Storing ponies in hot weather?

[LunarEclipse]

Hey all!

Apologies if this has been posted/ discussed before. Mods, please feel free to delete this if it's redundant.

So the northeast is having a bit of a heat wave this week and it's got me worried about my ponies in storage. I have a bunch of MiB ponies (mostly G3s and G4s) boxed up in the attic, which seems to get a good 10-20 degrees hotter than it is outside. I checked on them yesterday, and aside from a teeny bit of internal packaging getting warped, the ponies themselves seem okay. Is there anything I should be concerned about or watching out for? I'm guessing the rest of the summer is going to be pretty hot as well, or that we may have more heat waves, so the ponies will be exposed to heat for awhile longer.

Any advice is appreciated!

[ringwraith10]

I live in Georgia and it gets about as hot as possible here (I once heard that the reason it's so hot in my town specifically is because it is located near the gates of Hades -- I might agree with this theory).

I had my ponies stored in the attic for about 5 years at one point, and though some of them warped a bit, there was no severe damage caused by the heat. The warping was fixable. I still try not to store my ponies in the heat if it can be helped, but I don't think they will melt into a puddle if you do have them stored.

[LunarEclipse]

I live in Georgia and it gets about as hot as possible here (I once heard that the reason it's so hot in my town specifically is because it is located near the gates of Hades -- I might agree with this theory).

I had my ponies stored in the attic for about 5 years at one point, and though some of them warped a bit, there was no severe damage caused by the heat. The warping was fixable. I still try not to store my ponies in the heat if it can be helped, but I don't think they will melt into a puddle if you do have them stored.

Thanks! I'm pretty much in the same boat, I don't really have anywhere else to put them so I can't avoid them sitting in the heat. How did you go about fixing the warping?

[hathorcat]

Plastic needs to breath and pony plastic will warp/change under extreme and continuous heat.

However, for warping, we are talking a significant period of time and a continuous exposure for a lot of that to happen or happen to such an extent the ponies can not be fixed.

On the plastic sweating front, I would simply make sure the ponies are stored in such a way that they can breath - i.e. not in plastic baggies and with some kind of air flow. Thats always a good plan when storing anyway but in the cases of humidity and to prevent condensation and conditions which are not good for the plastic, breathability is certainly something I would check for.

[gypsyunicorn]

Just my thinking but I would more worry about the effect such heat has on the chemicals in plastic overtime breaking down. If you ever walk in a museum they have items worth saving in controlled temperatures where they don't let the temperatures change. I don't think I could store my ponies in an attic. I did get some childhood ponies back from my parents that had been in the attic. My Brandy dog has not toes. The lemondrop had saddlesores. Other then that they seem fine. I have taken apart some ponies found 2nd hand to clean to find that the inside of the pony is sticky. I do think if you want to preserve your collection the best bet is to display it in a cabinet with glass so that dust doesn't get to it either. Collecting to preserve is hard to do at times and if you have a cool dry basement it would be better I believe then a hot attic. Otherwise store them in a closet or under the bed if you can. Try to avoid the attic heat .

[Foxtale]

I was wondering the same thing sitting in this heat wave.

I know plastic baggies are no good for loose ponies, but what about those Blue tubs you get from stores like Walmart or Target? If I put MIB ponies in there should they be okay?

[Baby Sugarberry]

Storing any collectible in an unfavorable environment is just asking for trouble.  Plastics outgas when heated, and are more prone to releasing volatile chemicals. Attics and unfinished basements are never a good choice for long term storage. By the time you see the damage it's often too late.

[Elfpony]

I think you can get away with storing them in the heat for longer though, if it's a dry heat.  Humidity can cause damage much quicker.  We quite frequently have 100% humidity where I live (how am I not underwater?) and I've seen ponies that looked ok at the beginning of summer develop mold or rust just sitting on a shelf if they have any kind of dampness inside them.  Doesn't happen often, but it's a posibility.

Elf

[Lightning Twirl]

I have this problem with a lot of my stuff every year, its been in the 90s-100s here! Mine are currently stored in an opaque tote in my dark closet for right now. It stays very cool in there, but not at all damp. I also keep eclipse black out curtains up on all my windows so my home stays around 72 with the air conditioner turned on every time it gets over 80F. So on top of the closet being dark and cool, the rest of my home is too while its hot enough to cook popcorn outside! Lolol

[summerday]

About 15 years ago my mother-in-law pulled out my hubbies childhood toys. Most were ok, but Heman's head had melted sideways and to his shoulder. Though Houston summers can provide extremely hot attics. And I'm sure they had been in there for 10-15 years.

[PandoraAnesidor]

Proper storage is a really important investment to make for your collection, especially when you have a  lot of valuable pieces. Can other things you own that would not be damaged by the heat be moved to the attic to make space for the ponies? I would move them now and not wait--if you're already noticing visible warping, that's not a good sign. If you have more money to invest in your solution, you could consider getting AC for the attic.