Modifications, repairs, & beautification options [painting] for Ficcares and fakkares

[Shorty89]

No clue how to help, but I just have to say $3 is such a steal! Plus you can mess with and mod it and not worry because it was so cheap, great find. I love thrift stores.

Hi! Long time lurker coming back out of the woodwork to say that this is probably my favorite thread on the forum! I love all the creativity and it's inspired me to do quite a few Ficcare mods.

Shorty89, to bring back the finish of your awesome find you have a few options! In this thread members have posted about having success with ultra fine sanding pads called Micro Mesh, which is available on Amazon. I believe Willowyn was the first one to discover this, and if you search for Micro Mesh in the search bar you should find some instructions from her! Another option is to re-coat the Ficcare, to do this you could use either Ice Resin a la Nightshade, or you could try a thin coat of Testors clear enamel paint. Clear nail polish that isn't quick-drying because that kind shrinks as it dries, would also work but it wouldn't be as long term a finish because nail polish isn't designed to be long lasting. Unless of course you wanted to do Gel nail polish and UV cure it, then it would last longer. I hope this helps!

Congrats, Shorty89! That's awesome!
Primadonnamuch, does the Micro Mesh work to make the teeth smoother? That's my first order of business in Ficcare modification...


I found a small Maximas for a cheap price online, probably because the acetate is coming off. I am debating pulling it off and having my partner paint a peacock feather onto it. Or gluing it back on since it matches my hair, and having them paint the feather onto a Sincerely Jules clip. (Sincerely Jules is my HG clip, but its aesthetics don't match its other perfections.) Would Ice Resin work for those jobs as well?

Also thinking of trying to flatten out the Small Maximas somewhat. It's too sharp of a curve for my head. But will flattening the one side of the clip increase or decrease the amount of hair it can hold?

Thanks. I was super surprised to find it at the thrift store and had to do a double take! I only have this at home but I don't think this is what you're talking about as far as coating. I'll have to buy some off of Amazon.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/krylon-.../6000196555006

[primadonnamuch]

That's definitely a luck find! What kind of thrift store was it? Sometimes I snag great finds in the locally owned thrift stores. I have less luck in the brand name chains.

And yes I think you'd be better off with an enamel based paint instead of an acrylic one, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-77...0420629&sr=8-3

[KameRose]

So I thought I'd share this. I read an earlier post on how someone had bent a metal clip in order to give it a more defined curve and I thought it was a great idea, so naturally I ordered some metal clips to try this out on. I also picked up some plastic clips at the dollar store. Nothing fancy, in fact they are a 6-pack of plastic clips for a dollar. I can totally mess these up and if bending them into shape doesn't work out, hey I'm only out one dollar.

So I took one of the plastic clips and heated parts of it up with a tea light candle, trying to keep moving it constantly.

Here is a pic of the package, an unbent clip, the clip I bent, and a small ficcare for comparison.



I think the experiment was a success. The bent clip actually holds my hair pretty well, and it was a good learning experience. I leaned that you definitely need to keep constantly moving the clip and to keep the clip like an inch above the flame. I have a few burn marks and bubble ups from where I got a little impatient and didn't do that. So not something to do if you aren't feeling patient. Also I learned that you should bend the top of the clip down right after the hinge and not up like I initially did.

I will be getting out my hot knife and nail file later and attempt to change the hinged end into a more pleasing shape and smooth out the gripping ridges there. I may also smooth out the small imperfections from the heating and bending I did. Then I'll paint it with some nail polish.

Bottom line: I think this is a very promising idea and if done well the end result will be fantastic. I will definitely be going back and grabbing a couple more packages.

[Alexandrina]

So I thought I'd share this. I read an earlier post on how someone had bent a metal clip in order to give it a more defined curve and I thought it was a great idea, so naturally I ordered some metal clips to try this out on. I also picked up some plastic clips at the dollar store. Nothing fancy, in fact they are a 6-pack of plastic clips for a dollar. I can totally mess these up and if bending them into shape doesn't work out, hey I'm only out one dollar.

So I took one of the plastic clips and heated parts of it up with a tea light candle, trying to keep moving it constantly.

Here is a pic of the package, an unbent clip, the clip I bent, and a small ficcare for comparison.



I think the experiment was a success. The bent clip actually holds my hair pretty well, and it was a good learning experience. I leaned that you definitely need to keep constantly moving the clip and to keep the clip like an inch above the flame. I have a few burn marks and bubble ups from where I got a little impatient and didn't do that. So not something to do if you aren't feeling patient. Also I learned that you should bend the top of the clip down right after the hinge and not up like I initially did.

I will be getting out my hot knife and nail file later and attempt to change the hinged end into a more pleasing shape and smooth out the gripping ridges there. I may also smooth out the small imperfections from the heating and bending I did. Then I'll paint it with some nail polish.

Bottom line: I think this is a very promising idea and if done well the end result will be fantastic. I will definitely be going back and grabbing a couple more packages.

How clever of you! What a fun project.

[KameRose]

How clever of you! What a fun project.

Thank-you.

I did get out my hot knife, and just made a mess of the end. Then I got out my dremel like hobby tool and it was just so hard to control, but it did move quite a bit of material, so then i tried my battery powered electric nail file. That didn't move any material. So I ended up just using one of my regular nail files to clean up the mess the hot knife and hobby tool made, soften and shape the edges, and was able to salvage it enough that now I am painting the clip. Just doing a layer of black nail polish all over as a base coat first. Looks like I need to do another coat of black. Then I'll smooth out the surface with some remover and if the coverage is still good, add a layer or two of color on top, then smooth that, and finally a couple clear coats. Maybe that's a little overkill but I guess I'll find out.

I'll make sure to post a pic or two once I'm done painting.

[Willowyn]

Hi! Long time lurker coming back out of the woodwork to say that this is probably my favorite thread on the forum! I love all the creativity and it's inspired me to do quite a few Ficcare mods.

Shorty89, to bring back the finish of your awesome find you have a few options! In this thread members have posted about having success with ultra fine sanding pads called Micro Mesh, which is available on Amazon. I believe Willowyn was the first one to discover this, and if you search for Micro Mesh in the search bar you should find some instructions from her! Another option is to re-coat the Ficcare, to do this you could use either Ice Resin a la Nightshade, or you could try a thin coat of Testors clear enamel paint. Clear nail polish that isn't quick-drying because that kind shrinks as it dries, would also work but it wouldn't be as long term a finish because nail polish isn't designed to be long lasting. Unless of course you wanted to do Gel nail polish and UV cure it, then it would last longer. I hope this helps!

Hi there primadonnamuch- just saw this! Yes, micromesh pads are terrific - especially if you make or shorten wooden and/or acrylic hairtoys. You wouldn't believe how many forks and hairsticks I've "tailored" to fit my preferences. But for polishing Ficcare enamel and for finishing acrylic forks and sticks, I HIGHLY recommend Novus Fine Scratch Remover #2. It normally comes in a set of Novus #1, #2, and #3. The #2 is a superfine grit that produces an amazing high shine without damage. That's important with Ficcare clips, since the clearcoat isn't very thick.
As for tiny chips in the clearcoat (not the underlying enamel) - the kind that happen often with old collection border clips, I will sometimes fill with superglue, and then polish with Novus #2. That's only for tiny chips. I'm not up for tackling major renovations the way that FruFru and Nightshade used to do!

[Alexandrina]

Yes, micromesh pads are terrific - especially if you make or shorten wooden and/or acrylic hairtoys. You wouldn't believe how many forks and hairsticks I've "tailored" to fit my preferences. But for polishing Ficcare enamel and for finishing acrylic forks and sticks, I HIGHLY recommend Novus Fine Scratch Remover #2. It normally comes in a set of Novus #1, #2, and #3. The #2 is a superfine grit that produces an amazing high shine without damage. That's important with Ficcare clips, since the clearcoat isn't very thick.
As for tiny chips in the clearcoat (not the underlying enamel) - the kind that happen often with old collection border clips, I will sometimes fill with superglue, and then polish with Novus #2. That's only for tiny chips. I'm not up for tackling major renovations the way that FruFru and Nightshade used to do!

*takes notes from professor willowyn*

[Stevy]

Bottom clip is a genuine medium old style bamboo Ficcare Max, top clip is a small caramel new style max that I modded with acrylic enamel and then varnished. I'm really pleased with how it came out!

[Joliebaby]

Okay I'm a total mod newbie, but I'm an artist and I sew and renovate my house etc so relatively handy. I've decided that I want to try modding a couple of Ficcares, since I want some Jewel colors that are not available, plus it looks like a fun thing to do and I saw some beautiful mods! I bough three translucent cold enamel paints, olivine, turquoise and yellow. I still need the Ficcares to mod.
I understand that an acetone bath will remove the old enamel.
Do I need to do something else before adding the new paint, and do I need to add a protective coat?

Also, you can just glue flat backed crystals on top if you should be so inclined, right?

ETA: Is 2,6 - 3,2 mm a good size crystal?

Thanks in advance

[Joliebaby]

Okay, I ordered some crystals! Six different colors The smallest were 2,2 mm and largest 3,2 mm. I think I'm going to ploink some on top of already enameled pieces, and then some on ones I enamel myself. Once I get all the supplies. None of the clips I have bought have even arrived yet. Can't wait to get the ones to mod or the ones that are keepers as is!
I still need to get jewelry glue, and maybe a clear resin. I have tiny brushes from my porcelain painting.. I have pointy tweezers from sewing... don't have any acetone but that is easy to get.