Displaying woes

[lordalexander74]

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So I bagged up several of my G1 ponies with even the slightest hint of plasticizer leakage. Having those bagged ponies on my shelf just looks bad, and I"m getting a bit sick of it.
One one hand, I don't want the plasticizer issue to spread, but I also don't want to hide them in a closet or other out of the way location. These lovelies deserve to be displayed.
What to do...

[starrynights]

Does plasticizer leakage spread? I thought it was just a issue with the pony itself

[BlackCurtains]

Having them in those bags will speed up the process. Ideally, you want them in an well ventilated area. You can wash them with dishsoap and warm water and sprinkle cornstarch on them to help with the stickiness.

The gases that are released from leaking ponies can cause a chain reaction in other nearby plastics that are on the cusp of leaking. So, yes it can spread, but it will only affect those ponies that would already get it in the future.

You can still display them. Just keep the worst of them farther away from your other ponies.

[starrynights]

Interesting! Thanks for all the info. I wonder if since keeping them bagged will speed it up, if you could do that to just "get it over with" quicker and have your rock solid pony.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Yeah the baggies will make it worse much faster.

it doesn't spread  quite like you are thinking.  it's a breakdown of the plastics the toys are made of.  the original batch of plastic, its lifetime before it got to you, previous storage it may have had, and its current storage conditions all contribute to this.  keeping them in a dark room on a cool shelf, not touching paint or wood stain on shelves, this will HELP but ultimately they will all start breaking down.

[Artemesia's Garden]

Interesting! Thanks for all the info. I wonder if since keeping them bagged will speed it up, if you could do that to just "get it over with" quicker and have your rock solid pony.

Unfortunately plasticiser leakage often goes hand in hand with brown spots so I'd always opt to keep the ponies clean, dry, stable and ventilated.

Having them in those bags will speed up the process. Ideally, you want them in an well ventilated area. You can wash them with dishsoap and warm water and sprinkle cornstarch on them to help with the stickiness.

The gases that are released from leaking ponies can cause a chain reaction in other nearby plastics that are on the cusp of leaking. So, yes it can spread, but it will only affect those ponies that would already get it in the future.

You can still display them. Just keep the worst of them farther away from your other ponies.

I agree with the above but not sure about the corn starch in case something manages to use it as a food source. I think the only thing I would add is to make triple-sure the pony is dry inside and out before re-assembling. You can try putting cotton buds in the legs to check for moisture but generally I just leave them out to dry for a long time.

[Leave a Whisper]

Don't silica packets help? I think I've heard someone say they put them in.

[Artemesia's Garden]

Don't silica packets help? I think I've heard someone say they put them in.

Yes they can be good but will only absorb a certain amount of moisture. So maybe use them with pony in a sealed tub, then discard them before checking and putting pony back together.

[Leave a Whisper]

Don't silica packets help? I think I've heard someone say they put them in.

Yes they can be good but will only absorb a certain amount of moisture. So maybe use them with pony in a sealed tub, then discard them before checking and putting pony back together.

Thanks Artemisia

[lordalexander74]

So no bags, occasional bathing. I can work with that. Thanks for the advice.
I used to have a dehumidifier with the exhaust vent on the top. Real useful for drying out ponies, leaning them with the openings over said vent.

[Artemesia's Garden]

So no bags, occasional bathing. I can work with that. Thanks for the advice.
I used to have a dehumidifier with the exhaust vent on the top. Real useful for drying out ponies, leaning them with the openings over said vent.

That sounds next-level!

I think a big issue with plastic breakdown may have been caused when ponies were kept in lofts during the time they were unfashionable. I used to notice that within G1 lots, ponies often have the same level of problems. So if they were all stored together in a loft they might all get the issues typical for a character, like yellow a head in Majesty, head-body mismatch in Whizzer, brown spots in Gingerbread and Sweetie etc. So that's why started looking up papers on storage of plastics.

Plastics do 'off gas' volatile organic compounds which may affect nearby objects, so I think you're right to think of it however plastic bags are also a plastic so may interact as well. Some collectors only use acid-free tissue paper and cardboard boxes for storage, or display ponies in a ventilated glass case. Ideally they would be fully climate controlled but I don't know anyone who has that kind of facility.

I may have mentioned this before but I once called the V&A Museum of Childhood and spoke to a really nice conservator. She says they keep two of every Barbie - one complete and one with all the pieces stored separately for this reason, but because plastics are so recent compared to other materials they are only just beginning to understand what's going on. She agreed that storing items clean, maintaining low moisture, moderate and stable temperatures and good ventilation are really all we can do.

[applejackbunny]

Don't silica packets help? I think I've heard someone say they put them in.

Yes they can be good but will only absorb a certain amount of moisture. So maybe use them with pony in a sealed tub, then discard them before checking and putting pony back together.

Yes, this is something I do. With my more common ponies I remove the heads, clean them thoroughly inside, dry them and then place a silica gel packet inside and leave them for a while.

I mentioned this years ago here and someone commented that they were concerned that this might damage the ponies in some way, but I can attest to the fact that I've been doing it for years and no damage has occured in any of my ponies from the gel packets. However, I do check on them regularly and, once I'm sure they're completely dry, I remove them.

Hope that helps!