 18, 2020 by Deyja

Loctite makes a vinyl/plastic/fabric glue which is designed to be flexible. It involves gluing a small fabric patch on top of the cracked area, so far it's holding up for me.