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+--- Thread: cutting a unit? can you? (/showthread.php?tid=4690)
cutting a unit? can you? - elvis - 10-20-2011
i ordered a custom piece and made a template.. but i dont know exactly how far i wanted the unit to go back.. so i ordered one to go back towards my crown. If on the day im going to get it cut in and i decide i only want it to back back close o my crown but not that far could i cut the unit and make it shorter? or is this not possible?
ive heard of people cutting stock pieces to make a partial. does this same thing apply?
RE: cutting a unit? can you? - Paul In Ireland - 10-20-2011
It`s something personally I`d cautious of doing for fear of ruining the overall `look`of the system.... guys can and do cut partials from stocks, but they`re usually strips which sit at the front hairline area.... a custom will have been made to the size and shape [contour] of your head from your template with the hair ventilated in such a way so as to lie like a full head of hair on top..if you were to shorten it by cutting a strip off the back the results are unpredictable...putting it simply-- growing hair will grow back eventually if/when cut but once a system is cut that`s it.... experienced guys experiment a bit with old systems but as a new wearer and on your first system, I`d say leave well alone..you`ll have enough to cope with with doing bonds etc. without opening another can of worms for yourself.....just my 2-cents worth ! Regards.
RE: cutting a unit? can you? - JRob - 10-21-2011
It sounds like your unit will only cover the top of your head at most so you probably won't have any issues with the unit looking "off" if you do decide to cut it. What Paul was talking about would be more of an issue if you were cutting somewhere near where the ventilation changes direction such near the crown. In other words, if you do cut, make sure that the direction the hair is going will still be correct after you cut.
Cutting a lace base is very simple. I prefer to use a sharp hobby knife to cut the base anywhere where I am cutting into hairline, and scissors to cut excess base material from around the edges.
In your case all you have to do is place the unit on your head and use a makeup pencil to mark the cut line on each side after flipping the unwanted part up. Take the unit off your head and connect the two dots by drawing a line. With the base side up, hold the base on one side of the cut line with your middle and index fingers, and hold the other side with your other three fingers, so the line is in between the two sets of fingers.
Now THIS is the important part. Make SURE there is no tension on the hairs that are in the cut line area. As long as these hairs are hanging freely and not pulled by your fingers, you can easily slide the very tip of the sharp blade through the base without cutting any of the hairs. Start on either side, and re position your hands or the base to get the cut you want. Sometimes it helps to start the knife blade in somewhere other than the edge. From there all you have to do is flip the unit around to cut whatever you missed.
As long as you make sure that your cut line is correct and that you don't have any tension on the hairs that could potentially get cut you shouldn't have any problems.
Oh yea, and one more thing....there is a whole different set of rules that apply if you are cutting some of the base material off after the cut-in so make sure you do this before the cut-in.
RE: cutting a unit? can you? - Paul In Ireland - 10-21-2011
Yup..my main fear would be cutting into/across any part where there`s a change of hair-direction... I guess it depends on what the crown area looks like....Freestyle systems are probably the least risky to cut..... JRob has even cut his sideburn flaps etc. .. I wouldn`t have the nerve ! lol. I just prefer to let sleeping dogs lie.
RE: cutting a unit? can you? - JRob - 10-23-2011
(10-21-2011, 07:43 PM)Paul In Ireland Wrote: Yup..my main fear would be cutting into/across any part where there`s a change of hair-direction... I guess it depends on what the crown area looks like....Freestyle systems are probably the least risky to cut..... JRob has even cut his sideburn flaps etc. .. I wouldn`t have the nerve ! lol. I just prefer to let sleeping dogs lie.
Cutting the base is SUPER easy. Once you do it a couple of times you will see that it's no big deal. Matter of fact I would recommend everyone practice doing it. You can solve a lot of issues if you can make small modifications on the fly. Also, as the original poster pointed out, you can order a larger base and trim it down once it arrives if you are at all unsure.
Maybe I can do a video about this sometime in the future.