Has your favorite doll lost its leg recently? Do you want to learn how to put a dolls leg back on? Then you have come to the right place. We will give you step-by-step instructions to reattach the limb and make it good as new.
Dolls are lifelong treasures to many. However, many are afraid to do what it takes to fix the floppy legs and arms on their American dolls.
I must tell you that it is entirely doable. If your doll is suffering from some problem, do not let it suffer in silence; take it to a big craft store that offers all sorts of doll repair items to help you with bringing your doll back to normalcy.
You can also find doll replacement parts on the internet. This article will look at the methods and tips you can use to put your dolls’ legs back on.
What Can Go Wrong With a Doll?
Well, the list is quite long. Numerous things can go wrong with dolls. Dolls can get dirty over prolonged usage and may need a clean-up to revive their sheen. They may lose a leg, or it may come out. Prolonged usage can also cause a doll’s stuffing to go flat. The doll’s rooted hair may get damaged and tangled.
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How Do American Girl Legs Reattach?
Heating in water
If your doll is one with push-in limbs, then this method can come in handy. As per certain threads on the internet, heating the leg in boiling water can make it more flexible. You can then pop it back into its socket.
It will snap right back on! If boiling water seems a little too much of a risk to take in the very first attempt, you can alternatively blow-dry to heat it up and then try popping the leg for reattachment.
Use an elastic
A 1.5$ piece of elastic can help you with reattaching doll legs. All you need to do is change the elastic of the white tension cup. The tension cup might have fallen into the inside of the legs since they are hollow. Invert the legs if needed and see if something falls out.
Using a newly purchased elastic, insert the elastic through the tension cup and tie a knot to secure it with the same. Insert the tension cup into the leg and place the leg into its position.
How Do You Attach Baby Doll Legs?
For a plastic or vinyl doll, you might need to restring the process mentioned below. Also, one must note that as of 2009, American Girl no longer employs metal clamps in the joints; the elastic is knotted.
How to Restring Doll Limbs?
Step 1: Remove the doll’s head.
First things first, get rid of the doll’s head. Remove the doll’s head by untying the string at the back of the doll’s neck. One can release the knot by inserting a pointy object into the gap and fluttering it.
Beware of using extra sharp objects as they may fray the string entirely. One should also take extra care about the doll’s hair because untangling them will be another task if they get messed up.
Step 2: Unstuff the doll.
Take out the stuffing. Cotton stuffing must be removed, removed, and placed aside all at one place. You will only use this cotton again when restringing her limbs. Be patient when performing this step; it isn’t as easy as it seems.
Step 3: Cut the string between the white tension cup and knot.
Check the inside of the doll at the torso. See where the limbs are attached at the joints. One can spot the white tension cup and a string with a metal crimper or a knot at the end here. Clip this string with a pair of scissors. If you are restringing the entirety of the doll, restring all the strings.
Step 4: Detach the tension cups from the doll’s limbs.
Use a heat gun or blow dryer to warm the doll. One can also put the leg you want to restring in a freezer bag. Leave a small space at the top of the bag open and make sure that the rest of the doll remains outside it.
Use warm water to heat the limb and the plastic covering for a few minutes. Remember, you need to warm the doll and not heat it. Hence, the water should be warm and not boiling. When the doll is warm, One can now pull out the tension cup.
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Step 5: Use a pair of new strings to the tension cup
Use an elastic in the same size as used already. One can also use a bungee cord. Use a size #18-#10 metal crimping to thread the tension cup onto the metal sleeves on one end of the string. Remember to keep the tension cup’s hole on the side which the metal sleeve is.
Make sure to tighten the string. This step can also be done using a hemostat or a small pair of needle-nose pliers that tightly pull the elastic to a suitable pressure.
The same action is to be done for all the limbs. One can trim the extra edges of the chord, too, whenever and wherever required.
Step 6: Put the tension cup and string back in the limb.
The limb must be reheated with the same method as Step 4. Heating will cause the limb joint to turn soft. Push the end of the string into the joint until the tension cup is inside. While restringing other limbs, do the same steps as above. Restuff the doll with cotton to finish. Start with the bottom and work your way up.
How Do You Fix Loose Doll Legs?
Repeat steps 1 to 3 of How to restring doll limbs? After that, locate the white tension cup of the leg you wish to tighten. Pull its knot out as much as you can. After that, use a rubber band and tie it to the end of the string close to the limb. You should be able to tighten the limb this way. Repeat the process for all loose limbs. Voila! You are done.
Follow Our Simple Steps To Give New Life To Your Dolls
Did you find answers to your questions here? Is there any doll-related experience you would want to share with us? Write all of this and everything else you would like us to know in the comments down below. Also, do not forget to share this article with your friends and family who might find this information useful.
