Cleaning questions

[Sandi]

I've decided to freshen up some of my ponies, by fixing their hair, cleaning them more properly, remove tail rust etc.

And I have some questions:

1. Can I use acetone/nail polish remover on a pony that's not white?
2. Tooth paste can be used for rust and dirt spots, right? Does it work with any tooth paste? Can I use it on a pony that's not white?
3. Is it hard to get off and on the head and tail?
4. For how long do you boil a pony? Is there any risks doing it? Could it be ruined?
5. What is the easiest and most risk free way to deflock a So Soft?

[ponylady]

1.Yes
2.Yes and Yes and Yes
3.Sometimes
4.I have never done this as there are to many risks involved but there are others who swear by it.
5.I am not sure about an easy way.  There are some that is comes off relatively easy with soap, scrubbing and hot water.  And others need acetone but you have to be very careful around their eyes and symbol.
 
I am sure others will have some better suggestions on deflocking.  I have only done a half a dozen or so and I used something entirely different than acetone to remove it.

[Elisto]

1)Acetone can be used on non-white ponies, but it will take paint off, so I'd try other methods first and acetone last. Also, nail polish remover is diluted, so it may not work as well as 100%.
2) I use toothpaste for all general cleaning on any color pony, but it's really good at removing rust. I think white paste types are better than gel types.
3) Depends on if the glue is loose or not. For the tail, you may need pliers to reach inside, but it will come right out. Getting the tail back in can be tricky; I like to wrap it with thread so it slides through the hole easily.
4) Depends on the type of pony. I don't boil ponies, but I know you don't want to boil chartreuse hair.
5) sorry, I don't know

[babystarz]

1. Can I use acetone/nail polish remover on a pony that's not white?

Yes, acetone isn't known to cause discoloration. Just be sure to keep it away from painted areas, and TE eyes, and don't use it on a flocked pony unless you're de-flocking. When using acetone, make sure you're in a well-ventilated room or outside, and don't pour it down the drain when you're finished. Find out how you should dispose of it first.

2. Tooth paste can be used for rust and dirt spots, right? Does it work with any tooth paste? Can I use it on a pony that's not white?

Most people use whitening toothpaste for these purposes. I think you would need to be careful with non-white ponies, and not leave any whitening toothpaste on for too long because the bleaching agent could cause discoloration. I haven't used it myself so I'm not an expert on this method.

3. Is it hard to get off and on the head and tail?

Hard to get off, yes. I suggest submerging the pony in boiling water to soften the glue on the neck seam, and carefully slip an X-acto knife blade into the neck seam in several places. Don't stick it in too far if you want the "lip" of the neck to remain intact. If you don't care about the lip, have at it Otherwise, pull the head off little by little, putting the pony back in the boiling water if things start to harden up again. I can't always get the neck lip to stay intact, but it's useful to keep it (even if it's kind of mangled) if you want the pony's head to turn when you're finished. Without the lip, you can glue the head back in place, but it won't turn. The tail is not hard to get out, I just grab it with a needle-nosed pliers and it comes right out. And it's easy to put back in too

4. For how long do you boil a pony? Is there any risks doing it? Could it be ruined?

I'm not sure if there is a time limit, but if there is I haven't found it I've boiled a pony for 15 minutes without any problems. The only risk is that it's hot, so make sure you're using something to ladle the pony out of the pot and put the pony on a plate or something to cool off before touching. Wearing rubber kitchen gloves helps too.

5. What is the easiest and most risk free way to deflock a So Soft?

Boiling water and scraping with a non-abrasive edge, generally something plastic. This way takes a lot of work and time, a shortcut is to use pure acetone. Just make sure to steer clear of symbols and eyes. I've heard there's a product called Jasco that does the same thing, and it won't take off paint so it's safer to use than acetone.

[Vampasaurus]

1. I do all the time. Acetone won't strip a pony's base color, but it sure will eat any and all forms of paint. eyes/blush/symbols etc. but it works wonders for getting stubborn smudges off the bodies of ponies of all colors.

2. I've only used toothpaste for removing tail rust, so I can't answer this one.

3. for G1s hardly ever. their glue is so weak with age that you can remove the heads easy-peasy.
G2 are alittle more subborn, but the few I've worked with weren't glued at all, just had a thick plug so a little elbow greese is required. same for getting them back on.
G3 can be NIGHTMARISH. some of them aren't glued/have rotating heads. those are the easy ones. some of the g3s can have heads full of thick evil glue that needs to be cut with a blade or dissolved slowly away with acetone, or boiled. just keep working at it, and take breaks when your hands start to hurt. as for getting them back on, I recommend warming them up with hot water so the plastic is soft first.
G4 are the worst of all IMHO. what works for me is turning the head towards the butt and just YANKING like crazy. then there's that neckplug that needs to be cut off or out. (if you need to get to the tail that is) if you are just cleaning I'd avoid taking off the G4 heads. the plug can get warped and then the head won't sit straight on the body.

4. Some ponies have hair colors that can bleed into their bodies when you boil them. Like G1 suprize. when I boil ponies I normally do it just till they are soft enough to work with. which is about 3 minutes... give or take... honestly I never time it. but I've left g3 in boiling water for 45 minutes while dying them and they bounced back just fine. just be careful with the older gals, and you should be fine. pony bodies can handle a lot of boil-abuse. I wouldn't recommend boiling G2s tho, as it can weaken the glue under their eye crystals and they can fall out.

5. easiest is the jasco/acetone route, and risk free is hot water and rubbing alcohol. I've tried the second one and let me tell you, it takes forever! it's really up to the pony and how thick the glue is on that particular gal on how easy deflocking is going to be. sometimes it falls right off when you try to clean them, sometimes you scrub and scrap for hours and still have glue bits stuck to her.

[Elisto]

2. Tooth paste can be used for rust and dirt spots, right? Does it work with any tooth paste? Can I use it on a pony that's not white?

Most people use whitening toothpaste for these purposes. I think you would need to be careful with non-white ponies, and not leave any whitening toothpaste on for too long because the bleaching agent could cause discoloration. I haven't used it myself so I'm not an expert on this method.

I've never had it lighten a dark pony, but if you don't wash it off well, it'll leave white residue.

[Sandi]

Thanks everyone! I'll upload before and after pics soon.

[skyrocketneko]

Seconding the Surprise one. I actually boiled Honeycomb and was so upset at the results. You can all throw fakies at me. Thankfully some sun helped. But I cried that day.

[Sandi]

I tried removing pen marks from Minty with nail polish remover, but it didn't work. I'll buy some real acetone and see if that works.

Here's some before and after pics of Beach Ball and Barnacle that I fixed the hair on yesterday. Worked quite well.
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Seconding the Surprise one. I actually boiled Honeycomb and was so upset at the results. You can all throw fakies at me. Thankfully some sun helped. But I cried that day.

What happened?

[skyrocketneko]

Her yellow hair bled out and stained her whole body. It was horrible!

Acetone does not get out pen marks. You can only fade it out or you can also try Magic Eraser. Pen and Sharpie marks are the toughest to get out.

[Sandi]

That sounds awful.

I guess I'll try sunfading again then. It will probably take a looong time though. It's not very sunny here yet.