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Creativity => Customs => Topic started by: cuddlebuggy on August 06, 2015, 06:24:38 AM

Title: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: cuddlebuggy on August 06, 2015, 06:24:38 AM
I'm just getting into doing some customs. Ironically, that's how I found the MLP community almost 13 years ago!

I'm rehairing my second custom and am not a fan of using a needle with the eye clipped off to push the plugs in. The eye kept breaking and sometimes the hairs would be broken off, leaving a pitiful amount actually in the hole.

So how do you guys do it? I've come up with a different way that is working so much better and I'll share it in a later post but wanted to ask how others do it first.
Thanks!
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: kaoskat on August 06, 2015, 10:39:22 AM
I use a rehairing tool mostly but if I need it to be durable or if I'm just rehairing and it's not a custom I use the needle and fishingline method.
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: Roogna on August 06, 2015, 11:20:51 AM
I use the tool (needle with eye clipped to push hair in)

questions:
what size needle are you using. the best size I've found is a gauge 24 embroidery needle
how much hair are you putting in at one time? dollyhair naturally falls into 1 plug size sections. add 1 at a time to the hole. you can usually add 2-4 per hole, just 1 at a time.
what gen pony are you rehairing? most g1 and g3 rehair pretty easy without issue. g2 and g4 are a harder plastic and can be harder on the needles. you can also use larger safety pins or needles to make the holes bigger before putting the hair in

note: sometimes I can use a single needle on several ponies before it breaks. sometimes I will go through 6+ needles on one pony if the batch is weak or the pony extra hard.
as for the hair breaking, I've had that happen a couple times - NOT with dollyhair ever, but other brands or types of hair
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: pinkkittywinks on August 06, 2015, 02:26:34 PM
I used to use the needle and thread method until I split my finger and thumb! I now use the tool :) but I still go back to the needle and thread for some customs or restorations :)

Love pkw xxx
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: daisyd on August 06, 2015, 04:11:43 PM
Knot method, using a needle. I used to tie each plug in, using one length of hair per hole, tied in the middle so both ends of the hair were in the same hole, but it takes a lot of time. I eventually converted over to knots.
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: cuddlebuggy on August 07, 2015, 06:32:55 AM
So finding that shoving hair in the holes with my home made rooting tool was not working well for me, I found some of my husbands floss threaders and tried that. They are plastic and have a needle like end on one side and a loop on the other to thread dental floss through bridgework. I can pull the hair through, tie my knot and pull the plug in place. The downside is that the straight part does get bendy after a bit but at a whopping $2 for 10 or so it's cheap to replace.  It's very much like the needle and fishing line method but one less step to do.
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: mlp_loving on August 07, 2015, 07:25:44 AM
I would love to learn how to rehair. Does anyone know where I could find a video tutorial, or would someone be interested in making one?
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: Starfall on August 08, 2015, 09:49:36 AM
Knot method, using a needle. I used to tie each plug in, using one length of hair per hole, tied in the middle so both ends of the hair were in the same hole, but it takes a lot of time. I eventually converted over to knots.

Me too.  I would eventually like to give my rehairs to my kids, and the knot method + Fabritac glue gives me reassurance that it's not going to fall out.

I cut my needles with sharp wire cutters - seems to retain the integrity of the points.
Title: Re: What's your rehairing method?
Post by: tikibirds on August 08, 2015, 10:46:08 PM
I have an OLD rehairing tool that was made by a member here, from like 10 years ago. I don't remember their name anymore though. It was Lady-something. It's wooden and has G3 ponies on it but the needle broke recently and the replacement needles I got from another member here are too long to fit into the hole. So if I HAD a tool that I could use, then I would be using that :P
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