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Reagan · Member

Wrong rooting needles

Date: May 2, 2008

Hi
rooting needles can be cut with needle nose pliars i get them back in the groove and give it a good squeeze make sure you are holding the pointy end the other end has a tendancy to go flying
also i enjoy using the eyelash rooting needle for my hair i find the single barb hair ones to be crazy good luck fffeathers@aol.com

LovesDolls · Guru

I use the crown needles with 3 barbs and the mushroom pin vice. There is a lot "wiggle" room in the vice so I don't know why it would be too long...

Buffington · Guru

We carry 2 musroom pin vices, one wood and the other is plastic. The ones that originally came with the rooting kit were the plastic ones and they use the uncut needles (with the longer "L" shape piece at the end).

There should have been instructions with it on use. I know a mini toturial is in the tutorial catalog and on the dealer site. I'd post it here but it's against the rules to post pics, just links. Mr Secrist just found the PDF totorial on the website and sent it to me. Here is the link (go down about 1/2 way for the link on this page): http://www.secristdolls.com/inc/sdetail/698 Then click on the PDF link:
http://j.b5z.net/i/u/2047940/i/Tutorial_Pin_Vise_Instructions.pdf

Some of the needles are hardened steel so you'd have to cut the end (L) with a pair of heavy duty snippers. Or if you happen to have a grinder you can do it that way (my husband did that for my student) but be careful as they will get hot from the friction of the wheel. If you use nippers, be careful as the end you cut will go flying. Always wear eye protection.

-- Edited by Buffington at 20:56, 2008-07-05

LovesDolls · Guru

Yikes! Eye protection? I purchased the plastic vice so I wouldn't have to cut. I absolutely love it. From what I can tell Secrist is the only place to buy the vice where you don't have to cut the needles. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have to do that as often I was breaking needles in the beginning!

Buffington · Guru

Ya, scarry isn't it? Pieces of steel flying off somewhere!
I also like the plastic vice better, like you said, don't have to cut the needles!!
I tried the wooden one and since I was breaking needles, I just went back to my plastic one. But now we have the pre-cut needles (for when you run out of the other ones, or break that many lol). I like the plastic one better anyway because it fits my hand better.
I have a student that likes the wooden one as it fits her. To each their own I say

shakyhandsme · Senior Member

I'm one of those foolish people who does not use a "device" to hold my rooting needles. I started with the wool/alpacha/mohair doing needle felting and stabbed myself more times then I want to admit, and I could never get the hang of working with the needle in a knob. That just means that I still stab away holding the needle in my fingers so a chopped one would probably do more injury to my hands then help to my babies' heads. I'm all out of band aids so I guess I'll stick with what I know. It is just a suggestion for anyone who wants to try it, but if you don't have access to cut needles and a knob to hold them, just hold on tightly to the head of your needle and push away. yawn

(I am NOT responsible for any bloodshed caused by this method of rooting!!

)

Pat C.

Buffington · Guru

Pat C. you are so silly.

I don't use any holder (or rubber bands) around my needle when I root eyelashes though. It just works better for me to hold just the needle. I find I have more control. But its just a little bit to do that, I couldn't do that for a head!

shakyhandsme · Senior Member

Pat B. if someone made me us a knob or such I would probably do more damage to myself.

I'm not "shakyhands" for nothing! Some days I don't know how I manage to hang on to the crochet hook when working with that... I just can't "feel" the needle if I put it into a holder... My daughters do the same... passed on more bad habits!

Pat C.

Date: May 29, 2008

I started rooting my first baby and my needles also seem to long. I had purchased the wooden handle pin vise and the pre cut ultra fine needles. When I put the needle in the vise as shown about half an inch of needle was exposed at the top which made it to flexible for me. I'm not sure if this much of the needle is suppose to be exposed. Having slightly over 1/4 of an inch of the needle exposed works better for me. I just used a dremel with a small cutting disc and trimmed them all within a few minutes. Kind of defeats the purpose of pre cut! weirdface

Just wanted to let you know you're not the only one with this problem. smile

shakyhandsme · Senior Member

Tesa! Another woman and her power tools... I love it! biggrin

Those little dremel gadgets are really useful! I use mine to drill earing holes, open noses, drill holes in the mini doll limbs to attach them and all sorts of things. Don't know what I'd do without my power tools...

Pat C.

Date: Jun 1, 2008

Hi, just wondering if someone can tell me what exact needles the pre-cut one's you get in the deluxe starter kit are please?

precious_lullabies · Guru

Pat C - i don't use a mushroom or knob or anything either. I feel i have more control just holding my needles in my fingers... but i hear you on how many times i end up stabbing myself!! Since i switched to the new german rooting needles though i haven't stabbed myself quite so many times... this could be just coinsidence though and simply attributed to more practise over time and just getting better at avoiding self injery!!!

shakyhandsme · Senior Member

Rob, that is an answer we will have to wait for Pat B. or Secrist to answer... I don't know because I get my needles elsewhere...

Prescious, yeah practice makes perfect, or at least less bloody!

Having had to learn how to handle the needles for needle felting, where you can really do yourself some damage, rooting the hair on a baby is MUCH easier!!

At least now I'm aiming at someone's head, not at a wad of wool in my fingers!

I really did myself a lot of damage with my first projects...

Pat C.

Buffington · Guru

robbitybob wrote:

Hi, just wondering if someone can tell me what exact needles the pre-cut one's you get in the deluxe starter kit are please?

I will check on that and get back to you shortly biggrin

Buffington · Guru

In the deluxe doll starter kit they are the "precut rooting needles for hair". If you are speaking of the deluxe kit for rooting they are the " 38 Gauge Needles for Rooting Hair and the 40 Gauge Needles for Rooting Eyelashes".

Let me know if this is enough information.

Cuisle · Veteran Member

Hello - Robyn very likely asked this question for me as well as for her own information (Robyn ALWAYS does her very best to help ALL her customers - she's a real darling). I bought the Secrist Delux Starter Kit "Art of Newborning" from Robyn and didn't know what to do with the needles and couldn't figure out what guage they are, and if they are regular or ultra. They are longer than the pre-cut needles I got from Robyn (which were 38 g Ultra) but didn't have the hooks on the end (I also got some uncut 38 g ultra - that was before I got the Delux kit).

I still have the needles I got with the kit - still don't know what they are or what to do with them - I can't use them as uncut needles, because they no longer have the hooks on the end, and they are so much longer than my "precut 38 g Ultra" needles that they don't seem to fit properly into the lovely wooden mushroom vise.

Can you tell me what they are and how to use them please? You said above that they are two different kinds - how doI distinguish one from the other? Why are they so long also?

-- Edited by Cuisle at 04:21, 2008-06-25

-- Edited by Cuisle at 04:22, 2008-06-25

Cuisle · Veteran Member

Question is - how do i know which are the 38 g needles (regular?) and which are the 40 g eyelash/eyebrow rooting needles. another question is - do they need to be so long - much longer than the "precut" needs are that I bought? Thanks.

LovesDolls · Guru

I use the same needles for rooting hair that I use for rooting eyelashes. I'm not sure why people think they need to use different needles (perhaps because they are marketed that way?)

I know that doesn't exactly answer your questions but hopefully it helps with your dilemma. I don't know that the human eye can tell the difference between a 38 and a 40. I've never tried, though...

Buffington · Guru

I'll check mine out and get back to you. Guage is also measured in milimeters so I'll get out my measuring tool and let you know.

I was told that the eyelash rooting needles should have more barbs on them than the hair rooting ones. Also, mine came in little long plastic containers, one with an "H" and one with an "E" (for hair/eye). Did yours come in anything?

LovesDolls · Guru

I'm not sure if you are talking to me... buy mine came in envelopes marked with the size and that they are crown rooting needles.

Buffington · Guru

No Loves. It was directed to answer Carolines question cause I think she got Secrist stock and she was asking.

LovesDolls · Guru

Buffington wrote:

No Loves. It was directed to answer Carolines question cause I think she got Secrist stock and she was asking.

LOL. Isn't communication fun?

Francisca · Member

Finally I know!!

I got the different size needles from the Dutch dealer in the long plastic containers with and E and an H on it but didn't know what it meant.
I am only worried that I put the neeldes back in the wrong container.

Francisca

Cuisle · Veteran Member

Hello Pat B - the needles all came in the one plastic container - with a lid - a triangular shape. Does this help? That is why I can't tell which is which - they are all the same length, and that length is much longer than the "precut" needles I have.

I haven't used these needles yet because I'm waiting to find out what they are and what length they should be - so they just sit in the container - they were not marked either H or E - wrapped around the container was a notice which says: "The needles in this container are CUT for your convience. When you wish to reorder rooting needles be sure to reorder CUT needles. We also offer uncut needles if you wish to save money by cutting your own." which actually didn't explian anything. I could see that they were cut - but they were cut "long" and not "short", as were the "precut" needles - does this make things any clearer?

-- Edited by Cuisle at 09:23, 2008-07-05

Buffington · Guru

If you look on your packing slip that came with your order it should say what ones you ordered (each kind should come in separate packaging).
"the needles all came in the one plastic container - with a lid - a triangular shape"
If you ordered 2 kinds there should be 2 packages or bundles of them. But check on your invoice.

As far as length of the shaft of the needle itself, that shouldn't matter if you are using the plastic or wooden mushroom handle. The only thing that matters is if they have the "L" shape on the end (uncut) or the straight with no "L" on the end (pre-cut). On either of the handles you should be able to put your needle down into the handle (without the insert peice) and just leave a small portion sticking out for rooting (I set mine--and I have both kinds-- just at the part of the needle where it starts to get larger (taper) and then tighten the neck ring on the tool).

So see if it mentions which ones you ordered, it should say on there. In the mean time I am trying to find way to measure the guage on both kinds so I can tell you how to do it.

Cuisle · Veteran Member

Well, the needles all came in the one triangular plastic tub box. They were part of the Secrist Deluxe Kit "Art of Newborning" so I didn't order specifically which needles. Other things in the kit didn't need explanation, I could see then - Lollipop kit, paints, brushes, palette, etc. Only the needles were unexplained. Sorry to be such a pain, I know you're trying really hard.
I love your cute wee baby - was that from a Tina kit? This one of yours (in your avatar) looks very babylike. What sort of limbs did you use please?