Cleaning advice

[lordalexander74]

Came across a handful of G3/G1 ponies in fairly rough condition earlier. Couple of the G3's had their hair bunched up in ties/elastic, probably since the previous owner last played with them. I'm looking forward to straightening up that mess, might have to invest in a straightener to tame that frizz.

There's a few I'd like some advice on touching up

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G1 Starflash- How do you clean around glitter safely? Starflash here has some head/body mismatch going on, as well as various smudges/dirty bits. Wondering what I can do to clean her up without removing the glitter.

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G3 Secret Wish- Is her tail ring supposed to look that ugly? Doesn't seem to be any rust along the hair, and from what I can see the clamp is in decent condition.
I don't think I have the tools to replace G3 pony hair, that plastic is a lot more rigid than G1 ponies.
There's also some dark spots near her magnet hoof, any idea what they are?

I was looking at her pic on StrawberryReef, my Secret Wish barely has any glitter. Is the glitter somehow attached to the outside of the toy, or mixed in with the plastic?

Thanks

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

With Secret Wish, Divine Shine ponies are notorious for the way their plastic breaks down. It can result in them losing their glitter (which is mixed into their plastic), discoloring, and/or becoming sticky. As for her washer, it's probably just since you can see inside her, possible maybe ever more so due to the breakdown?

[lordalexander74]

Well that's unfortunate. Thanks for the info.
The plastic inside Secret wish is slightly tacky, and there's definitely some kind of brown scum around her tail washer.
For those who customize/restore G3 ponies, what do you use to replace the tail? Any recommendations on angled pliers long enough to reach inside a G3 pony body?

[NightGliderSA]

I have a pair of long nose (really, really long nose) pliers that I use to remove pony tails. If you do not want to see the washer inside Secret Wish any more, then you can replace it with a clear cable tie. Even the clamp can be replaced with a clear cable tie if you decide to do so. They are what I use when I have to replace rusty tail clamps and washers on my restored ponies. At least then I know that the rust will not return. Good luck with your restorations; they are such fun!

[lordalexander74]

I borrowed a pair of my dad's needlenose pliers, I had to gently poke the washer/clamp further inside Secret Wish from the outside, just so I could get a grip with the pliers. There's no way I'm getting the tail back in her though, the tweezers I use for G1 re-tailing won't fit in something as rigid as a G3 pony.
Any suggestions on how I get her tail hair back in place?

She's mostly cleaned up inside and out, there's some brown spots in her magnet hoof which aren't going anywhere unless I can remove the magnet.

Back to Starflash, what cleaning methods are safe to use on glittery pony symbols? A gentle wiping w/ a wet towel?

[Baby Sugarberry]

Thread a folded in half, long thin ribbon through the tail hole and out the neck.  Put the tail half way through the loop and pull it back out through the tail hole.  For glitter symbols, I don't generally use anything harsher than a finger with some soap and water.

[lordalexander74]

Thanks for the advice, that ribbon method sounds like a great idea. I'll try it out in a day or two when I buy some more zip ties

[lordalexander74]

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Secret wish is all cleaned up, with the exception of some brown spots around her magnet hoof.
Anyone know whose dress this is? It came with Secret Wish when I found her at a flea market, doesn't seem to be hers according to mylittlewiki

[glitterball]

Great job with the clean-up of Secret Wish!
From your earlier question, I bought some medical hemostats off ebay - they are long nose pliers that "lock" together and I find them ideal for reaching into awkward places to pull out both tails and wispy manes!

[Princess Fizzy]

I think the skirt may have come with Twinkle Twirl & The Dance Studio. If not her then look at Sunny Salsa as she has one too, but that one looks fuller to me than yours.

[lordalexander74]

Good to know, I'll keep the skirt around in case I ever find those ponies.

Working on a G1 Peachy now, whose tail has a terrible case of rust stains. What do you use to clean off the worst of rust stains? I've had whats left of her tail (I think the previous owner trimmed it at some point) soaking in a light oxiclean bath, and there's still some brown stains left over. Tried gently scrubbing them out, they're quite stubborn.

[glitterball]

re tail rust - I heard somewhere that using toothpaste + an old toothbrush to carefully rub the rust away seems to do a good job? But I have not tried this myself.

[Safflower]

re tail rust - I heard somewhere that using toothpaste + an old toothbrush to carefully rub the rust away seems to do a good job? But I have not tried this myself.

Yep, toothpaste is really good with rust! I've used it on a few ponies and it works pretty well

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Toothpaste, or CLR (though use gloves with CLR!!!)