Volks pureskin SD, SD13 leg break

Alright, I know there was another thread about this before but I'm starting a new one cuz I want to ask, has anyone had BOTH of their doll's knees break? How can I fix it? Because both of my poor Ariel's (A Pureskin SD10 Kun) knees have cracked. First the left one, which broke completely off, and now the the right one is starting to crack too. I've been very gentle with her, so I'm very unsure as to how the second crack got started.

I know Volks won't do anything for it because their policy is you have to return the doll/parts within 7 days of it's arrival to get any replacements; but I've had her for several months. I'm in the process of getting a pureskin SD13 body (because I like it better) but is it going to do the same thing? Cuz this is a lot of money to spend on something that is just going to break.

Back when her left knee started cracking, I looked carefully and I figured out the flaw is basically due to the pressure of the knee ball against the sides of where it meets inside the thigh joint; the knee ball is almost too big for the socket in the right leg. Or you could look at it the other way and say the joint is too narrow and the piece is too brittle to handle the pressure. But, why the right leg? The pressure on it didn't seem as bad. Will sanding down the ball help the issue any? Or am I doomed? I still have the piece that broke off from the other leg and I want to repair it and this one when it breaks off, because I was hoping to sell this body once I got the SD13 body. However, I'm wondering if I'm going to have to take a major hit on the price just because of Volks' design flaw.

What are your thoughts? Any ideas or tips are appreciated.

Edit: The piece just randomly broke off already >.< I'm very, very frustrated right now.

 

I know people have from time to time mentioned knee problems on SDs'... But not everybody seems to have encountered this problem?

I've owned my SD13 19 months and my SD 11 months, and their knees are fine!

 

It does sound bad
I have also had the pureskin sd10 standing for 6 months with no issues to the knees. For furture ideas I guess you could have her sitting down? sorry its crazy to have to not have her standing. Or get a stand to support her a little and take the stress off the knee area.

For sure you will take a price hit when you glue the piece back and try to sell the body. There are other dolls you could buy instead of SD or SD13 (volks) sorry its not much advice but its what I would do if a doll type was upsetting me.

 

Honey, I feel your pain!!! T_T

My Megu's left knee broke 'cause of the problem you mentioned. I thought that since the right one seemed stronger than the left one that I was safe, but BOTH of them could break!? This stinks!! ;_;

It really sucks to have to be so careful with your doll. I understand that you should be careful anyways, but when your doll has cracked knees that are a ticking time bomb, the amount of care you have to take is insane! >.< (I super glued Shindoni's knee, but it still broke again!)

Please please PLEASE email Volks and tell them about it! Even though they can't do anything for you, please let them know that this happened!! I don't think they realize the design flaw in the SD body. I would hate for people to be deterred from buying an SD10 because they're worried about it breaking. ;_;

I don't want anyone to think I'm bashing Volks, 'cause I'm not! But if there's a problem with a product, isn't it better for the company to be alerted about it before it becomes a bigger problem?

I think this problem only exists in the SD10 pureskin body. So an SD13 body would be okey-dokey! ;3

 

Nope, you're not bashing, and if it were me I would want to let the company know. I mean, I create collectable dolls, and if something was wrong with one, I would like it if the customer would let me know. That way I could correct the problem.

Sera

 

I was under the impression that standing or sitting with the legs straight is fine, it's bending the knees when the doll sits that puts pressure on them. I only have a pureskin SD13 boy (so the legs are a bit different), but I always bend his knees carefully when changing his position, because the locking teeth do seem to make angry noises if I do it too fast :s

 

I've got an SD13 boy who is strung to tight which has his knees making some real angry noises, this thread makes me want to go restring him pronto. But that brings up another thing: stringing. Where any of the damaged dolls tightly strung?
I doubt that's the case, but worth looking into nevertheless.

Sera

 

Does this breakage happen with Suwarikko legs too?

 

I don't have any definitive proof, but I thought that suwarikko legs had more differences than just the different cut in the thighs, and I'd hope that a doll specifically made to sit cutely would be able to without worrying about breakage

 

Yeah, that's exactly it. If the teeth aren't in the right position before the knee is bent, it will put extra stress on that weak point. I think that's the straw that broke the camel's back. ;_;

My girl is strung quite loosely. But being strung tightly may put extra pressure on that trouble spot, though I think the problem has only been reposted on SD10 girls.

 

Hey guys, keep the responses coming, it's helping me out Anyone have any ideas on how to fix it though?

So far as I have known, I have always been decently gentle bending her knees, although really, having to be SUPERDUPERCAREFUL kind of annoys me. Most other Volks dolls have been sturdy enough to take a lot, even borderline abuse, so to have one that I can't haul around with me and play with a lot really bothers me.

And it's not Volks bashing to be complaining about this flaw... even the almighty Volks, grandaddy of ABJDs, is not immune to problems and I agree that customers should definitely alert them of the issue. Perhaps their Japanese customers are far more delicate with their dolls, but up until the pureskin release of the SD10 body, I've always known they could handle intensive play.

Although I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about telling them, I don't want them to think I'm hating on them. I adore Volks with all my heart, and this problem just breaks my heart, you know? In the end I just wish they would fix the flaw so that others don't have to face a breaking doll while just playing with and treating the doll normally.

I really hope the SD13 body I'm trying to get will not break too. If the deal falls through I may just consider getting an oldskin one, because I've played with an oldskin SD13 girl body and I loved it.

 

Wow . . . I've never heard of SD10 knees breaking, scary! I'm so sorry to hear about your Kun, dirtywings. I also love Volks dolls, but that is definitely the kind of thing they should be informed of.

I've had my pureskin SD10 girl for, oh, a year at least? I have never noticed any cracking, but maybe its how I display her. She sits on the edge of a shelf or in a doll-size chair, with her legs bent; I never display her standing or with legs straight.

 

Well there goes my theory. Maybe it happens when you change the position a lot?

 

Sometimes I worry about my Syo because I've put him in a position with his legs bent off to one side more then a few times. However, I'm fairly certian his legs will put up with it...but I most certiantly won't be doing that with my Nana! I'm really worried about her legs! ;_; I'm considering modding the knee joint when she finally arrives...
What should help though is epoxy. I don't know much about it though, as I've never seen it on sale here, so it would probably be best if you looked around the customizing section for more information.
As for the suwarikko body, it's knees are less notched then the normal SD10 body, so I'd be willing to bet volks implimented this in responce to the problems with the current SD10 bodies.

 

Well I bought an SD10 body with the damage already done. Just playing with that already broken leg, I really think if the teeth got sanded down a bit, and the overall size of the balljoint was reduced that pressure wouldn't be there to break the knee. Even if you repair it, that pressure will be right back on the new piece. I think the reason it happens though is when the legs bend, the ball pushes itself to the side. If you see a picture of one of these bodies sitting, their legs splay out. Like this / \. That would focus the pressure on the lower outside of the knee (where the breaks always seem to be), and the upper inner knee (which is thicker resin), rather than distribute the pressure on the entire joint like a doll with parallel legs, like so ||.

Once I get my hands on some apoxie sculpt and can fix my girl's knee, I'll be doing all sorts of tests to try and figure out how to fix it permanently. But I really thinking taking those teeth down a bit and sanding the joint to be a smidge smaller would fix it.

 

WELL GOLLY GEE WIZ YOU GUYS! HER LEG BROKE COMPLETELY TODAY! 8D

Today I was driving to school and I took Shindoni out of her bag to sit her on my lap when her leg went *SNAP!*. And I went "f*ck."

Urrrrgh, why is this happening?! ;_; I didn't touch her leg at all! It just snapped under the weight of the leg, I guess. T_T

Sahkmet, you hit it on the nose! I'm gonna try sanding the parts and superglueing the piece. Let me know how the epoxy works for you! :3

 

**sends hugs to nakitama and Shindoni** I have only repaired a BJD finger, but I found that if the broken parts are rough and unsanded, they grip each other and the adhesive fills the gap better. Also, I used a gap-filling cyanoacrylate, and the repair seemed really firm. I gave it a hard squeeze and it seemed very secure, as tough as the original unbroken finger.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

This is very scary reading!
I agree with nakitama, Volks needs to be told in writing about the problem. Don't forget, the squeaky wheel does get the grease. Not only would a reputable company want to be told about a design flaw, it may still try to help remedy the situation. It isn't a waste of time to ask nicely.

There are small clamps with rubbery ends that might help hold the broken parts together while the cement/epoxy hardens. Or small C-clamps can be used.

Rough parts DO hold better than trying to cement two smooth pieces together. I know this is true for pottery and wood.

Good luck to you.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about all these broken legs I'm really confused to what parts people are talking about though. Could anyone take photos of where it is broken on their legs?... if it's a repeat problem, you should all contact Volks about it! They are very good at improving their molds and would definitely take it into consideration. You can also ask them about getting them replaced. I know you can replace parts in Japan, but here would be trickier.

 

I never knew there were any problems until I saw a thread like this one.
I have had my SD10 for almost 2 years and her kness have never had any problems.
She sits and stands and does everything with no problems for long periods of time.

Doesn't Volks USA have replacements parts? Perhaps sueding can prevent further breakage?