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Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: scarletjul on January 22, 2012, 12:02:04 PM

Title: Storing ponies?
Post by: scarletjul on January 22, 2012, 12:02:04 PM
Hi.


I've got a quick question for all of you pony experts out there.  :)


I have to be out of the house for a couple of weeks while contractors repair our roof and refinish our floors and I want to store my pony collection.  What is the safest way to do so?  I probably have 100+ g1s, some in mint condition and I want to make sure that none of the chemicals hurt them.  Is a plastic bin okay?  Do I need to put anything else in there?


It will only be for a couple of weeks and I'm not worried about humidity - I just don't want to leave them out.  They will be placed in the garage or in storage.  So, what should I do to keep them safe?


Thanks!  :)
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: Ginger on January 22, 2012, 12:13:08 PM
I really like under the bed containers because each pony can be stored standing and since it only fits one layer of ponies, there are none at the bottom to get crushed.

When I have enough ponies, I'm going to get several of those containers and just stack them. =)
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: kittybethy on January 22, 2012, 12:37:35 PM
I have several under the bed containers in my closet! They work really well!
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: Oneleo1 on January 22, 2012, 02:56:37 PM
plastic bins with tight fitting lids work well :)

I am not sure they have the little silicone packets in Mexico, but if they do I would add one in each bin you pack. The silicone packs are those little packets you often find in coat pockets in the stores when you go to buy the coat.

Do not put your ponies in baggies before you put them in the tub. It's not good for them. For any ponies that have hair that bleed the color (chartruse comes to mind) you could wrap the hair in a paper towel or some plastic to keep the color from bleeding onto the body of the pony.

Honeycomb and Surprise come to mind for ponies whose hair can leave stains on their bodies. Confetti is another one.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: FantasticFirefly on January 22, 2012, 03:23:16 PM
I am a NM collector. Since you say garage- folding sandwhich bags (they'll breathe). You can even hole-punch additional holes in the bags. Heaviest/hardest ponies at the bottom of the bin. standing in rows. Be careful arranging them, so as to not mess up hairstyles. Once you have a layer, cover with a few sheets of bubblewrap and start the next layer.

Be careful with sosofts. I'd wrap them individually, and lay them at the very top. Poor dears get indents in their flocking so easily.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: Oneleo1 on January 22, 2012, 03:35:53 PM
The bubblewrap layer is a great idea! :)
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: InsigniaEclipse on January 22, 2012, 03:40:30 PM
I wrap mine in that white tissue paper you use in gift boxes.  Works well for mine when i have to store mine for long periods of time.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: FantasticFirefly on January 22, 2012, 04:41:43 PM
The bubblewrap layer is a great idea! :)

Thanks! this is how I did the ones in long term storage. Keeps the poses nice, so you don't end up with legs smooshed etc.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: gazzy90 on January 23, 2012, 06:47:20 AM
Do not put your ponies in baggies before you put them in the tub. It's not good for them.

I have to ask, why aren't baggies good for ponies? I use them a lot.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: Rachel-Eyes on January 23, 2012, 07:08:11 AM
Do not put your ponies in baggies before you put them in the tub. It's not good for them.

I have to ask, why aren't baggies good for ponies? I use them a lot.

Well, technically they aren't good for the plastic because it needs to "breathe" and not exposing it to air can actually lead to the plastic breaking down... I use bags myself, with info cards inside about each pony, but I leave them open so that the air can still circulate. I have a part of my collection stored in those big, clear, plastic containers, and they work great! That's what I recommend, for a short time at least. (We're moving in a few months, so maybe I'll have more space for them in my new room.)
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: Oneleo1 on January 23, 2012, 07:15:53 AM
I wrap mine in that white tissue paper you use in gift boxes.  Works well for mine when i have to store mine for long periods of time.

If you use tissue paper, make sure it's acid free and white for long term storage. ;)
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: hlbmlp on January 23, 2012, 07:43:22 AM
whatever you do DONT let someone else pack them or try to cram as many a possible in a cardboard box! especially on thier sides.  i was out of the country when my parents decided to move so my whole collection was packed that way! GAH!  a lot are now squashed and the legs messed up, hairdos ruined and paint actually came off of some onto others!  it was a complete mess and im still trying to fix them all up!  definitely have a bin of some sort that can hold weight in case someone decides to stack things (even for small periods of time) and have them standing with a good separator in between. just nothing heavy for that because it can bend and warp horns and ears depending on the pose. ^__^ Dont keep them near the construction either!  the dust and crap WILL creep into sealed plastic bins. I cant figure out how but it does!
good luck on construction.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: gazzy90 on January 23, 2012, 08:38:11 AM
Do not put your ponies in baggies before you put them in the tub. It's not good for them.

I have to ask, why aren't baggies good for ponies? I use them a lot.

Well, technically they aren't good for the plastic because it needs to "breathe" and not exposing it to air can actually lead to the plastic breaking down... I use bags myself, with info cards inside about each pony, but I leave them open so that the air can still circulate. I have a part of my collection stored in those big, clear, plastic containers, and they work great! That's what I recommend, for a short time at least. (We're moving in a few months, so maybe I'll have more space for them in my new room.)

Thank you, I didn't know that.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: FantasticFirefly on January 23, 2012, 10:05:01 AM
whatever you do DONT let someone else pack them or try to cram as many a possible in a cardboard box! especially on thier sides.  i was out of the country when my parents decided to move so my whole collection was packed that way! GAH!  a lot are now squashed and the legs messed up, hairdos ruined and paint actually came off of some onto others!  it was a complete mess and im still trying to fix them all up!  definitely have a bin of some sort that can hold weight in case someone decides to stack things (even for small periods of time) and have them standing with a good separator in between. just nothing heavy for that because it can bend and warp horns and ears depending on the pose. ^__^ Dont keep them near the construction either!  the dust and crap WILL creep into sealed plastic bins. I cant figure out how but it does!
good luck on construction.


Oh my! I feel for you! How many did you have? I was absolutely frantic to the point I was staying up almost all night and getting maybe 2 hours sleep before work so -I- could be the one packing my ponies. I didn't have my entire collection there, but it still took me a month. (I mailed everything to my parents place in ON, before moving to ON myself.) My EX had (what would have been) two boxes of my stuff to pack. he lost all my pretty glass and feather christmas decorations I had bought on clearance the month before. and the other box was crammed with a jumble of stuff, of course things were broken.


Bags sealed up tight are really bad if they are in heat/humidity. you may even see condensation build up inside the bags. but either way it's a recipe for tailrust/mold if they are sealed tight in a non climate controlled area (some basements/garage/shed/attic). I never had a problem with bags, but mine were always stored in a place that maintained room temp and was dry and dark. a few years back I also added holes to the bags for good measure.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: hlbmlp on January 23, 2012, 03:48:36 PM
Oh my! I feel for you! How many did you have? I was absolutely frantic to the point I was staying up almost all night and getting maybe 2 hours sleep before work so -I- could be the one packing my ponies. I didn't have my entire collection there, but it still took me a month. (I mailed everything to my parents place in ON, before moving to ON myself.) My EX had (what would have been) two boxes of my stuff to pack. he lost all my pretty glass and feather christmas decorations I had bought on clearance the month before. and the other box was crammed with a jumble of stuff, of course things were broken.


ughh i hate moving for this reason.  everything gets broken or lost... bleh

I had near 300 at the time but probably at least 50 or 60 of those were g3 mib. those didnt get it as bad.  some came out unscathed thank goodness! I dont know how the ringlets survived but they did!!! 
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: StrawberryReef on January 23, 2012, 07:59:16 PM
I think the easiest method for storing loose ponies is under bed storage... however I'm not sure if they are tall enough to store G1 ponies.

For my G3s, I first grouped them by pose since they fit nicer side by side and I wrapped any that would bleed (especially my divine shine gooey ponies) in tissue paper before standing it next to the others.  Then I filled each bin as much as I could without squishing the ponies and then filled in any gaps with packing paper.  The bins I got also have wheels on the bottom so they are super easy to move around and they stack nicely too.  Locking lids is a good idea too.

Here they are stacked..
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And here's what the inside looks like:

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they also fit MIB G3 singles very nicely too...
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And for larger boxed items I use large bins..
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Good luck and happy pony packing! :)

Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: scarletjul on January 23, 2012, 10:39:10 PM
Awesome!  Thank you so much for all the response, everyone.  :)

I'm off to buy supplies tomorrow.  :)
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: BridgetsMum on January 23, 2012, 10:56:11 PM
What I did is buy the big plastic bins from Walmart and put each one in a sandwich baggy. They're all, well most, are neatly put in the bins. They're doing pretty good so far. Good luck with getting them packed. It's a big job.
Title: Re: Storing ponies?
Post by: gazzy90 on January 24, 2012, 01:10:35 AM
I love your pics StrawberryReef! (http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php?action=profile;u=5785)
Everything looks so neat and organised...
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