What are you working on? (Custom MH projects)

[Kalavista]

OMG ANgelkitty, that looks EPIC!!!

What I'm working on.... rehairing a Catrine in white, for a commission; and last night I re-did the eyes on an older custom. I still haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

[elonni]

Bracing myself to start my first MH customization... Abbey is already on the table waiting to have her hair torn away. Feeling a bit nervous! And I'm still not completely clear on what I'm gonna do with her.

[LuvlyMelody]

*preparing to pop off the baited Venus head she baited*

Should I save her hair??

[Nana-Rena]

I want that couch in human size!

[justkitter]

Oh my goodness, I love this thread!

Luvly:  I like the spiral knot idea......ALOT.  I love the way your girl looks:)  She reminds me of Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2

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....okay maybe not   For a minute, I thought Yuna has two ponytails.  Oh well!

working on a new project:

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I want this SOOOO badly!  It's beautiful!  I simply cannot wait to see her when she is complete!  My collection will be forever incomplete without this in it!

cloverofmist:  Love the print of that couch:)  Your dolls look really cozy.

idolstar:  Wow, that gown is so elegant!  So pretty!

[shivvy]

I've been brainstorming how to go about making a naga custom for awhile now, and I never thought of using a rubber snake! I'm crossing my fingers extra hard hoping it turns out well!

[LuvlyMelody]

Oh my goodness, I love this thread!

Luvly:  I like the spiral knot idea......ALOT.  I love the way your girl looks:)  She reminds me of Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2

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....okay maybe not   For a minute, I thought Yuna has two ponytails.  Oh well!

I didn't realize it till now, but it does look like her. If I knew how to make her hair splay out like that, I actually would make her style like that, but instead I'll have it down OR try to have it splayed out like Yuna's.

ETA: F***!!! I tried cutting the hair off of Venus and I was already having trouble getting the head off as it was, but once I cut the hair and tried pulling them out from the inside with tweezers, a couple of her plugs ripped into one super big "plug" My 2nd Venus/ MH doll Ruined, F***!! Now I have to open a 3rd one!! I don't want to ruin any more of them! F*** I feel so terrible about this. >,<;

F*** Those stupid prongs inside too! they were probly why they ripped. Where can I clip off the prongs once I get the head off??

Thank you everyone with all the great suggestions but with this being my first custom and all, I'll keep her simple and not TOO Extravagant and after that plug ripping, I think I'd be better off with her being simple before I lose my mind if I go that far into making an awesome custom only to have it ruined. ; I might order the 52 inch hanks from RDS and save a few 52 inch plugs and braid them into super long braided pigtails.

[Maniah]

When you say the plug ripped.. Do you mean the holes in the vinyl ripped? Because if so, you can fix those. I'll have to look around for the tutorial I found (It's been posted here a few times)..

Also, with the prongs on the neck post, you can clip off the side bits. It's the round base of the neck plug that the head really grips. Im not really sure what the function of the prongs is other than to keep young kids from pulling the head of too easy. I have started clipping the side prongs of mine off now and it makes it so much easier to handle the doll.

Also, when you say "tweezers" do you mean the sort used for plucking eyebrows? If so, I would recommend investing in hemostat pliers from the fishing isle of your local walmart, for like $5. They have a MUCH better grip on the hair inside. And I know it is tempting to yank and tug hard on the glue inside the head, but just tug gently. Most of the hair will come out just by gently running the tip of the hemostat pliers along the inside of the head, sort of scraping the plastic gently.

[LuvlyMelody]

Yeah, the holes in the vinyl ripped and it's a pretty big one, about maybe less than a centimeter?? and I realized she had some missing plugs too. I got too anxious and opened another Swimline Venus, and this time did a better job of getting the head off and hair, but arrgh, not as many ripped, but at 3 points there are like one or two of them ripped, but they should be doable without being noticed. Now I'm just plain scared of getting her rooted now with the fear of those plugs ripping. >,< esp. the hairline with those super tiny holes all close together. =_=;

Yeah I used my plucking tweezers since we don't have any hemostats. @,@; Since it was the slim boxed dolls, she didn't have any glue so it wasn't as bad but still took a while to get it all out. I'll go find those when I get more money and the chance.

[DoomBunnies]

Breathe dear! Torn plugs are not an issue, and the plastic can handle a lot more pain than it seems like it. Both dolls are fine for rehairing. I normally just grab the 38" hanks, and I can tell you that those cut in half and then put in, so 1/4th length? goes to a little beyond the doll's body once it's actually on. I've started rehairing my heads on CAM bodies to remind me that no, the dolls are not quite that long.
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Also, if you're really stressed about the holes, here's the mentioned tutorial: http://www.nonaptime.com/2013/02/tutorial-patching-up-vinyl-gaps-and-holes/

To remove hair, I've always used needle nose pliers, whether it's dolls or ponies, and I never have too many issues with tearing plugs.

[LuvlyMelody]

Thanks! Now I'll just have to rethink of the colors of hair I want to get and make some money to order them.

Hopefully there won't be any more complications and I can finally get my first custom in motion and complete soon.

[Maniah]

Also, if you're really stressed about the holes, here's the mentioned tutorial: http://www.nonaptime.com/2013/02/tutorial-patching-up-vinyl-gaps-and-holes/

To remove hair, I've always used needle nose pliers, whether it's dolls or ponies, and I never have too many issues with tearing plugs.

Thank you! That's the one I was looking for!

Needle Nose pliers are great, but they have always been too wide for me. That's why I love hemostats. They are longer than Needle nose, maintain the needle nose, and are thinner. They can fit inside smaller gaps much easier. I used needle nose on my ponies for years, then tried a pair of hemostats and never went back!

[LuvlyMelody]

turned out we actually had a pair of hemostats, and I tried the rubbing technique with them and OMG what took me two hours before took only about 35ish.

May I asked how much has been spent on hairs for previous projects to complete a whole ghoul?? just wanna get a rough ballpark estimate to see how much I'd be spending.

[DoomBunnies]

Well, a run down of costs...
Hair: $10 for two hanks
Acetone: $1-2, depending on the store. It removes the paint perfectly, without smudging
Paint: anywhere from $1 to $5, depending on brand and quality.
Brushes: Varies. $3-6 for a good detail brush.
Rehair tool: $14 from Dollyhair if you don't have one. They are AMAZING. Rerooting with needle/thread on a doll can drive you mad.

Aaand... that's all the supplies I can think of.

[LuvlyMelody]

Thanks for breaking down all costs for supplies and such. If hanks are aprox $10ish, I should possibly be able to get the money for it quicker and have her done a lot sooner!

Speaking of prepping, I've finally taken photos of her prepped and ready to be rooted.

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I've taken a few pictures of her scalp and hopefully you guys can give me opinions on what to reroot and such. *is too lazy at the moment.*