My Mechanical Hairpin arrived this week in Royal Blue, Hot Pink, and Black Strong & Flexible. This is the fourth iteration of this model, as the clearances between the six gears had to be tweaked so that they were neither too loose nor fused together. The six gears work in unison to move the three prongs at the head of the hairpin. The prongs hold flowers in place, even when the hairpin is turned upside down. The Hot Pink version moved freely when it arrived. The Royal Blue and Black versions were bound up with powder when they arrived, but I was able to free them by running the head under warm water while gently working the prongs back and forth. I worked the prongs back and forth several times to free trapped powder, and they now move as intended. Edit: I have added a video of the mechanism working here.
@denali3ddesign Thanks! No, I don't have a video yet of the mechanism in action. I ran out of good light while taking pictures, and central Michigan has been under a constant cloud since then. As soon as I have some sunshine and an extra set of hands I'll make a video. @Youknowwho4eva Thanks for thinking it's lovely! The mechanism doesn't move when it is holding flowers and I haven't had any hair entrapment incidents with the test subject yet. I'll have to give the extra two hairpins away to other friends so they can test it and see if entanglement will be an issue.