The MLP Arena
Creativity => Customs => Topic started by: tailrustedtealeaf on October 26, 2018, 06:06:42 PM
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I remember when I just started getting into MLP, I would read about the floss and needle method. Now, the rehair tool is all over the place...
How do YOU like to rehair? Have you tried both methods? Do you have a different method you use?
I'd be scared about the glue causing the hair to get loose, so I'm needle and floss all day and night. I'm sure the tool is a bit quicker, though!
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I knot individual plugs and then thread each one. It's tedious but quite secure and completely reversible. Some of my customs are 20+ years old and they've held up just as well as factory weave.
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I used to do the needle and floss thing, it ruined my thumbs (as in the joints now tend to lock). So I'm happy with my rehair tool. The glue I use is slightly thicker and usually keeps the hair in place just fine ^_^
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For ponies and some of my dolls I use the re root method, but for my dolls now I use the needle method (much more better than reroot the doll because the hair falls out). I have to use forceps to pull the needle through the hole.
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I only know the rehair tool method, but instead of ordering one online, I crafted one (well, two, I had broken it :drunk:) out of a sewing needle. I cut the hole diagonally and it mimics the original tool pretty well. I managed to rehair my Tex with nylon just fine and I also rehaired a custom with yarn. Easy as pie. :D
What the other methods look like ? I don't get it when people describe it. Does anyone have at least a pictured tutorial, or better, a video about them, please ? :blush:
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This (https://ponycustoms.com/88/my_little_pony_tutorials/hair/rehairing/how-to-rehair-my-little-pony-manes/) is the best tutorial I can find with good pictures of the needle and floss method. I can't find any videos, they all detail the rehair tool method.
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Ohh, thank you ! :D
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I'm currently at my first attempt, so it's a bit experimental. For now, I'm going with doing doll hair from yarn. (There's a youtube tutorial for that!! I can link it) As the easiest method I have seen simply sewing the yarn to it's place one by one and knotting the yarns ends instead of glue. Then I'll make the actual hair out of the yarns.
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The process I use isn't complicated. Size the strands of hair into plugs, knot the ends. Thread a soft sculpture doll needle down through the plug and out the neck hole, pass the ends of the hair through, pull it back out. Repeat a whole lot of times until every plug is full. It's similar to the needle and floss method but only one plug at a time instead of two, and can thus be used with shorter hair.
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I've tried both but prefer using the tool. The knot method was a bit hard on my hands too. I like the time saving of the tool and I never noticed the glue giving any issues with hair falling out. I don't think a certain method is superior though; each person will have their preference and fit.
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I prefer the needle & floss method, although instead of floss I use strong cotton thread. I use the rehair tool only when I must: G4 heads are usually too small for the needle & floss method, and puffy wool manes also need to be done with the tool.
I see advantages to both methods, the tool is quick but for me it's messier because I can't prepare the plugs beforehand. The floss method takes longer but it's kind of meditative too. I usually prepare all my plugs first (knot, glue, and cut to length), then start rehairing. For me this is the easier way especially when I want to do blends of several colours. I waste more hair with the tool method because it's all over the place, lol.
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I use the tool to make a knot when I'm working with enough hair. Tie a loose knot in the strand, run the longer end of the tool's prong through the center of the knot (make sure to catch the hair IN the prongs!), push tool into head, pull tool out. The knot stays behind and when you remove the tool it can fully tighten. Then just glue it all in to make sure it stays.
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I use the tool method, occasionally I use the needle and thread method.
Love pkw xxx
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I started customizing back in 2005 with the needle (and floss) method. Dental floss worked fine, later I changed it to fishing thread size 0.25 mm. It is way more durable than the floss method. For a few years it was my method of choice. However when you don't choose the correct amount of hair (especially too much) then you see the bend where you pulled on the hair. This method works well for fine hair like nylon but it's not the best for polypropylene due to the stiffness and saran due to the fine hair. And this method is the hell when you have a very hard plastic to work with and in general it's time consuming.
Since about 6 years I use the tool method with the tool that was sold once by Pop-Girl (see pic below). I still have the original tool and replace just the needles in case they break occasionally. I never tested the wooden tool and therefore hadn't any bad experiences with this some other customizers reported about. The tool by Pop-Girl always worked fine with all hair types, even hard pony plastic is easier to be treated with it. It's faster than the needle method and the glue I use never leaked through the holes and no hair became loose. You need to spread the glue of course with a tooth pick or better with an ice cream popsickle inside the head and need to let it dry fully before you do anything with it but it works well.
http://photobucket.com/gallery/http://s81.photobucket.com/user/pop-girl/media/Toolwithcap.jpg.html (http://photobucket.com/gallery/http://s81.photobucket.com/user/pop-girl/media/Toolwithcap.jpg.html).
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I used to only do needle and floss method, but since my arthristis got a bit worse I use a rehair tool now, to hold the hair in place I use a layer of sticky-tac waterproof glue
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I use a tool and secure the plugs with Fabri-Tac. Started out with a LadyDayDreamer tool. When it broke and she was no longer making them, I made my own from wooden dowels until I found a metal precision hand drill at Sears. I've been using it since.
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I use the tool with no glue (homemade tool, and it pushes the hair a fair bit into the head), and I've never had the hair fall out unless you really pull it out of the head (but customs aren't for play, so I feel it's safe. If I rehaired for play, I would use some sort of glue).
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I used an exacto blade handle with a cut needle. I don't remember what I used for glue..
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I use a tool method I used to use just floss and knot all the plugs myself. Though that was very tedious. So I use this method it works better for me. I just use glue to seal all the plugs when I am done.
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I use the needle & thread method with knotting the roots. I cannot stand the thought of filling the head with glue and hoping it holds. I do more restoration work than custom though. But like, what if in the future someone else wants to re-re-hair her and they're stuck because of giant wads of adhesive are now coated inside the head? It just sounds horrifying to me. It bothers me to the point where I simply don't buy re-hairs from those that use the glue method.
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Knot, thread + needle method.
Yep, it takes longer but it is super-precise and very secure (in that hair is unlikely to fall out if washed / boiled / styled) and easily undone with minimal damage to the pony should you decide to change the hair in the future!
I use this method for all of my G1 projects.
My tool kit:
Small scissors to cut away old hair.
Hemostats or tweezers to remove old root-balls from inside.
A long doll needle
Guterman extra strong thread (hardly ever breaks)
Nylon hair, pre-sorted into knotted plugs.
No glue!
I'm impressed with the speed of the tool/glue method but personally would save this for G4.
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Knot, needle and thread method here, I have the same reservations about glue as some others have mentioned. I don't really use glue much in my pony restorations - unless it's needed to repair a broken neck plug or similar problem - as I'm a bit paranoid about putting sticky substances on vintage ponies in case it causes future deterioration.
It's a time-consuming process but I love how shiny and new a rehaired pony looks! I've also trained my dad to rehair ponies and he's really quick at it: he's good with fiddly things like that.
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I used to do the needle and floss thing, it ruined my thumbs (as in the joints now tend to lock). So I'm happy with my rehair tool. The glue I use is slightly thicker and usually keeps the hair in place just fine ^_^
This! The needle and floss method was not the best for my hands and i prefer the tool. ^^
But i make a knot and push the knot in, so i do not need to glue in later. is glueing more common? i bet it is indeed faster!
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I use the needle & thread method with knotting the roots. I cannot stand the thought of filling the head with glue and hoping it holds. I do more restoration work than custom though. But like, what if in the future someone else wants to re-re-hair her and they're stuck because of giant wads of adhesive are now coated inside the head? It just sounds horrifying to me. It bothers me to the point where I simply don't buy re-hairs from those that use the glue method.
Good point here about future decisions, but I have to say that the correct glueing method is all that's necessary to achieve perfect results. You need a good glue that has the right consistency and a good tip with which you can dose it just on the roots. Then the correct storage position is important that helps the glue stay in place and not flowing everywhere. When you follow these tips you won't end with tons of glue in the head. Not buying customs/ rehairs for this reason I find a tad too much. Of course everyone can decide by its own.
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Add me to the "would not buy a glued custom" crowd. Most glue isn't stable long term. It yellows, it dries out, it cracks, shrinks and changes pH. I greatly prefer using mechanical methods of fastening hair that don't add yet another potential source of chemical damage to an already unstable material like vintage vinyl. I want my customs to last for many decades, not mere months or years.
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I plan on rehairing a Twilight Sparkle I got recently so I DID buy the tool just to try it. She's not super rare, not vintage...so it'll be worth a try I suppose.
Anna, your method sounds like a happy medium.
Bonus points for the knot and floss method: I don't have to run around finding suitable glue that I know won't give out on me. :lol: It looks like MandaPanda uses Gorilla Glue on her customs' hair, but I can't find any information on how it ages...
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I basically reroot witht the needle and knot method, It's sturdy and I don't have to deal with glue.
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I use a method that doesn't involve a rerooting tool, and using wire and glue I don't have to remove the plug on a G4, which can go very wrong so I try to avoid it.
:lovey: