Plastic/vinyl repair

This is 'Strawberry'.

She has arrived to get some new fingers and to (maybe) get her hip fixed.

She is missing a few fingers.

Her hip has gone wonky at the top.

Unfortunately the problem is that the vinyl has partially torn and the torn section has warped out of it's usual spot.

Vinyl is a plastic. Aging plastics often stiffen and warp as part of their aging process. Trying to work this hip too much may well tear the hip right off.

So I start with the easier stuff and work on recreating fingers.

First a wire support gets epoxied into place.

Then finger number one gets built.

I do one finger at a time so it can harden and cure  before I start another one. Less chance of messing up a still maleable finger while I sculpt it's neighbour.

While the fingers are getting replaced I try a few things on the cracked and warped hip.

First I try heating the plastic and molding it back into shape. That seems to go well...... but within a couple hours the plastic has warped itself back to square one.

So, I repeat the process and clamp the plastic while it cools. So far so good? I even splint the leg. And keep things in place like this for a few days.

After removing the clamp and splint it looks like a normal hip.

1 hour later.....

The hip has returned itself to it's previously warped condition!

This is time to leave this hip alone. If the hip ever fully tears away and the leg detaches itself from the body, that would be the time to do more invasive work. For now, clothing will hide the odd contour.

But at least she has all 10 fingers now!