Using acetone to remove ink marks from ponies: yes or no?

[lochnessmomster]

I tried this tip on a pony I recently bought (am afraid to say which one  ), and it seems to have taken a bit of the sheen out of the pony's plastic... maybe even removing some color from the plastic itself.  Is this fixable?? 

[Jadis4742]

The "sheen" on the pony is actually years of oil buildup from being handled. If you are using acetone to remove a spot, buff the cleaned spot and the surrounding area with your thumb as it dries. I find this kind of fades out the acetone and makes it less noticable. Acetone shouldn't remove color from the plastic, but it will remove paint VERY quickly.

That being said, I don't think you can really repair acetone mishaps. You have to be very careful with the stuff!

[lochnessmomster]

The "sheen" on the pony is actually years of oil buildup from being handled. If you are using acetone to remove a spot, buff the cleaned spot and the surrounding area with your thumb as it dries. I find this kind of fades out the acetone and makes it less noticable. Acetone shouldn't remove color from the plastic, but it will remove paint VERY quickly.

That being said, I don't think you can really repair acetone mishaps. You have to be very careful with the stuff!

Ooooh, there may be hope yet!  Thankfully I was very careful and did not get any acetone on the pony's cutie mark or eyes.  I did let the area dry without buffing it, but do you think I'd be able to go over it again and then try?  Maybe a full body wash in a gentle cleanser would help? 

[Sarahlacewing]

Acetone does horrible things to dye jobs too.  keep your dyed ponies away from potential splash back.  Even if it is just a repink hair or something.  Depending on what pony it is some do have that protective coat on them I think.  I could be wrong and it might be the oils like said above.  The G4 animal companions are this way.  It makes them hard to paint.  But I don't know about reapplying it once it's gone.

[lochnessmomster]

Oh, and thanks so much.  I am new to the forum and so far my involvement has been very selfish... I hope to be more of a help to others later on, but in the meantime, I am appreciating all the help. :-)

Post Merge: May 12, 2012, 05:27:57 PM

Acetone does horrible things to dye jobs too.  keep your dyed ponies away from potential splash back.  Even if it is just a repink hair or something.  Depending on what pony it is some do have that protective coat on them I think.  I could be wrong and it might be the oils like said above.  The G4 animal companions are this way.  It makes them hard to paint.  But I don't know about reapplying it once it's gone.

This was on a Barnacle with very dry hair, a strong smoky smell, and a blue ink mark on one shoulder.  When the cotton swab started turning blue, I worried that it might be Barnacle's color fading instead of the ink. 

[Jadis4742]

Ooooh, there may be hope yet!  Thankfully I was very careful and did not get any acetone on the pony's cutie mark or eyes.  I did let the area dry without buffing it, but do you think I'd be able to go over it again and then try?  Maybe a full body wash in a gentle cleanser would help? 

This is kind of advanced acetone handling here, but I just did this today on a fakie! First, I removed a spot with pure acetone on a q-tip. This left a "spot" that's really not a spot at all, just a lack of "sheen".

To fix it, I put a little acetone on a makeup round (those little round cotton pads you find in the generic makeup section), then folded the round so I could use a corner to "buff" the spot, moving the pad in little circles around the spot. Sure, you're taking more sheen off, but this fades the effect of the "spot".

Now, if your "spot" is in a tight spot, like between the paint of symbols, take a q-tip with acetone, go over the spot again, and then quickly pat/rub over it with your thumb. It will buff it out, but with less chance of ruining paint jobs.

Let me know how it goes!

[lochnessmomster]

Ooooh, there may be hope yet!  Thankfully I was very careful and did not get any acetone on the pony's cutie mark or eyes.  I did let the area dry without buffing it, but do you think I'd be able to go over it again and then try?  Maybe a full body wash in a gentle cleanser would help? 

This is kind of advanced acetone handling here, but I just did this today on a fakie! First, I removed a spot with pure acetone on a q-tip. This left a "spot" that's really not a spot at all, just a lack of "sheen".

To fix it, I put a little acetone on a makeup round (those little round cotton pads you find in the generic makeup section), then folded the round so I could use a corner to "buff" the spot, moving the pad in little circles around the spot. Sure, you're taking more sheen off, but this fades the effect of the "spot".

Now, if your "spot" is in a tight spot, like between the paint of symbols, take a q-tip with acetone, go over the spot again, and then quickly pat/rub over it with your thumb. It will buff it out, but with less chance of ruining paint jobs.

Let me know how it goes!

Thanks!  That's exactly what happened with me.  It wasn't in a tight spot, thank goodness, but I used a Q-tip and then wound up with the sheen-loss spot.  I'll try it out and report back.  Not now, though... it's late here in Scotland and I really should be signing out here and heading up to bed.  Will update tomorrow --- thanks all!! :-)

[Elisto]

If the sheen really is from oil from people's hands, you might want to just wash the pony before doing anything else.

[teresat]

I use nail polish remover with acetone and it seems to be harder to use because I have to work more get marks off of the pony. But it also does not take cutie mark and eye paint off immediately.

[lochnessmomster]

If the sheen really is from oil from people's hands, you might want to just wash the pony before doing anything else.

Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.  He also came smelling heavily of smoke, so after he's fully dry, I might stick him in a ziploc baggie with some baking soda for a while.  Thanks. :-)





Post Merge: May 13, 2012, 05:08:46 AM

Ooooh, there may be hope yet!  Thankfully I was very careful and did not get any acetone on the pony's cutie mark or eyes.  I did let the area dry without buffing it, but do you think I'd be able to go over it again and then try?  Maybe a full body wash in a gentle cleanser would help? 

This is kind of advanced acetone handling here, but I just did this today on a fakie! First, I removed a spot with pure acetone on a q-tip. This left a "spot" that's really not a spot at all, just a lack of "sheen".

To fix it, I put a little acetone on a makeup round (those little round cotton pads you find in the generic makeup section), then folded the round so I could use a corner to "buff" the spot, moving the pad in little circles around the spot. Sure, you're taking more sheen off, but this fades the effect of the "spot".

Now, if your "spot" is in a tight spot, like between the paint of symbols, take a q-tip with acetone, go over the spot again, and then quickly pat/rub over it with your thumb. It will buff it out, but with less chance of ruining paint jobs.

Let me know how it goes!

Thanks!  That's exactly what happened with me.  It wasn't in a tight spot, thank goodness, but I used a Q-tip and then wound up with the sheen-loss spot.  I'll try it out and report back.  Not now, though... it's late here in Scotland and I really should be signing out here and heading up to bed.  Will update tomorrow --- thanks all!! :-)

Update: I used acetone on a cotton ball today, buffed with my thumb, and then gave the area a quick wash with a soft-bristled toothbrush and dishwashing soap.  It looks a little better, but not perfect.  I am going to give him a full-body wash with some water and baking soda and see what happens.  Thanks again for the tips. :-)

[hathorcat]

Jadis's advise is perfect! Acetone is strong but not strong enough to remove the pigment from the plastic with a few wipes - the blue on the cotton bud will be the ink. But likewise remember it is a chemical and be careful to make sure its all removed from the pony after you have used it and bear in mind that it can remove symbols and eyes and blush for fun.

I would always recommend that before you pull out the acetone, you give the pony a gentle but thorough clean - 20 to 30 years of storage and play builds up and normally does mean the toys have a coating of "something" whether that be oil or just "dirt"...the acetone will remove this dirt as well as the ink which may give you the impression that the acetone has removed some of the pigment in the plastic whereas what it has done is simply remove some of the dirt and restore the pony to the colour it should be, the colour it will be once it gets a clean!

Good luck and dont be worried about asking questions thats what the Arena is here for!

[Elisto]

Yeah, I suggest always starting with a basic washing before going to the harsher stuff. Some dirt, paint, etc comes off without any need for acetone.

[lochnessmomster]

Yeah, I suggest always starting with a basic washing before going to the harsher stuff. Some dirt, paint, etc comes off without any need for acetone.

Gee.... I sure hope I didn't make a serious mistake by using the acetone first. :-/ What is the best way to remove all the grime, oil, dust, etc. from a pony?  Should they soak, or just be scrubbed?  Do you use an oxy cleaner?  Baking soda?  Regular dishwashing soap? 
 
~Lochness~

[Elisto]

If you don't see any problem then I'm sure it's fine!

I just wash them with whatever I have on hand...basic hand soap, or more commonly I use toothpaste and scrub them a bit. Other people like Magic Erasers, some people soak them with Oxyclean (just don't use it on Twinkle Eyes or Princess Ponies). I've also used washing soda (baking soda). All of those are usually fine, except in specific cases where the pony has something special or unusual about it.

Alcohol can also take off some kinds of marks and can usually go over the paint as well.

[hathorcat]

I think it depends on the condition of the pony as to how extreme you have to be with cleaning...sometimes just a surface wash [mild hand soap for example] is all they need...or at the other end of the scale maybe oxyclean or dissolved baking soda come into the mix