The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: PrincessKittyDragon on March 16, 2020, 09:15:27 AM
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I am considering taking the heads off my ponies to clean the inside and replace the washer with a ziptie, but I'm conflicted!
I don't see tail rust on any of them but I worry with washing them without taking it out it'll cause rust. I'm also worried about mold :yikes:
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Nope. Not unless there is a serious reason to need to do it, like a major rust or mould issue apparent.
Breaking the neck seal is permanent damage, so it's a decision I wouldn't take lightly. I also don't agree with replacing washers with zipties etc. None of my ponies have ever developed tail rust from living with me, including my childhood ponies, who used to come in puddles and get baths. I had one baby sea pony get internal mould which we treated WITHOUT needing to behead her, but never rust. Replacing the tail washer/etc on a pony that has no damage/rust/flaws makes no sense, since I imagine nobody keeps their ponies in damp conditions (and if they do, maybe that's what needs rethinking).
My mantra is do no harm - so it would have to be a particularly horrible case for me to go to those lengths.
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Only if there is rust, mildew or mold. Rust is kinda icky but not too bad to deal with. I removed the rusty tail washer and weights.
But I did hafta to clean my daughter's Baby Dangles for what I believe was some kinda mildew or mold and it was so awful! I gagged multiple times because of the smell. I hope I never come across a moldy pony again.
If there is no signs of either rust, mold or something other then that (like the dog poop pony or the pot stash pony.) No brown spots, no horrendous smell, then seriously don't bother.
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I only do it if there’s reason to do so. Mould or rust is a pretty good reason if you ask me. But if it’s not needed, maybe don’t do it.
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I also only take them apart to clean them on the inside if there is an obvious reason to do it. I have never had any of my ponies develop tailrust after I cleaned them. I always turn them upside down so excess water can run out of them and I make sure they dry properly before putting them in more confined surroundings.
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Nope! I could never bring myself to do anything like this :< Another reason why I go for mintier ponies, I'd rather leave this sort of restoration work to people that want to do it ;)
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As a kid, I took them apart to make sure they dried on the inside. Before then, water would slowly seep out of the tail. I didn’t see it as damage. In fact, I thought it made them better as their heads could then turn. :P
I haven’t done that to any of my newer purchases. I would only consider it if there was an obvious problem like mold.
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I also only take them apart to clean them on the inside if there is an obvious reason to do it. I have never had any of my ponies develop tailrust after I cleaned them. I always turn them upside down so excess water can run out of them and I make sure they dry properly before putting them in more confined surroundings.
Yeah, I do this too. All ponies that have recently been washed are left out to be checked and to dry properly before going back in the cupboard, sometimes three or four days if necessary, just to make sure.
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I always do this. You never know what dirt might be eating your precious pony from the inside. I've removed so much rust and grime that couldn't be seen from the outisde and i'm happy that I did.
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Only if there is a serious enough problem to warrant taking them apart (tail rust, mold, etc).
Also on the rare occasion I get a pony with her neck glue already gone, I might pop off her head just to take a peek because I'm curious. The first G1 I ever got had a loose head actually!
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I only really do it when it's either obvious that there's some funky stuff going on inside that needs to be addressed, or when I'm planning to remane and/or retail them.
Honestly, sometimes getting their heads off then back on can be such a pain, it's not a part of the process I enjoy doing. Maybe the toy story films just influenced me at a young age, but I don't think the ponies really enjoy it either :lol:
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Only if it's necessary (rust, mold, etc, problems that need to be solved internally) or if the seal is already half broken and it's coming off anyway. Rust/mold is obvious, but if the seal is already half broken, I feel like it's a lot easier for water to get in there. The glue is already deteriorating anyway.
You can definitely wash ponies with their heads on and seals intact and not cause any mold/rust to happen, too.
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I'm much more lenient with earlier ponies than later ponies because they're such a chore to get the heads off of. If I give a pony an Oxi soak to get ingrained dirt out I'll take the head off just in case. I don't like replacing the piece holding the tail but I will get rid of the ring. I've never had one rust on me after I've washed it but they don't soak.
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As a kid, I took them apart to make sure they dried on the inside. Before then, water would slowly seep out of the tail. I didn’t see it as damage. In fact, I thought it made them better as their heads could then turn. :P
Yeah! As a kid a few of my ponies heads got loose just from play, and I loved being able to pose their heads in different positions!
Currently, I try to avoid doing head removal, unless it is already mostly loose OR if there is bad tail rust. I've gotten a couple thrift store ponies with loose heads, and I went ahead an opened them up and cleaned everything. I couldn't blame people for going either way, though.
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Like others have said.
If I see or smell a reason - off it goes; but only if I can do so without plastic ripping.
IF the tail holder is super rusty (beyond saving) I will remove it. If not - I will try to get the rust off, clean up the pony, dry and re-assemble.
Luckily I rarely have to do this.
And as for washing ponies - I have never seen a pony develop tail rust after I cleaned them but I too make sure that they are dry before they go anywhere.
I've received ponies where people have been rough about removing the heads and that always bothers me a bit.
I don't see head removal as damage to the if the glue has already deteriorated to the point where there are gaps and you can remove the head by just cracking the rest of the glue, probably because some ponies also came unglued when I was a kid.
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Yeah, if the glue has more or less come off that's a bit different.
Because there's always a risk that a pony with a loose head in a second hand auction is rerooted, I personally prefer to know if the seal is broken. I don't collect reroots. But some people see it as a flaw and some don't. Either way it's a permanent decision really, and if you are going to do it, it pays to find out how to do it perfectly so as not to cause more damage than necessary.
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As an amateur Customiser, I know taking some heads off is easy, while others can get damaged by removal, dependent on Pony. So for the actual ones I don't unless cleaning is required (I MUST get round to cleaning my Sea Mist!!!). By damage I'm not referring to the glue, but the plastic. I've seen that bit which holds the head on tear off either partly or fully, I've wrestled wi early G3 heads & have a good few necks looking scruffy due to this, despite the boiled water from the kettle to help... it's annoying sometimes, so care is needed.
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Nope, I would be too scared I would accidentally damage something, in fact I'm even scared of regular cleaning out of fear I would somehow ruin their symbols or eyes :yikes: (although I did have an idea at one point of detaching Wind Whistler's head to hide an investment diamond inside if I ever buy one)
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If I buy them second-hand from auctions and the heads are already loose, I'll pop them off while cleaning them to check the inside. Most of them have been fine, but I recently opened up a Baby Glory that looked nearly perfect on the outside, but was completely rusty brown inside. :cry: I suspect rust, not mold, but it made me wonder what surprises might be lurking inside some of my sealed-head ponies, especially if poor Glory looked that good on the outside. I don't really want to break factory seals to check, but I guess I will if I suspect something funky going on. :huh:
Now I just have to figure out how to clean Glory. She's so tiny and it's all down inside all 4 legs...maybe a small bottle brush?
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I never take heads off unless I have to do so in order to clean tail rust or mold, or to rehair the pony. If it isn't necessary, I just leave the head. I don't like taking any restoration measures that are unnecessary and won't improve the condition of the pony.
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I don't that much (esp if the head resists me) because I'm lazy
But I have to tell you all, there have been many ponies I have opened that showed no signs of issue on the outside only to be caked in mold or rust on the inside. If you don't clean that out the pony will deteriorate even faster
I don't remove heads of ponies that I'm going to sell, that's up to the buyer to decide and why do more work?
Oh and if you want a safe tool for opening stubborn heads I recommend "Pry tools" they have lots of different widths and shapes and don't have sharp edges. My husband uses them for his technician job so I snatched some
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I used to take them all apart when I was a newer collector. However, now I just wash them and if they have tail rust when I look in the tail I will take them apart if they need it.
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I'm a customizer more than a collector, so I feel like my vote would be biased. It's always taking apart for me!
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None of the above. If I can see a pony is in excellent condition I will use baby wipes and comb the hair with warm water to style it without taking the head off. There is always a risk of tearing when taking the head off, unless the head turns i.e. someone else has already done it for you. However, if a pony looks a bit discoloured or worse for wear I will suspect hidden problems that may cause bigger ones down the line so I'll take the head off. If a ponr needs re-curling or deep soaking to fix outside issues then I will take the head off because if there is any risk of water getting into that tail hole she needs to be taken apart, cleaned inside and out and dried inside and out before reassembly. I wish I had kept and catalogues all the tail washer I've removed. Big regret because they are an important part of the pony. They are currently all just loose in a bag. I could kinda guess who would have each type. But anyway, we live and learn.
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I do if it smells or is showing pindot, tailrust, etc.
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It's a 'sometimes' thing for me. Is the pony's head already 90% of the way off? Is she exhibiting signs of internal distress - tail rust, dark feet (an indicator of internal mold/mildew), bad smell? Is she a pony I am keeping in my collection, and I want to be 100% sure she's okay inside and out? Then the head pops off! Sometimes it depends on rarity too; I'm less hesitant to behead a grimy Cotton Candy, but I get nervous around the higher priced ponies! What if I slip with the knife, and she looks like Frankenstein?! :yikes:
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If they're visibly dirty inside from the outside yes. Otherwise there's no reason to if they don't look messy inside.
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It's a 'sometimes' thing for me. Is the pony's head already 90% of the way off? Is she exhibiting signs of internal distress - tail rust, dark feet (an indicator of internal mold/mildew), bad smell? Is she a pony I am keeping in my collection, and I want to be 100% sure she's okay inside and out? Then the head pops off! Sometimes it depends on rarity too; I'm less hesitant to behead a grimy Cotton Candy, but I get nervous around the higher priced ponies! What if I slip with the knife, and she looks like Frankenstein?! :yikes:
Well at least she's already green. :silly:
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Thanks everyone! I've decided against it, I'll only do it if one of my ponies have very bad tail rust, which thankfully
none of my current ponies do! ovo
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One thing I really meant to say but forgot, I never take the tail clamps off. The washer is just a cheap iron pressing so will rust and can be removed but I've never personally seen a rusty clamp, only one or two that were corroded in a different way. I have accidentally bought a few ponies in the past where a zip tie turns out to be the only thing the tail together and I don't think the character of the tail somehow looks right.
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Yeah, I never take the clamps off, since I've never found one rusted - it just seems unnecessary. When I opened up my Starshine though, her clamp broke in half...
Personally, I open up my ponies at any sign of rust, not just extreme rust.
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It's a 'sometimes' thing for me. Is the pony's head already 90% of the way off? Is she exhibiting signs of internal distress - tail rust, dark feet (an indicator of internal mold/mildew), bad smell? Is she a pony I am keeping in my collection, and I want to be 100% sure she's okay inside and out? Then the head pops off! Sometimes it depends on rarity too; I'm less hesitant to behead a grimy Cotton Candy, but I get nervous around the higher priced ponies! What if I slip with the knife, and she looks like Frankenstein?! :yikes:
Well at least she's already green. :silly:
LOL, you've got me there! :lmao: