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I make jointed oversized bears - 25"-39" in height - because my hands are arthritic my husband helps me when it comes to jointing. I use loc nuts - what's happening is that when i'm jointing the head to the body - because I have to push down to make sure that the discs are pushed together my poor bear heads are being squished ... some end up with a very flat forehead and I can't seem to "unsquish" the head .. so I end up with a flat headed bear which is very frustrating .... does anyone have suggestions so that I can avoid this ... my bears take me forever to make as I hand sew the bear completely, paint my own eyes .etc etc I can't think of a solution except to buy longer bolts but i still have to push the discs together when jointing ...
Can anyone help me with suggestions to 1) avoid this 2) how to fix it once it's happened .... very thankful for any advice given ....
front view
showing the flat head as a result of "squishing" during jointing...
side view of brown bear with squished head
Past Time BearsUsually, it's possible to push/mash the head around so that it is forced back into the form you like. Would putting your hands on the ears and squeezing toward the middle help?
Ouch. My hands hurt for you, and this is why I use a cotter pin for the head joint (not sure if that would work for your big bruins or not).
I do this with the body unstuffed and still open at the back. I stick the cotter pin (sticking out after I’ve closed up the head) into the body through a small hole, then slip the inside disk and washer over the pin. I use needlenose pliers to curl the cotter pin tightly, and that does all the work of getting the joint tight - not as tight as the locknut joints for the arms and legs, but tight enough.
I enjoyed seeing your bears. 
Becky
desertmountainbearWhen I get distortion of the stuffing I use a long thick doll needle to move the stuffing back into place. Just insert it near the area you want the stuffing to go, and move the stuffing around from the inside. It will move for you.
