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Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: lordalexander74 on July 19, 2015, 07:06:12 AM

Title: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 19, 2015, 07:06:12 AM: Howdy everyone. Anyone know of a guide that shows how to remove the cutie pox and other decorations from the CMM/Ponymania toyline?
Been wanting to touch up the ponies I have from this line, I'm not a fan of the unnecessary decorations.
Thanks

lordalexander74
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: hathorcat on July 19, 2015, 07:10:37 AM: Acetone is your best bet :) You just need a cotton bud/q-tip and some nail polish remover. And then delicately remove the paint you want gone.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 19, 2015, 08:04:35 AM: Nail polish remover and a q-tip? That's what I thought the process would be like. My only concern is the cutie mark around a ponies eye, I'd rather not damage the eye.
And just to be sure, generic polish remover won't do anything to the underlying plastic, just the paint/cutie mark right?
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: hathorcat on July 19, 2015, 09:43:42 AM: You just have to be super careful around areas like the eye unfortunately - make sure you have a steady hand :)

Make sure you wipe as much of the acetone off the pony as possible - because of its properties it evaporates very quickly anyway. We have been using acetone and nail polish remover on ponies for as long as there have been customisers and collectors - it is a harsh chemical and I would never suggest dunking a pony in it without risk but you will only be using a small amount here and you will be ensuring its all removed so the pony will be fine.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: wlyteth on July 19, 2015, 10:15:26 AM: I usually wash the pony with soap and water after. And sometime told me to only use 100% acetone otherwise the symbols might smudge.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 19, 2015, 10:41:39 AM: Thanks for the advice everyone. Gonna try using nail polish remover first, will probably be the least expensive/safest option. I'll see how it works on one toy (Flower Wishes will be my first victim) before moving on to others.
I've used pure acetone before in an Organic Chemistry lab, for cleaning equipment. Real potent, gotta treat it with respect.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: Moonbreeze on July 19, 2015, 12:02:21 PM: I went in full acetone on mine and it worked out fine :) I used tape (but I'm not sure what the type is called in English) to cover the eyes to prevent damage. Good luck
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: gabumon on July 19, 2015, 05:05:28 PM: ya maybe that blue painters tape
would work to cover the eyes?
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: shabbychicdee on July 19, 2015, 06:48:51 PM: nail polish is week in comparison to acetone, if you do use nail polish make sure to contains acetone in it.
always use a mask too, nasty stuff.
~~flower wishes~~ bon bon was the easiest ever :)
if you are doing the flower mania ponies, lotus blossom and rose were a complete nightmare to do and fix up afterwards :( their horrid eye surround flower paint went under their eye paint and they both needed touching up/mending.
im a painter by trade but not that kind of intricate painting.
btw helia redy pink stains and won't come out but they all look much better now with all the craziness going on.
i just did .....the yellow unicorn, ops forgot her name. half an hour ago, she was a dream. came up great ;)
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 20, 2015, 01:18:22 PM: Working on Flower Wishes now. Got some Walmart brand acetone based polish remover. So far it's doing a decent job with a bit of scrubbing, though there's a bit of a yellow film leftover. Hoping to get rid of that as well.
I refuse to touch the flowers around her eye, the way I'm doing it there's gonna be some damage to necessary components.

Spoiler
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Done, can see in the image that there's a bit of yellow on her leg, and the underlying plastic faded a bit. I was scrubbing a bit hard with a q-tip. Is this one of those situations where a better chemical is more useful? I've a couple more toys to practice on, though there may be a point at which I'll look into hiring a professional customiser to touch it up and take care of the eye pox.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: Galactica on July 20, 2015, 02:04:32 PM: I think 100% acetone works best (is also way cheaper than nail polish remover). I've used nail polish remover too- but it doesn't come off very easily and in scrubbing the paint off you can slip up and erase an eye...

Also I recommend those pointed q-tips - "precision tips" - easier to get off paint around places like eyes without messing up.

http://www.amazon.com/Fran-Wilson-Precision-Makeup-Applicator/dp/B000142MGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437426234&sr=8-3&keywords=pointed+q-tips
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 20, 2015, 02:39:59 PM: I'll see if my dad has some acetone in storage somewhere, never know.
I'll look around for some of them pointy q-tips, I was thinking of taking a small piece of paper towel on a toothpick. I'm a bit stingy sometimes, trying to think of what I can get away with without spending anything.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: nogames on July 20, 2015, 03:10:09 PM: Acetone is too harsh, it can easily whiten and ruin plastic. Acetone-free nail polish remover works better.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: Artemesia's Garden on July 20, 2015, 04:44:58 PM: I'd use a fine paint brush and work from top to bottom, maybe be prepared have a second or third go, washing with soap and water and drying in between rather than over doing it with the acetone. That's hypothetical though, I wish I could afford some spares to practice on!
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: Galactica on July 20, 2015, 06:08:10 PM: Quote from: nogames on July 20, 2015, 03:10:09 PM
Acetone is too harsh, it can easily whiten and ruin plastic. Acetone-free nail polish remover works better.

I disagree. The decals they use for the newer ponies are really tough and acetone free nail polish remover is not going to do it.

I have never had acetone discolor a pony when removing paint. The only problem I had was when I forgot a pony in an acetone bath for an hour... results were not pretty... :shocked: I have never heard of any other customizers having problems with acetone on ponies either.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: Moonbreeze on July 21, 2015, 02:06:37 AM: No problems with acetone here either. Just don't dip any plastic in it and remove the paint with swipes/ brushes

Here's my Helia:

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No discoloration, only a hintof the pink that didn't come off
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: pyrodarknessanny on July 21, 2015, 02:58:45 AM: Quote from: lordalexander74 on July 20, 2015, 01:18:22 PM
Working on Flower Wishes now. Got some Walmart brand acetone based polish remover. So far it's doing a decent job with a bit of scrubbing, though there's a bit of a yellow film leftover. Hoping to get rid of that as well.
I refuse to touch the flowers around her eye, the way I'm doing it there's gonna be some damage to necessary components.

Spoiler
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Done, can see in the image that there's a bit of yellow on her leg, and the underlying plastic faded a bit. I was scrubbing a bit hard with a q-tip. Is this one of those situations where a better chemical is more useful? I've a couple more toys to practice on, though there may be a point at which I'll look into hiring a professional customiser to touch it up and take care of the eye pox.

that could just as easily be a flaw in the plastic tho.

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one of my holly dash's had some discoloring in the plastic on her leg.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 21, 2015, 01:13:55 PM: Could be, I know I was working hard at getting those decals off. Think it would help if I wiped it off with water more often? I did have a wet paper towel handy.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: Galactica on July 21, 2015, 01:16:46 PM: Quote from: lordalexander74 on July 21, 2015, 01:13:55 PM
Could be, I know I was working hard at getting those decals off. Think it would help if I wiped it off with water more often? I did have a wet paper towel handy.

I don't think it is a flaw with the plastic- I think sometimes these decals stain or sink into the plastic a bit. (Happens with vintage ponies too when you swipe off the symbol) I suspect some careful sun-fading could lighten them up.
Title: Re: Removal of cutie pox from the CMM line?
Post by: lordalexander74 on July 21, 2015, 01:56:19 PM: Looking closer, seems Flower Wishes flowers, the yellow part of it, smeared and stained her leg. Tried scrubbing it off, just seemed to make it worse. I'll try again later.