To behead or not to behead

[sentimental]

Howdy-do everyone!

I've been meaning to get around to cleaning some project ponies I got a few months back but have been a little confused about
the basic process and etiquette of cleaning G1s.
Mainly, if I should behead them to clean their insides?

I've been restoring my G3s for the majority of the year and didn't bother beheading any of those girlies just due to how aggressive the
G3 glue can be, but even then I feel it might have been wiser to behead anyways to avoid chances of molding etc etc...

What would y'all recommend? Thank you so much in advance for your help !! 

[Safflower]

You really only need to open me up if you think there’s something funky going on. Rust is the main issue; you can usually see it on the tail, though sometimes you have to look pretty hard. In my experience, rust is much more common than mold. If the heads are loose already I would take them off anyways as to not risk water get in.

As for your G3s, as long as you were careful not to get water inside and dried them thoroughly they should be fine If you’re concerned you can always check every so often. It’s pretty unlikely you’ll rust/mold your ponies as long as you dry them; it’s harder than you’d think.

[Taffeta]

I agree. Beheading is far too common lately as a standard cleaning process and it shouldn't be. If the pony has major internal problems, then fine. If you know they've been in super damp conditions then opening a pony to check even if it has no obvious signs is also maybe okay. But damaging a pony unnecessarily is really wasted effort and devalues the item.

I recently was looking at ponies on ebay and as soon as I saw the pony had had its tail washer replaced, I closed the auction. I mean, credit to the person who was very honest about what had been done, but it's no longer a guarantee that that pony is authentic once the seal has been broken. Aside damaging the pony permanently by breaking the original seal, it's a lot harder down the line for someone buying a pony with a loose head/replaced tail washer/whatever to know for sure that it hasn't been rerooted or restored in other ways. Even if the person selling is 100% honest, if it's gone through multiple hands, these details can be lost.

So yeah. My mantra for pony is always do no harm. If it's not gunky or suspicious, let it be.

[dragonfly]

I've never seen beheading as a problem as many G1s heads came loose long before they were collectors items. That said, there can be and have been occurrences in the past of rehairs not being properly identified and the provenance can get lost over time the more a pony changes hands. Pony heads can also be resealed if someone is bent on deception which is a fairly rare case. Unless you have a reason to get in there and clean from the inside, I would leave it alone. For example, mold can grow inside of ponies that have been submerged in water for prolonged periods of time.

[SpacePinto]

I once had an idea to remove Wind Whistler's head to hide an investment diamond inside her (once I buy one) in case of a robbery, kind of making her the secret keeper of my treasures, but now I'm glad I never actually went through with it.

[MintyMyndi]

I once had an idea to remove Wind Whistler's head to hide an investment diamond inside her (once I buy one) in case of a robbery, kind of making her the secret keeper of my treasures, but now I'm glad I never actually went through with it.

I once used a fakie to store money when saving up for a large multi-pony pack's release!


Yeah, if it's not visibly necessary, don't open them. I did have two ponies come to me reeking of (undisclosed!) cigarette smoke, so I decided to wash them inside and out to get it taken care of. I took out their tails to avoid moistening the tail washer, and in doing so, found that one washer had a bit of rust on it. I cleaned it with knockoff CLR from Dollar Tree, then coated the washer with clear nail polish (the best thing I had on hand at the time). I feel she's better off for it, though none of it even made a mark on the tail. She's one I plan to customize, so it shouldn't do anything to her value.

[Griffin]

I echo what everyone else is saying... I don't see it as a crime to behead a pony for a thorougher cleaning, but it does affect the value in my eyes, and I would only do it if I suspected a problem (tail rust, in most cases).

[RoseNoire]

All in all, I don't mind a beheaded pony only if it was done for reasonable restoration purposes, such as removing mold or tail rust. If I were to buy such a pony, I would want a documentation of his restoration. (By whom, when, rehair or not, which product used, etc) But really, I never bought ponies from collectors yet, I'm only finding them in the wild so I am the restorer for my own collection. If the beheading makes sense, it wouldn't devalue it to me. I'd rather have an opened pony rather than a molded sealed one.

[bright rabbit 1]

I only behead and re hair G1 ponies (well my dad or brother do the beheading).

I customise my doubles to keep.

[Leave a Whisper]

Wonder if any potential newcomers have seen this thread title and fled the website?

[SpacePinto]

Wonder if any potential newcomers have seen this thread title and fled the website?

I'm more worried about those who joined because they saw the thread title.

[Leave a Whisper]

Wonder if any potential newcomers have seen this thread title and fled the website?

I'm more worried about those who joined because they saw the thread title.

 

[brightberry]

I beheaded all mine as a child to keep water out.  Head turning doesn’t change the amount I’m willing to pay for ponies.  I also don’t mind washer replacement.  Rust and gunk in a pony is disgusting and I’m always glad it was taken care of.  But, I understand how others might feel differently about head turning.  To me, it’s just as good or even better because I can keep the pony clean if any water gets inside.

As a side note, I only open new ponies in my collection if I suspect mold solely because how others feel about it.  Holding ponies up to a light source can sometimes reveal whether a pony needs inside cleaning.

[dannahbanana]

I once had an idea to remove Wind Whistler's head to hide an investment diamond inside her (once I buy one) in case of a robbery, kind of making her the secret keeper of my treasures, but now I'm glad I never actually went through with it.

But if the robber also happens to be a pony collector, they may take your Wind Whistler and then you are screwed! Very unlikely though. 

[SpacePinto]

But if the robber also happens to be a pony collector, they may take your Wind Whistler and then you are screwed!

Nope, THEY are.

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