G1 Restoration

[kid80]

Hi everyone.

Not sure if this is the right forum--please advise if not --but I'm looking for advice on two topics:

1) Restoring white hair
I have a secondhand G1 Powder whose white hair had extremely yellowed. Sunfading has helped quite a bit, but wondering if anyone has tips to push her a little closer to bright white

2) Cleaning rust or mold inside
Also have a secondhand G1 Skyflier. When I removed her head to clean her I realized her poor insides were completely covered with either mold or rust. Not sure which -- I was so grossed out I put her head back on and tucked her away. I'm really hoping she is salvageable and am looking for recommendations on what to use for a deep inside clean.

Thanks so much for any advice!

[Noasar]

For the hair, toothpaste is great! You could also try Oxy powder and soak her in a warm water Oxy solution for a few hours. This will also help with the dirt inside.

Have you taken the rusty tail washer out? When you have done that i clean inside with an antibacterial soap and a bottle brush or small toothbrush to get inside the legs and head. Then then the pony upside down onto a radiator to dry out (with the head off).

Hope that helps!

[Artemesia's Garden]

I agree with the above, yellowed white hair is often possible to clean up with toothpaste. I'd use hand (not dish)  soap to get the toothpaste out, then hot water to re-style the hair and finally a tiny drop of baby oil to finish off.

If you decide to clean inside with the washer still in (esp. if it's not rusty) then try pushing the tail in slightly to allow the air to get around it properly to dry. If the washer is rusty but still intact you might want to try and save the washer by sanding it and applying a coat of clear acrylic varnish before re-assembling.

Best of luck.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

mlppreservationproject.com

NEVER use acne cream !!!!

[kid80]

Thanks for these tips! How long do you typically leave toothpaste in the hair to re-whiten?

Baby oil--cool! Had not thought of that!

I've heard good things about the oxy bath, so I'll give that a try as well.

Haven't taken out the washer yet, but I will for sure. I've actually been replacing the washers with zip ties, which has been working out well!

[Shaiyeh]

I would honestly avoid any oils, especially leaving them in as oil can affect plastic over time, and g1 vinyl is already a bit unstable ^^'
(In conditioners should be fine, as you rinse them out. ) Good luck restoring your ponies! Restoring is such a rewarding part of collecting IMO

[applejackbunny]

I would defintely try the toothpaste - it's worked wonders for me in the past! Also, oxyclean is great. Good luck!

[Artemesia's Garden]

Baby oil--cool! Had not thought of that!

I found the idea from people who restore vintage cars and boats with soft plastic trimmings and interiors and after 6+ of use I can confirm that it works well. I also read that pony hair (nylon) has mineral oil on it from manufacture. Make sure you just use a tiny amount and that it's mineral oil (i.e. petroleum), not organic (like almond, sunflower etc.).

As for the toothpaste, I leave it on for a while but don't let it dry too much. I think it's more that it lightly scrubs the hair when you brush it through rather than a chemical effect.

[silverdragon54]

For cleaning the inside, I like to use denture cleaning tablets. Crumble it up and put about 1/4 in each leg, fill with hot water, and leave her overnight. Minty fresh ponies!