I've seen them in Fire Mountain Gems catalogs.

Oh I've heard about this and would love to try it, but haven't found a local source. I bet it looks stunning, and it's so unusual.
Can one order online at that Fire Mountain place?

The quills are amazingly strong, and easy to work with, if you have beads with holes large enough to go over them. The quills are hollow, so you can't use headpins with them the way you can with regular wooden/bone sticks. They vary somewhat in diameter, but can accomodate most large hole beads (think 4-6mm diameter).


Madeleine, yes you can order on-line from Fire Mountain at:

http://www.firemountaingems.com

They have an on-line store, or you can request the free 600 page catalog (they will usually send you their sale catalogs, too) and order things by phone or through their on-line express ordering option. I usually receive orders within 3-5 days after they're placed, which is nice when you're really itching to try out a new technique/idea.

Wow, thanks Brenda ... this is one huge online store! I'll take some time to get though all of this (in case I decide to order from them it has to be worth the postage since I'm in Europe).
Browsing their site makes me want to make some jewellery again, I haven't been doing much creative/crafty work lately and I find that I'm missing it.

If I got the porcupine quills I'd probably use them without any decoration, I think they look interesting just the way they are.

I've been wondering about this, too, Anne! :)

Thanks for the info, Brenda! I may have to try them just as soon as my hair gets a little longer.

Wow, I never heard of using them
as hair sticks. In honesty, I
didn't think they were long
enough!
Thanks for posting! :)

I've also seen them at the Argus Designs website and put them on my shopping list. How funny, I just received my Fire Mountain catalog Friday, but haven't had the time to go through the whole thing yet. Thanks Anne!

I've been wondering about this, too, Anne! :)

Thanks for the info, Brenda! I may have to try them just as soon as my hair gets a little longer.

Hey - Stephers - your hair is longer than mine and I can get it to hold :!: You are not trying hard enough :deal: - if you can't get all up I KNOW you can do half up... ;)

We were given some Porqy Quills by a zoo keeper - very long - I will experiment...g

Thank you, Brenda! I just requested the catalog. :D Just what I need, another hobby! ;-)

Wow, I never heard of using them
as hair sticks. In honesty, I
didn't think they were long
enough!
Thanks for posting! :)

That's funny, I always thought they would be too long....and pointy, that's why I never got them. Lol!

Hmmm, interesting. Maybe something to think about buying in the future. :rolleyes:

Hmmm, interesting. Maybe something to think about buying in the future. :rolleyes:


:nono: NO MORE BUYING! :nono:

:twisted:

Have you *SEEN* the Fire Mountain catalog? After going through it last night, I see that buying a couple of porcupine quills will be the least of my problems! :D

Snippet, I wish you had said that just before I clicked on the "send me the free catalog" button!

she asked for reviews and I think it was T-Bear that said that they were really nice to use. They were soft at the tip and flexible...very gentle on the hair.

What about the porcupines? :grin:

What about the porcupines? :grin:

No worries - they fling them out all the time, doesn't hurt the little suckers ...g

I got two from Argus way back when Snippet did a group order and they are shortish (about 6 or 7", plenty long for my little bun) and I like them but they aren't nearly as strong as a regular hairstick. Some sources (I think it was Argus, actually) say to maybe make a "pilot hole" in the bun with a hairstick first, THEN take that out and insert the quill. I don't do that myself, because my hair is fine enough and light enough that it's not a problem for me. I do NOT "lever-down" on them, because they CAN be bent and I imagine it would be like bending a straw: then you'd have a serious CREASE in it and it would probably render the thing "UN-hair-friendly", and I don't want to ruin them.

I also got one in Jackson Hole Wyoming, and it's just a single and that sucker is 12" long or better. A weapon. And the tips ARE sharp; I wouldn't want to get poked with it! I do get compliments on them when I do wear them, by the way..... They're from African Porcupines, so they are more substantial than the wimpy quills from these porcupines we have in the States. (not that our porcupines are sissies; they just don't have as fat/sturdy a quill as the African cousins have. No offense meant to any porcupine, you know....)

Who dug up that ancient thread? :wink:
I got a couple of porcupine quills since from Argus. I don't wear them often cause like LJ I'm afraid they might break eventually. They do hold my pathetic bun beautifully though and I really like the look. Here's a picture (http://www.haarkram.e-something.de/images/Hairpix/porcupine_bun.jpg).

woooooooooooow!!! that looks reeeeeeeeally pretty madaline. i'm glad you posted that link because i thought they'd look a bit wierd in hair. but i really like the look of them.

I never dreamed porcupine quills would be strong enough to hold up hair :bigeyes: I would have thought they'd be too flexible and would snap/ bend ... but if they'll really work ... hmmm ... they look so funky! :D And at four dollars for a package of four, they're MUCH cheaper than most hairsticks I've seen around! :wink:

Must ... stop ... buying ... hair toys ... :twisted:

I found this really good source *link removed*--they're cheap like 90 cents a quill and the quills are of really goods quality. Sometimes you can buy them cheaper on eBay; just search for African Porcupine Quills

Odd you would know so much about this brand new supplier! Good luck to them and hope lots of quills are sold, but sort of a weird way of getting out the word?

I'm afraid I'd be considered a danger to myself and others sporting quills! Heck, I've caused injury with wood hairsticks, quills that sharp would do me in!

Looks cool, though, got to admit there would be lots of beautiful hair enhanced by them.

Smilefull, you must love that website. Every post you've made is about it.

In my sig is a pic where I have them in. They're hardly visible, and really tiny too. When I ordered them I thought they'd be wider and stronger but they're fairly okay to use. They're sharp though!

Smilefull, you must love that website. Every post you've made is about it.Not only that, Smilefull went from "just found" the site to having ordered the quills and found them to be of good quality, sturdy, etc. in mere minutes. That's fast delivery, y'all!

Have you *SEEN* the Fire Mountain catalog? After going through it last night, I see that buying a couple of porcupine quills will be the least of my problems! :D

Snippet, I wish you had said that just before I clicked on the "send me the free catalog" button!
There's a free catalog? Wonder if they take MO.... *mumbles something about needing to build a new room for hair toys*

Oh, lapushka, I always thought your sig picture was really cute, but I had never noticed the quills before until you pointed it out. It does look inconspicuous in the photo, but I bet it looks nice in real-life. That, and Madeleine's photo that waslinked in post #18 above convinced me to bid on some porcupine quills on ebay to try on my hair. I got a pack of (5) 6.5"-7" quills for $6 shipped. There are shorter and longer ones about the same price as well if you need shorter/longer quills. (Apparently, they come in all sizes and thickness, some are quite hefty.) Will report back when I get it.

Replying to myself. I said I'd report back once I get my quills, so that's what I'm doing. The quills looked great and held very well in my hair. They weren't as skinny as I feared. Thinner than most wood hair sticks but a lot thicker than metal ones. They certainly are VERY sharp. I cut down the tips of the very pointy (black) ends with a nail cutter and smooth it down with a file and it helped, but I still have to be gentle putting them on. The other end (white) is not as sharp but I still got some scratches on my arm passing it over the bun. I wouldn't wear them if I'm going to a crowded place! There are photos of them in my photo journal (link in sig.)