Some rehairing help for a first-timer

[LadyAmalthea]

Hello! I've been watching YouTube tutorials on rehairing for the past couple of months, and think I'm going to give it a try. At first I was planning on rehairing a few of my childhood ponies that I figured were beyond repair, but honestly after trying some of the tips and tricks I've found online, I haven't found one yet that is completely unsalvageable (my Surprise was borderline, but I even got her to 'acceptable', and I have yet to tackle Baby Blossom, who I think has a cut tail and is quite yellowed; she will undoubtedly need new hair eventually). I bought a few bait ponies online to rehair, but found I don't have the heart to hack their locks off. Finally I recently bought a 'super bait' lot, where the ponies already had theit hair ripped out. So no qualms about trying some rehairs there!

It looks like Dollyhair seems to be the best site to order hair from, am I correct? I like that it tells which ponies match which hair colors. I saw on another post that there was some drama with Dollyhair...is there a reason I shouldn't order from them? I tried to google, but nothing came up other than their site and some Etsy stuff.

How about tools? I tried Amazon, but I didn't know if any of those would be the best; the tool on the Dollyhair site was just as inexpensive, and none of the Amazon ones seemed to specifically recommend for MLP. Size 7 needles, right?

And the T-pin that everyone recommends...where on earth do I buy that? I haven't seen one for sale anywhere.

I'm really looking forward to this project, and I love seeing all of the gorgeous customs you have all posted on here! Thanks for any advice you can give.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Dollyhair thread.
I got my tool from RestoreDoll personally, but I've since switched to a needle method because I find it easier and I love not having to use glue. I just got some "doll needles" from JoAnns. If you stick with the glue method, all the tools are basically the same thing and you can DIY one if you really wanted to.
What T-pin?

[BlackCurtains]

Yeah, I don't know what a T-pin is?

I'd stay clear of Dollyhair, not just because of the stuff in the linked thread but it/she has a loooong history of bad business. I like RetroDolls and Doll Planet.

I bought my tool from a member here but she's no longer around. It's easy to make your own though.

[SunPony]

I haven't bought hair for awhile so I can't advise on that topic. 

But as far as tools, I use one I made myself with a large sewing needle (one with a large/long hole).  I cut off the end of the hole at an angle and then cut the needle in half, and put the formerly-pointy end in an Xacto knife.  So then the angle-cut-hole end is pointing out of the Xacto blade about...6mm?  It works great!  I'm sure I found the instructions online for it somewhere. 

I've also used the needle and dental floss method of rehairing before too.  It takes a lot longer, at least to me.  But it ends up looking really cool inside the head?? 

Don't know what the T-pin is...well I know what one is but I don't see how it would be used in pony rehairing.

[rybett]

T pins are a bit skinnier than a thumb tack.  Used to widen a hole prior to adding a bit of hair.  Less chance of needle breaking I guess.  Hubby gets his at a hobby store but I bet craft stores would carry. 

[LadyAmalthea]

Dollyhair thread.
I got my tool from RestoreDoll personally, but I've since switched to a needle method because I find it easier and I love not having to use glue. I just got some "doll needles" from JoAnns. If you stick with the glue method, all the tools are basically the same thing and you can DIY one if you really wanted to.
What T-pin?

Thanks for posting the link to the thread. This is kind of disturbing...I'll have to rethink this a bit. Too bad her business practices are so questionable; I really liked her website and how organized it was and informative about the colors. The flat shipping fee on orders over $50 was nice too...I am so sick of how much money I drop on shipping these days! Oh well...I'll explore other options, I guess!

Here is just one of the tutorials I watched that uses the T-pin...it's just used to temporarily widen the holes to get the needle in without breaking it, I think. It shows the use of the T-pin at 0:50 seconds. I'd be interested in learning about the needle method, as well! The glue seems messy, and a bit permanent if you changed your mind after it was done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey1K8ysfXp8

Post Merge: March 18, 2020, 09:43:08 AM

Yeah, I don't know what a T-pin is?

I'd stay clear of Dollyhair, not just because of the stuff in the linked thread but it/she has a loooong history of bad business. I like RetroDolls and Doll Planet.

I bought my tool from a member here but she's no longer around. It's easy to make your own though.

Thank you, I'll check those 2 hair sites out. I've heard of RetroDolls before, but haven't explored it yet. I'm disappointed to hear this about Dollyhair, but glad I didn't just blindly order without hearing all of this first.

Post Merge: March 18, 2020, 09:50:50 AM

I haven't bought hair for awhile so I can't advise on that topic. 

But as far as tools, I use one I made myself with a large sewing needle (one with a large/long hole).  I cut off the end of the hole at an angle and then cut the needle in half, and put the formerly-pointy end in an Xacto knife.  So then the angle-cut-hole end is pointing out of the Xacto blade about...6mm?  It works great!  I'm sure I found the instructions online for it somewhere. 

I've also used the needle and dental floss method of rehairing before too.  It takes a lot longer, at least to me.  But it ends up looking really cool inside the head?? 

Don't know what the T-pin is...well I know what one is but I don't see how it would be used in pony rehairing.

Thanks for the info. The T-pin is (I guess?) for making the holes a little bigger while you are working, I linked one of the tutorials I watched above and it shows them using it at 0:50 seconds. Maybe it's not needed, since no one on here uses one! I'm interested in hearing about the dental floss method...do you know of a tutorial or instructional website about it?

[tailrustedtealeaf]

The needle method is like, as old as time, but the way I do it is a bit different:
-Insert doll needle eye-first into a head plug.
-Thread your hair. You can do plugs with one knot on the end or knot a twice-long plug in the middle to fill two plugs
-Pull the needle out. Hair is threaded

[BlackCurtains]

Oh, I just use a thumb tack to widen the holes.

[SunPony]

Oh, I just use a thumb tack to widen the holes.

Same!  I'm used to using T-pins at work in...dissections...so I don't associate them with ponies at all!  But I can see how they would work for this.

LadyAmalthea, I'll see if I can find the old dental floss method tutorial I used, but I don't know if it will still be up, that was about 6 years ago probably.

Edit: here it is! https://ponycustoms.com/88/my_little_pony_tutorials/hair/rehairing/how-to-rehair-my-little-pony-manes/

[LadyAmalthea]

Oh, I just use a thumb tack to widen the holes.

Same!  I'm used to using T-pins at work in...dissections...so I don't associate them with ponies at all!  But I can see how they would work for this.

LadyAmalthea, I'll see if I can find the old dental floss method tutorial I used, but I don't know if it will still be up, that was about 6 years ago probably.

Edit: here it is! https://ponycustoms.com/88/my_little_pony_tutorials/hair/rehairing/how-to-rehair-my-little-pony-manes/

Thank you so much! It looks a bit time consuming, but I like the idea of not using glue. When it says to knot the piece of hair, I assume it means to actually tie the piece of hair itself in a knot, not tie it with a piece of dental floss? I'm going to give this method a try. The hair doesn't ever try to work its way back inside the head at all?

I forgot about using T-pins for dissecting...gosh, I haven't dissected anything since high school! I used to love doing that in biology class though, it was so interesting.

Post Merge: March 22, 2020, 11:58:11 AM

The needle method is like, as old as time, but the way I do it is a bit different:
-Insert doll needle eye-first into a head plug.
-Thread your hair. You can do plugs with one knot on the end or knot a twice-long plug in the middle to fill two plugs
-Pull the needle out. Hair is threaded

Thank you...this sounds easy enough! Think I am going to have to try all of these methods to find out which one works best for me. No glue=good idea. 

[SunPony]

Thank you so much! It looks a bit time consuming, but I like the idea of not using glue. When it says to knot the piece of hair, I assume it means to actually tie the piece of hair itself in a knot, not tie it with a piece of dental floss? I'm going to give this method a try. The hair doesn't ever try to work its way back inside the head at all?

It IS time consuming, that is the main reason I don't use that method any more.  Yes, they mean actually tie a knot in the hair.  I don't think the hair would try to go back inside the head...as long as the clump of hair you put in an individual hole is large enough, the plastic will kind of grip it.

[Blackness]

Personally I would do anything to avoid using glue inside my ponies but that's just me. I have always used a similar method to the dental floss, except I use thin pieces of wire folded in half. Just shove the wire straight through the hole, thread the hunk of hair and yank the wire back out with pliers. Might be a little time consuming but it's secure and avoids the need for messy glue.

I also often use a large sewing needle to stretch the plugs before putting the wire through, recently got a new set of clay sculpting tools and one of the tools is appropriate for poking holes. Don't focus too much on having 'the right' tools for the job, it's largely just making do with what is available