FBR vs Dye? Also, adding holes for more hair?

[Elisto]

I have two customs I'm working on, but being fairly new at this, I could use some advice. I tried searching past threads about these topics, but I thought I should just ask.

I tried a FBR on a baity (sunburnt) Starshine probably a year ago. The paint (artist-quality acrylic) came out smooth, but it remained tacky and and almost immediately had lots of lint and dirt stuck to it. I suspect the paint was getting old when I used it, and I have better/newer paint now, but I'm not sure if that's really what the problem was that left it tacky. The inside also feels like it MIGHT be leaking plasticizer, but I'm not sure since most of the ponies I've opened (which is a lot) feel slimy or gross inside, yet few seem to have outward problems, so I don't know what to make of that. Maybe I just didn't clean it well to begin with.

Also, how do you put a clear sealer on a pony (or anything) without getting lint in it? It seems that whenever I've used any sort of clear finish on any surface, there's at least some obvious dust or dirt. I wash my brushes, yet it just seem to always be there.

I'm not sure I even like the somewhat-shiny look of a FBR anyway, but it's my understanding that black or dark blue dye can fade, bleed, and come out splotchy, especially when starting with a light color bait. So...any suggestions? I've heard people suggest dullcoat, but I'm not sure I want to buy something I'll only use once...money's a little tight right now and I'm mostly just using up supplies I already have.

My other bait is a Crumpet-pose fakie that I would like to add more holes for hair plugs to. How do I do that? I've read that some people use a hot needle to make new holes, which sounds like it should works since these fakies seem to have much softer plastic than the real thing, but I wanted to know if there's anything else people suggest. Also, how difficult is this to do? I want to know what I'm getting myself into before I start!

[PandaBerryInSpace]

What kind of sealant are you using? Is it brush-on? I've occasionally had dirt issues with brush-on sealant too, so I recently switched over to spray sealant. I use Mr. Super Clear, but since that's a Japanese product that can only be bought online, Testor's Dullcote is good, too. My experience with spray sealant is that it's very matte, so it would probably help dull your shiny ponies.

I've also noticed that artist-grade acrylics are shiny and sticky... Maybe it's just the kind of paint I used, though. (It was sent to me by my school for art class... So, it probably wasn't the best paint ever.) I use craft grade acrylics for that reason.

As for adding new holes to a bait, you don't need a hot needle at all, and it's actually quite easy. Just use a thumb tack! Those are thick enough that they form a needle sized hole right off the bat. I use a thumb tack to open up the original holes when I'm rerooting them, and I always add a new row in between the old ones.

And, regarding dying ponies, the only thing about them is that the dye fades over time, and it has a tendency to bleed through paint, or bleed onto light colored hair. Most people dye the pony and let it sit in their bait box for a year before actually customizing it.

[Elisto]

Thanks for your advice on the hair! Currently, I haven't tried sealing the FBR. I was just talking in general, I've used brush on sealers for other crafts (mod podge, varnish, etc), and always seem to have this problem. I suppose a spray-on sealer would work better.

I have done a FBR a few times before with craft paint sealed with Mod Podge; it did come out duller and not-sticky, though I had some trouble with paint consistency and texture. Since this one's just black though, it might be easier since there's no color-mixing. I know my artist-quality paints are good quality, but that doesn't mean they're good to use on plastic, so I can try the craft paint again.