Reattaching Peg Jointed Legs on 8" AC Betsy McCall
In 1958 American Character made the 8" Betsy McCall with peg-jointed knees. Evidently it wasn't a very durable joint so the following year the knees were pin jointed. We see a lot of the first year Betsys with their legs off at the knees. Here's what I came up with to make them functional again.
For this project you'll need needle-nosed pliers, 2 straight pins for each leg, a large darning needle that will probably be ruined, and optionally, Elmer's Glue and a toothpick. I didn't use glue but it would make a more permanent repair if the doll is going to be played with.
Looking into the thigh there is a piece on either side where the plastic peg has broken or worn off. Use a needle to pry these two strips away from the sides. The arrows point to these two pieces which are now jutting toward the center.
Use the needle-nosed pliers to pull out the little pieces you just pulled away from the sides. They're just taking up room you'll need for the new pegs you're going to make. Get a good grip with the pliers nd pull slowly so that the whole piece comes out. This picture shows what the pulled piece looks like. I'm holding it with long tweezers so you can see it better.
In this picture the white arrow points to where the peg has been pulled. The red arrow points to the peg that still has to be removed.
Beyond the socket below where the old pegs were is another piece that is fitted close to the sides. Push the darning needle between the side and this piece to open it up a bit. Push the needle as far as you can into the leg. Wiggle and pry but it has to go in almost the length of a straight pin. Do this on both sides.
Beyond the socket below where the old pegs were is another piece that is fitted close to the sides. Push the darning needle between the side and this piece to open it up a bit. Push the needle as far as you can into the leg. Wiggle and pry but it has to go in almost the length of a straight pin. Do this on both sides.
Bend two straight pins as shown in the picture.
Push the pins into the channels you opened with the darning needle. Push them in all the way to the inside of the thigh so the pin heads are where the old pegs would have been when the leg was in the socket. Once you can do the, use the pliers to pull them out to the position shown in the picture.
At this point you could use a toothpick to put a drop of Elmer's on the point where the pin meets the plastic. Use it sparingly, though because you don't want the other part of the leg to touch it.
Fit the indents on the calf where the old pegs fit onto the pin heads. Holding the pins in place on the leg, push up into the thigh. You may have to push one side and then the other or push one pin all the way in, hold it and angle the leg onto the pins and then push the other side. The harder it is to get this in, the firmer the hold will be, so be patient.
Once it's into position with pin heads in position on the calf, hold it firmly on the sides of the thigh and on the calf under the pins, and push it as far as it will go.
If you used glue, while it's drying, bend the knees once in a while to make sure it doesn't freeze up the knee. To be safe, a drop of baby oil on each knee should keep it from sticking.
There! It's done! And she can still stand and sit perfectly and her surgery didn't even leave a scar.