Ouchie! BJD collecting is a dangerous hobby

the first time I restrung Kiyoshi I had a simmilar exprince..now its easy with the plastic coted wire I use to pull the strings.

But yeah I agree, its sometimes a painfull. yikes!

 

Changing glass eyes used to be my problem 'cos I always cut myself on the stems. Poor Elliot has my DNA permanently imprinted inside his head.. I guess he really is mine now. ops:

 

This is reason #1 I haven't tried restringing Ichiiro - it looks painful!

krambear > I feel your pain. I thought Ichiiro had come with acrylic eyes, so I wasn't being careful, and I slit my thumb on the stem. Ow.

 

You poor dear! I've always heard to use ribbons instead of string. That's why I was tickled pink (not as literally as you were!) that my DoD came tied up with two ribbons... My first thought was "Oh! Restringing tools!"

I used normal tweezers to stuff the ends of the ribbons through the limbs, and also to pull them through. The worst doll-related injury I've had so far is getting pinched fingers while putting feet back on X_X

 

I doubt I'll ever be able to restring a doll. I had a hard time just removing the hot glue from Kurai's head so I could change her eyes. It took a week of me using a hairdryer and tweezers to pry the glue out little by little. I kept having to stop because my hands kept going numb.

 

i used tiny wire(too tiny apparently) to pull the elastic through and got all these really painful welts on the tops of my fingers for a few days from wrapping it around them and tugging ops:

i've really got to get something better to do it with *sigh*

~Dottie

 

I also feel your pain! XD I restrung my DOD for the first time last week, and good grief, the pain of holding onto bits while pulling that elastic tight! I think the darn doll is stronger than me...

 

ROFL

That's brilliant!

I got a bruise hitting my head into the wall when trying to keep one of my girls from hitting HER head into the wall.

 

I was bored one night so I restrung Abacus. x3 I think it's fun... He's a SD10. so I was kind of confused for a second, but then he was strung. You feel a lot more bonded to your Dear once you've taken them apart, cleaned them, and restrung them.

I didn't bother trying to string his legs too tight, but his arms are. I sueded him with moleskin while I was at it.

I don't know what size it is, but I used one of my mom's cochet hooks to get string through some of the parts, especially the torso. And when it came to needing things to pull things through when the hook didn't work, I used some plain old ribbon. It was fun. x3

He looked tired after it all, as if he'd been afraid the whole time I didn't know how to restring him. x3 Oh ye of little faith...

 

Yikes! Thanks for the warning. I shant try it ops:

 

Call me odd, but I like restrining my Dean. I've done it so often that it only takes 10 mins max now.

Remeber, plastic covered wire and ribbons are your friends! Never ever yarn! >__<

Alternitively, if your stuck for wire and really need to restring your doll, scoobies work well. I couldn't find my wire one time and nicked some from my sister. Scoobies are like these weird plastic string things that kids make bracelets and things with, its a bit of a fad over here. Not as good as wire, but good in emergancies! :wink:

I hate hooking S hooks on to elastic though. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't!

 

a couple of weeks ago hisoka's left hand suddenly popped right off because the elastic was so strong it sort of pulled the hook out from his hand. it was 1am in the morning but i had to retrung the poor thing before going to bed. during the whole process i was fustrated, sweaty, my fingers were in pain, and i keep snapping at my bf who tried to help me ops: i dont think i feel any better bonding with hisoka other than worrying about his other parts coming off from now on, thats why i wont be restringing my dolls any time soon...

 

Restringing = one of the worst parts of this hobby. e.e

I got my finger pinched till it bled when I was posing Shinta; the back of his knee joint clipped my finger.

 

I've re-strung our kids so often (the Volks ones) that I am the champion re-stringer around these parts. I've done it with and without a stringing tool.

I cannot, cannot, cannot emphasize enough the WONDERS of stringing your doll WITH a stringing tool, such as the one sold by Volks. It's like a magic wand.

No matter what, and no matter how careful you are, you'll get pinched fingers, especially stringing a larger doll -- the tension has to be pretty high for them to hold a pose. But the stringing tool is wonderful, it passes right through those narrow channels and you don't have to worry too much about "guiding" it except for very long awkward passages like torso holes. With a stringing tool and practice, you can re-string your doll in ten minutes with a minimum of pain and bloodshed. :grin:

I also highly recommend doing it with help if at all possible. Otherwise you have to brace doll parts with your feet or whatever else available!

 

I like restringings! But then I only have MSDs, and I believe they're supposed to be a lot easier to string than SDs or SD13s. And I agree with SapphireMusings/Sam. Plastic-coated wire is your friend! Although now I use a little wooden-topped stringing tool, and that's good, too.

I've cut myself on stemmed glass eyes, though. XD;; My previous experience was all with acrylic stemmed eyes and non-stemmed glass eyes. I was panicking and trying to make it in time for the first UK Nottingham meet-up and accidentally slashed my finger on the stem (which was jagged as I'd broken it shortly before). ^_^;; I arrived at the meet with a plaster around my finger.

 

MSDs are SO much easier to re-string. Stringing Stefan would have been a pleasure if not for the fact that I had to do it three times upon his first assembly because Volks' recommended length was way, way too loose.

I too have cut myself on those stemmed glass eyes. They're wicked!

 

I actually enjoy restringing also. It helps me bond with the doll. We go through this horrible painful experiance together, but at the end they're strung nice and tight and I can play with them more to my liking. My first doll was a mini kit, so it was either string or continue to scare my dorm mates with doll parts in a box. ^_^

Granted, the minis are much easier to string than the bigger dolls, but even the big kids don't give me so much trouble anymore.

I figure a few cuts and a few bruised fingers is the price to pay for cleaned, tightly strung dolls who pose at my every whim. ^_^ I suggest everyone try it after doing some research and knowing what to expect. Pipe cleaners and another person to be extra hands are wonderful tools!

 

Yeh. I've bled for both my boys X3

Most recent was when I was working away on Seymour's outfit, and was sitting on the floor making some jewellry. I got up and went to my sewing machine, stumbled, and firmly embedded my small long-nosed pliers in the side of my right foot. Not just grazed or cut myself- the actual point sunk into my foot by a centimetre. ;_;

I was crying for ages and I couldn't walk on it. I drenched it in all sorts of fancy medical stuffses and that was actually a smidgeon more painful than the actual incident o.O

And the pliers are still covered in blood XD

Yoinked from my LJ to show you that yes- BJDs are a dangerous and painful hobby >O<

-Annie love

 

You two are scaring me XD; I had a horrible time restringing my mini and I've got to do it again as he's still got some extremely crazy legs (and I noticed some dirt on him I either missed the first time or he's managed to pick up); need to fuss with loosening him up so he stops kicking me. Here I was looking forward to getting a body for my Link, thinking the bigger guys will be easier.... XD;

I haven't managed to cut myself (yet) but I did ache like crazy after I finally got 'im back together again.