Personalizing your helmet and brushes

[superpony123]

what do you do to help identify your stuff from everyone elses? Would love to hear more ideas.

for bottled stuff, my name in sharpie is good enough.

I'm looking for a way to identify my spurs (they always seem to be growing legs..) and i was thinking maybe a little bit of black electrical tape or something on the inner side of the spur? what do you do?

Here's what I'm about to do for brushes/helmets.

I was looking for some sort of sticker of sorts in michaels to stick on my brushes and hopefully something i could put on my helmet without looking silly (seriously, EVERYONE in my barn has an IRH for schooling! it can get confusing if we leave ours out to air dry--it's that grossly hot--and its not fun to put on the wrong helmet!)

So i found these cute teensy tiny stick-on rhinestones that I'll put one on each brush. And i found these liiittle (maybe 1 or 2 cm tall) rhinestone letters that I might use to put my initials on my helmet. (we ride indoors, and this is my schooling helmet. i am not worried about blinding anyone--not enough sunlight coming in at the right angle to do so! plus these stones are super small)

I'm debating if i want to put the initials on the front (on the helmet stripe) or on the back?? Help me decide :D

(anywho, i'm not covering the stripe with sparkles haha. i'm either just going to put my initials or put a single rhinestone. i hated those "blingy belts" just as much as the rest of you. ;) )

[Aerial]

I love bling belts =)

I'd put your initials on the back of the helmet.

sounds like a good idea!!!!!

[Oldenburg99]

They make colored duct tape now. I just put a small piece of hot pink on all my stuff like brushes.

[oharabear]

I tend to dabble in artsy-type stuff and think that wood-backed brushes (especially if they're even remotely flat) are the *most* fun to "personalize"!

I like to paint little designs on the backs of my brushes (flowers, decorative squiggles, fancy monograms, etc) and then coat with a clear polymer spray (found at any craft store or home improvement store near the spraypaint).

Lately, I've been playing with Pyrography (the art of wood burning). You can get a kit at a craft store with the pen and a few different tips for like $20. I usually will sand off any clear coat the brush back already has so it's just bare wood (when you use a wood-burning pen on polyurethane, the fumes cannot be good for you- ask me how I know! :lol:). Then I will draw something lightly in pencil (to make sure I like it before it's permanent) and trace it with the hot pen. I haven't quite figured out the shading thing so straightforward line designs are best.... then of course, re-seal it.

oh, yeah, cover the bristles with masking tape before you spray on the polyurethane. ;)

It's kind of time-consuming but lots of fun and I can always ID my brushes!

If you are not artistically inclined, its easy to make stencils from clipart. Just print out on cardstock and then cut out with a boxknife.

[JenEM]

I just initial my brushes with sharpies like I initial hoof oil, shampoo, etc. They're wood, so it stays on fine. A bit of colored duct tape (Home Depot usually has a huge display of it) would probably be my second choice, because I don't know how well a rhinestone sticker would hold up to the wear it would get being on a brush, used and tossed in a tote everyday. On the helmet, it might stay on better.

For the record, though, I like a blingy belt ;)

[valencia]

I wrap blue and green electrical tape around the inside bar of my spurs.
Everyone at our barn have different colors, purple and green, blue and brown, pink and yellow, etc. And since it's on the inside the loud colors don't matter because you can't see the tape when you're wearing them.

[ex-racer owner]

Luckily, the barn I am at right now doesn't have a lot of "full time" boarders (we get track layups, which works out great for us riders!) so everyone pretty much has their own colors or everyone's stuff is distinctive enough not to be confused with anyone else's. I will say, I did start creating crystallized face brushes and gifting them to some of the other boarders, but again, in everyone's "color", or with special design. It is a fun way to add some pizzaz to an otherwise non-descript item and personalize it. Stuff like bottles gets the old sharpie treatment!

[ex-racer owner]

To add to my previous comment, the 250-275 crystals used on the back of each brush are individually hand glued on and no one's crystals have come off yet. Tedious- yes, but the end result is pretty awesome, and I'm not really a craft type person.

[Void]

Haha... I lock my trunk. One too many times the barn kids dipped into my supplies and I really can't afford to supply things for everyone.

[virtus02]

You can also tie a short piece of colored string to the inside of your spurs or the side strap of your helmet.

[Roan]

I have little shamrock spur charms on my spurs and I use silver colored Sharpies on the inside of all my family's helmets, as well as all my dark colored stuff (whips, chaps, pretty much everything but my bridles and saddles). Lighter stuff gets black Sharpie.

Eileen

[superpony123]

I tend to dabble in artsy-type stuff and think that wood-backed brushes (especially if they're even remotely flat) are the *most* fun to "personalize"!

I like to paint little designs on the backs of my brushes (flowers, decorative squiggles, fancy monograms, etc) and then coat with a clear polymer spray (found at any craft store or home improvement store near the spraypaint).

Lately, I've been playing with Pyrography (the art of wood burning). You can get a kit at a craft store with the pen and a few different tips for like $20. I usually will sand off any clear coat the brush back already has so it's just bare wood (when you use a wood-burning pen on polyurethane, the fumes cannot be good for you- ask me how I know! :lol:). Then I will draw something lightly in pencil (to make sure I like it before it's permanent) and trace it with the hot pen. I haven't quite figured out the shading thing so straightforward line designs are best.... then of course, re-seal it.

oh, yeah, cover the bristles with masking tape before you spray on the polyurethane. ;)

It's kind of time-consuming but lots of fun and I can always ID my brushes!

If you are not artistically inclined, its easy to make stencils from clipart. Just print out on cardstock and then cut out with a boxknife.

oh man i LOVE the idea of the woodburning! but only a few of my brushes are wood-backed, though. (but i'm saving this idea for a future set of super awesome fancy brushes that i can do this with!!!)

hmm.. would my Prismacolor fixativ spray work for the paint? i usually use it on pastels and pencil stuff though.. and obviously that's not on wood.

I've got some paint pens laying around. I could have fun with this!

[superpony123]

Roan -- i just peeked at your link on your signature, and i think you have SUPER cool stuff :D just felt like pointing that out. love those trees!!

[Roan]

Roan -- i just peeked at your link on your signature, and i think you have SUPER cool stuff :D just felt like pointing that out. love those trees!!

Why, thank you :D

I would highly advise against the use of any fixatives such as those used for pastel or colored pencil. It won't offer any protection at all to something that is handled every day. All that stuff does it ensure pigment does not fall off your painting.

If you want to paint the brushes, I would recommend that you sand them down and paint them with either acrylic or fabric paints. Use a hair dryer set on high and "cook" the paint into the brushes. Just don't hold it too close or too long or you'll burn them. Heat changes the molecular structure of the paint and makes it "bond" to porous materials such as wood or fabric.

When you are done, use a non-yellowing outdoor varnish to help protect the paint and seal it. I use Mod-Podge Outdoor gloss or mat sealant.

This is the same process I use on the Celtic medallions on my rhythm bead sets. They are painted on gourd wood and are exposed to massive horse sweat. I also use the same process on my gourd wren houses and they sit outside all year in trees. Finish looks just as good in the fall as it does in the spring when I "spruce" them up again with a new layer of varnish.

I also do pyrography -- for both my medallions and gourdwork -- but I have a professional wood burner with many different types of tips. Shading is much easier when you can control the temperature of the pen.

Eileen

[superpony123]

well, i just 'bedazzled' my helmet :lol: i really like it. (sorry for bad quality of picture. taken with cellphone. and my trunk lives in the dark corner of the tack room, haha)

initials on back
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gqym3wqt3BM/SpG0rvV8KiI/AAAAAAAAAD8/zHNDUfSRA8w/s1600-h/image-upload-129-758753.jpg

i really liked this--was very tempted to cover the whole thing, but I figured i may or may not have enough stones and plus I don't want to go overboard ;)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gqym3wqt3BM/SpG0N4BQuEI/AAAAAAAAAD0/FTY3pKuc_pY/s1600-h/image-upload-123-739389.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gqym3wqt3BM/SpGz8PLRUsI/AAAAAAAAADs/bb_tjQg5tcA/s1600-h/image-upload-118-767875.jpg

[twobays]

A sharpie usually does it for me...just get a fun color and go at it. I'm not nearly as gifted with arts and crafts as most, though.

[indygirl2560]

I use a Sharpie(whatever color I can find around the barn, my house or my car!). Pads(on the spine), grooming stuff, etc. When I had my pony, I got a little shamrock charm and put it on her bridle to distinguish hers from all the others in the tack room. It worked pretty well because no one ever borrowed her bridle again once the charm was on!

[myvanya]

for tack items you can get the little dog tags from the machines they have at petsmart or walmart. My breastcollar, halters, and bridles all have them. Aside from that I use a sharpy liberally or lock things up. Still need a good method for saddle pads though as the sharpy washes off really quickly and they don't all fit in my trunk.

[meupatdoes]

what do you do to help identify your stuff from everyone elses? Would love to hear more ideas.

for bottled stuff, my name in sharpie is good enough.

I'm looking for a way to identify my spurs (they always seem to be growing legs..) and i was thinking maybe a little bit of black electrical tape or something on the inner side of the spur? what do you do?

Here's what I'm about to do for brushes/helmets.

I was looking for some sort of sticker of sorts in michaels to stick on my brushes and hopefully something i could put on my helmet without looking silly (seriously, EVERYONE in my barn has an IRH for schooling! it can get confusing if we leave ours out to air dry--it's that grossly hot--and its not fun to put on the wrong helmet!)

So i found these cute teensy tiny stick-on rhinestones that I'll put one on each brush. And i found these liiittle (maybe 1 or 2 cm tall) rhinestone letters that I might use to put my initials on my helmet. (we ride indoors, and this is my schooling helmet. i am not worried about blinding anyone--not enough sunlight coming in at the right angle to do so! plus these stones are super small)

I'm debating if i want to put the initials on the front (on the helmet stripe) or on the back?? Help me decide :D

(anywho, i'm not covering the stripe with sparkles haha. i'm either just going to put my initials or put a single rhinestone. i hated those "blingy belts" just as much as the rest of you. ;) )

There is some company somewhere (I know, very helpful) that sells a mini 'brand' for hamburgers, so that when you are bbqing with your friends you can humorously grill your initials into it.

One of my trainers uses this tool to 'brand' her initials into her brushes.

I am going to guess that a farrier could possibly make one for you if you ask very, very nicely.

[KayBee]

The "campers" at my barn had an arts & craft project of decorating their grooming tools. Not sure what kind of paint they used but the kids were quite imaginative and skilled in their use of design and color. Was initially skeptical because I figured the paint would chip off in no time. Granted, it's only been a few weeks, but the paint job seems to be holding up.

Don't have any idea of what type of paint was used, though...

[Bolero]

SmartPak offers laser engraving! You can laser engrave almost ANYTHING. So far I have laser engraved by brushes, my spurs, my crop and even my EquiFit boots. It is a great way to keep track of your stuff and it looks really pretty too!