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The Best Ways to Restring a Porcelain Doll

Porcelain dolls are items that are usually kept as collectables and keepsakes. These dolls can usually be seen on mantles and in display cases throughout the home. There may be instances where the porcelain doll needs restringing. You can restring dolls, using simple tools that can be purchased at a hardware store. However, some ways to restring porcelain dolls are better than others, such as using cups or joint hooks.

The Cup System
- The cup system can be used to restring a porcelain doll by connecting the limbs together. Small white cups with holes in the middle are used for this project. String is inserted into the hole that is in the cup and the string goes through the holes of the doll. This method can be more difficult because you will have to pull the cups into the holes that are on the doll, manually. The cups can sometimes restrict the porcelain doll's movement, according to the website Prilly Charmin, but this can still be a useful method.
Joint Hooks
- Joint hooks can be used to restring porcelain dolls. Tie a few inches of stringing cord on the metal part of the joint hook and make a knot at the end. Insert the plastic part of the joint hook into the limb of the doll. The joint hooks should be in each limb. Prilly Charmin states that you will need a wooden ball spacer, so you can hold the stringing cords together. The stringing cords should be tied to each other, so the arms are in the right place on top and the legs are in the correct place on the bottom. The wooden ball spacer should be in the middle holding everything together. All you need to do is attach the body. Push the limbs through the right holes on the body; the wooden ball spacer should now be inside the body. You may need something firm and long to push the limbs through the holes; forceps can be used. Pull the excess stringing cord through one the holes to tighten the limbs; create a knot and push the excess back into the doll's body. You can also cut off the excess, if you'd like.
Elastic Cord
- Elastic cord can be used to restring a porcelain doll. You can use the same method as it states above to restring the doll. The elastic cord allows more movement and you can use it freely without the fear of breaking it. The elastic cord can be stretched in any direction, which is ideal when you are tying the cord together, to restring the doll.
Other Tools
- There are other tools that should be used to restring porcelain dolls. The additional tools that can be used are forceps, scissors, washers and a crimper. These tools can be purchased at your local hardware store. The washer can be used to hold the string in place and the crimper can be used to crimp the washer so the string stays securely in place. The forceps can be used to push the strings that are connected to the white cups into the body of the doll.

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