Has anyone decorated their Magic Bands? Please show us the pictures!

[xie]

I see some versions really seem to show the brush strokes and others not at all. Is this a technique thing or type of polish or just good camera work?

I've done several now and it comes down to:

1. Quality polish - if you use the $1 stuff, you're going to get a $1 result. The better quality polishes (I eventually used Essie) did better in my tests. Also, do not use any kind of "quick dry" polish, that just makes it harder to spread evenly before it gets tacky.
2. Fresher polish - if it's old and thick, it's going to be hard to spread without leaving brushstrokes.
3. Multiple coats - the first coat will have thin spots, just like it would on your fingernails. Three coats is what I do on the base background of the band. Three should be enough, if the polish is good quality.
4. Use a lot of polish when you load the brush. If you push it against the bottle neck to remove most of it (like you do when painting your fingernails), it's going to go onto the band very thin and dry very very fast. Goop that stuff on like you never would on your nails!
5. Work in small areas. Just like painting a wall - don't try to brush half the band in one swipe, do a spot, coat it well, overlap the next spot, etc.
6. Be patient between coats. Really doing a band right takes repeat visits - I let every coat dry for an hour before going back with another. Then I wait a day before I start using super glue to attach things.

Top Coat polishes (including any brands that boast an included top coat) are not such a great idea. They tend to crack instead of remaining flexible. I use clear top coat only in small spots, usually over the top and around the edges of rhinestones and other artwork as an extra layer of insurance to keep the item attached to the band (I use super glue, attach the item, let that dry, and then glom clear polish around the edges of it and atop it to protect and hold it).

I'll try to get photos uploaded soon. I've got a couple of full-on polished bands that turned out well, and held up well in the parks for a week. None of the attached bling fell off them and even a few dings against concrete walls and such didn't damage the polish. The only thing I haven't done yet is swim in them.

 

[xie]

So the full band is 10.5 inches and I read that the band with the back removed is 7 inches. Can you adjust them to somewhere in between. My wrist is about 6 3/4 inches so I'm thinking the 7 inch might be too tight/sweaty, but the 10.5 inches will be way too big!

This is true for me as well. If I put it on so that it "fit" right, it was in the last grey hole, and the "bent" part of the face hit my wrist in the absolute wrong place and was really irritating on my arm bone. I ended up leaving it loose by 2 grey holes, and wore it more like a bangle bracelet. I liked that I didn't have any of the tight/sweaty problems with it that some people complain of.

Because it was loose, it would sometimes twist and the "RFID" mickey head would fall underneath (inside) my wrist. However, I super glued rhinestones on top of the mickey head, and using just my fingers to line them up, I could quickly face the thing to a scanner in the dark without any trouble at all.

 

[iheartbuffy]

This is true for me as well. If I put it on so that it "fit" right, it was in the last grey hole, and the "bent" part of the face hit my wrist in the absolute wrong place and was really irritating on my arm bone. I ended up leaving it loose by 2 grey holes, and wore it more like a bangle bracelet. I liked that I didn't have any of the tight/sweaty problems with it that some people complain of.

Because it was loose, it would sometimes twist and the "RFID" mickey head would fall underneath (inside) my wrist. However, I super glued rhinestones on top of the mickey head, and using just my fingers to line them up, I could quickly face the thing to a scanner in the dark without any trouble at all.

I cut off the excess gray part and then used a lighter to melt the edge and make it smooth.

 

[aladdinsgirl]

I'm thinking about just super gluing some rhinestones to my band. Has anyone tried this? Does it hold up or are they falling off within the first two days??

I put rhinestones on my band in January. They lasted through a marathon and then 8 days in the park. They're still on in fact, I found my magic band the other day still in my park backpack. I used regular glue, scrapbooking rhinestones, and then 2 or 3 coats of mod podge--worked like a charm! Good luck!!

 

[HockeyMomNH]

I've done several now and it comes down to:

1. Quality polish - if you use the $1 stuff, you're going to get a $1 result. The better quality polishes (I eventually used Essie) did better in my tests. Also, do not use any kind of "quick dry" polish, that just makes it harder to spread evenly before it gets tacky.
2. Fresher polish - if it's old and thick, it's going to be hard to spread without leaving brushstrokes.
3. Multiple coats - the first coat will have thin spots, just like it would on your fingernails. Three coats is what I do on the base background of the band. Three should be enough, if the polish is good quality.
4. Use a lot of polish when you load the brush. If you push it against the bottle neck to remove most of it (like you do when painting your fingernails), it's going to go onto the band very thin and dry very very fast. Goop that stuff on like you never would on your nails!
5. Work in small areas. Just like painting a wall - don't try to brush half the band in one swipe, do a spot, coat it well, overlap the next spot, etc.
6. Be patient between coats. Really doing a band right takes repeat visits - I let every coat dry for an hour before going back with another. Then I wait a day before I start using super glue to attach things.

Top Coat polishes (including any brands that boast an included top coat) are not such a great idea. They tend to crack instead of remaining flexible. I use clear top coat only in small spots, usually over the top and around the edges of rhinestones and other artwork as an extra layer of insurance to keep the item attached to the band (I use super glue, attach the item, let that dry, and then glom clear polish around the edges of it and atop it to protect and hold it).

I'll try to get photos uploaded soon. I've got a couple of full-on polished bands that turned out well, and held up well in the parks for a week. None of the attached bling fell off them and even a few dings against concrete walls and such didn't damage the polish. The only thing I haven't done yet is swim in them.

This is all great advice.

I would just add that I also found that using regular paintbrushes worked well for detail work with the nail polish. I just used polish remover to clean the brushes when I was done.

 

[SRUAlmn]

This is true for me as well. If I put it on so that it "fit" right, it was in the last grey hole, and the "bent" part of the face hit my wrist in the absolute wrong place and was really irritating on my arm bone. I ended up leaving it loose by 2 grey holes, and wore it more like a bangle bracelet. I liked that I didn't have any of the tight/sweaty problems with it that some people complain of.

Because it was loose, it would sometimes twist and the "RFID" mickey head would fall underneath (inside) my wrist. However, I super glued rhinestones on top of the mickey head, and using just my fingers to line them up, I could quickly face the thing to a scanner in the dark without any trouble at all.

Thanks! That helps a lot! I usually wear my watch like that too because I hate tight things on my wrist, so that should work perfectly

 

[vrajewski10513]

I put rhinestones on my band in January. They lasted through a marathon and then 8 days in the park. They're still on in fact, I found my magic band the other day still in my park backpack. I used regular glue, scrapbooking rhinestones, and then 2 or 3 coats of mod podge--worked like a charm! Good luck!!

Oh I never thought to put mod podge over the top. I suppose that would be more flexible than top coat. Thanks!

 

[mhelm85]

Today we painted our bands with paints used for model cars. We tested on unused magic bands to practice for the ones coming next week for or upcoming trip. So far no smudging after trying to rub the paint off hard with our fingers. Need to test to see if the water will mess it up. Plus with all the different colors you can choose.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Today we painted our bands with paints used for model cars. We tested on unused magic bands to practice for the ones coming next week for or upcoming trip. So far no smudging after trying to rub the paint off hard with our fingers. Need to test to see if the water will mess it up. Plus with all the different colors you can choose.

Would love to see pics when you're finished. Thanks.

 

[wdwfanatic316]

I've done several now and it comes down to:

1. Quality polish - if you use the $1 stuff, you're going to get a $1 result. The better quality polishes (I eventually used Essie) did better in my tests. Also, do not use any kind of "quick dry" polish, that just makes it harder to spread evenly before it gets tacky.
2. Fresher polish - if it's old and thick, it's going to be hard to spread without leaving brushstrokes.
3. Multiple coats - the first coat will have thin spots, just like it would on your fingernails. Three coats is what I do on the base background of the band. Three should be enough, if the polish is good quality.
4. Use a lot of polish when you load the brush. If you push it against the bottle neck to remove most of it (like you do when painting your fingernails), it's going to go onto the band very thin and dry very very fast. Goop that stuff on like you never would on your nails!
5. Work in small areas. Just like painting a wall - don't try to brush half the band in one swipe, do a spot, coat it well, overlap the next spot, etc.
6. Be patient between coats. Really doing a band right takes repeat visits - I let every coat dry for an hour before going back with another. Then I wait a day before I start using super glue to attach things.

Top Coat polishes (including any brands that boast an included top coat) are not such a great idea. They tend to crack instead of remaining flexible. I use clear top coat only in small spots, usually over the top and around the edges of rhinestones and other artwork as an extra layer of insurance to keep the item attached to the band (I use super glue, attach the item, let that dry, and then glom clear polish around the edges of it and atop it to protect and hold it).

I'll try to get photos uploaded soon. I've got a couple of full-on polished bands that turned out well, and held up well in the parks for a week. None of the attached bling fell off them and even a few dings against concrete walls and such didn't damage the polish. The only thing I haven't done yet is swim in them.

Thank you vey much for these tips! Very helpful!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Here are a few more ideas:
http://www.wdwradio.com/2014/01/practically-perfect-disney-crafting-diy-magicband-decor/

 

[Marshay]

I've done several now and it comes down to: 1. Quality polish - if you use the $1 stuff, you're going to get a $1 result. The better quality polishes (I eventually used Essie) did better in my tests. Also, do not use any kind of "quick dry" polish, that just makes it harder to spread evenly before it gets tacky. 2. Fresher polish - if it's old and thick, it's going to be hard to spread without leaving brushstrokes. 3. Multiple coats - the first coat will have thin spots, just like it would on your fingernails. Three coats is what I do on the base background of the band. Three should be enough, if the polish is good quality. 4. Use a lot of polish when you load the brush. If you push it against the bottle neck to remove most of it (like you do when painting your fingernails), it's going to go onto the band very thin and dry very very fast. Goop that stuff on like you never would on your nails! 5. Work in small areas. Just like painting a wall - don't try to brush half the band in one swipe, do a spot, coat it well, overlap the next spot, etc. 6. Be patient between coats. Really doing a band right takes repeat visits - I let every coat dry for an hour before going back with another. Then I wait a day before I start using super glue to attach things. Top Coat polishes (including any brands that boast an included top coat) are not such a great idea. They tend to crack instead of remaining flexible. I use clear top coat only in small spots, usually over the top and around the edges of rhinestones and other artwork as an extra layer of insurance to keep the item attached to the band (I use super glue, attach the item, let that dry, and then glom clear polish around the edges of it and atop it to protect and hold it). I'll try to get photos uploaded soon. I've got a couple of full-on polished bands that turned out well, and held up well in the parks for a week. None of the attached bling fell off them and even a few dings against concrete walls and such didn't damage the polish. The only thing I haven't done yet is swim in them.

I did swim in ours at Typhoon Lagoon, in the wave pool, lazy river and down the various slides. Never had a problem. No cracking or deterioration. They held up well. We were there 8 days.

FYI -- I did use brand new polish (the $1-2 kind) with no problems. Like you, I added multiple thick layers with 2 layers of top coat on, maybe a third just around the jewels.

 

[Comeundone87]

Here is DD7's MB. She decided where everything went and I glued everything on. The small princess charms are stickable earrings that I glued on. I bought a bunch of temp tattoos and the only one she wanted was the small one of the fairies.

Here is my Figment. I am not artistic at all and I'm still not real happy with his snout/mouth but I don't want it to be worse. The rest of the band I just used a glitter nail polish with hearts in it. I am having an issue of the base coat I used cracking on the grey part. I'm going to let it dry for a day and see what happens when I close it up again. 10 more days! I can't wait.

 

[PrincessJenn23]

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc176/jdmoates/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20140329_184213.jpg

 

[PrincessJenn23]

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc176/jdmoates/Mobile Uploads/20140321_210810.jpg

 

[PrincessJenn23]

<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/jdmoates/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140329_184113.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc176/jdmoates/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140329_184113.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_20140329_184113.jpg"/></a>

 

[JayLeeJay]

Here is DD7's MB. She decided where everything went and I glued everything on. The small princess charms are stickable earrings that I glued on. I bought a bunch of temp tattoos and the only one she wanted was the small one of the fairies.

Here is my Figment. I am not artistic at all and I'm still not real happy with his snout/mouth but I don't want it to be worse. The rest of the band I just used a glitter nail polish with hearts in it. I am having an issue of the base coat I used cracking on the grey part. I'm going to let it dry for a day and see what happens when I close it up again. 10 more days! I can't wait.

I love the figment one! Can you tell me what types/brands of polish you used? I have tried nail polish pens but I can't seem to get anything to work well for fine details. Step-by-step directions would be very much appreciated.

 

[Stefecatzz]

Here is my Figment. I am not artistic at all and I'm still not real happy with his snout/mouth but I don't want it to be worse. The rest of the band I just used a glitter nail polish with hearts in it. I am having an issue of the base coat I used cracking on the grey part. I'm going to let it dry for a day and see what happens when I close it up again. 10 more days! I can't wait.[/QUOTE]

I LOVE Figment & I was wondering if we'd see someone paint him on one sooner or later! For being 'not artitstic at all,' you did a Great job!!

I was thinking that me doing Tigger stripes on my orange band was pushing it for me!

 

[AngelPirate]

I'm not sure when I will make time to load mine but, we have an R2D2 (DS10), Merida (ME), Crush (DS12), and Chewbacca's belt (DH). They look pretty good from a distance
My MIL had me put a pirate headband on the Mickey head for my FIL. We wanted to put moe pirate stuff on, but FIL just wanted to keep it simple.

 

[Comeundone87]

I love the figment one! Can you tell me what types/brands of polish you used? I have tried nail polish pens but I can't seem to get anything to work well for fine details. Step-by-step directions would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Here's what I used (everything available from Walmart - the yellow I already had)

First I sketched him out (Sketch, erase, sketch, erase, etc) until I was happy with him. Then I used a copier to make it smaller so that it would be the size to fit on the MB. Then I painted one of the copies so I could see what it would feel like. Then I started painting. I did a clear base coat first. I tried to cut out my template and trace it, but the pencil didn't show up. So I winged it and erased with nail polish remover over and over again until I was happy with it. The black polish was very difficult to use. It had a very long thin brush so it takes a steady hand. And it was very difficult to "erase" the black also - it smeared a lot. I probably went through 30+ q-tips. I did pour the remover into a small bowl to make it easier to wet the q-tips. Someone in the previous pages mentioned using carbon paper - I wish I would have thought of that.