Removing tail washers -and- clamps?

[sweetlittlejenny]

So, I have a G1 Tux n Tails and a G1 Pony Bride that I've been fixing up. Both had horribly frizzy hair and some tail rust.

I plan to sell them once I get them fixed up.

Question is--- I removed the washer, should I remove the tail clamp too? Does it matter to those people buying fixed up ponies if the tail clamp s present or not? I mean I guess it's presence proves its an original tail so maybe I should leave it?

Also, can I use bleach on the pony brides hair or will it ruin her tinsel? Her hair seems to be a bit off white at the moment.

TIA!

[pineapple]

If the tail clamp isn't rusty it's up to you, I replace them with zip ties both because they'll never rust and because it makes it easier to reinstall the tail.

Chlorine bleach might react with metallic tinsel, but I'm not 100% sure. It probably won't do anything to lighten her hair though, try oxiclean or a peroxide soak instead.

[Teddy]

I never remove the tail clamps, just the washers. I suppose if the clamps are super rusty you should remove them as well, but I've never run into that issue.

I wouldn't suggest using bleach on your Pony Bride. Pineapple's suggestion of oxiclean or peroxide would be much safer, and probably more successful.

[Artemesia's Garden]

The tail clamp itself is never rusty in my experience, they are a different metal to the washer. If it seems rusty/corroded I would just scrub it well with toothpaste and make sure all is bone dry before re-assembling. The tail will never look the same again if you remove the clamp. Good luck, hope to see some pics!

[Sugar]

Like Pineapple, I generally replace both washer and clamp to avoid future problems.

I'm not entirely sure about the metal composition of the tail clamp, but I prefer to err on the side of caution.  Here's a washer that had almost completely corroded inside a baby pony I'd gotten:

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When I removed the clamp, the tail within was in surprisingly good shape, though rust had indeed begun to penetrate into the tail hair within the clamp... and the outside of the clamp itself was all rusty too:

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So anyway, that's why I prefer to do away with the metal bits and zip-tie them if I can.

ETA:  Doing this does affect the value of your pony, however... just figured I'd mention that.

[pineapple]

The tail clamp itself is never rusty in my experience, they are a different metal to the washer. If it seems rusty/corroded I would just scrub it well with toothpaste and make sure all is bone dry before re-assembling. The tail will never look the same again if you remove the clamp. Good luck, hope to see some pics!

The clamp in my Merriweather was so rusted it was falling apart. 

The difference in look is due to the crimp being wider than your average ziptie head. If you use two medium zipties instead of one to cover the same area as the crimp and a nylon washer you can't tell the difference without opening up the pony.

[Eldarwen]

If the tail clamp is rusty, I will replace it. If its not rusty, it will stay. I know for a fact ponies in my collection are not going to get in touch with water later, so its safe to leave it in.

And I have to say, when I'm buying a pony, I dont mind if the washer has been removed, but if the clamp has been replaced, Im not happy. Especially if I didnt know about it when I bought the pony.

[Artemesia's Garden]

The tail clamp itself is never rusty in my experience, they are a different metal to the washer. If it seems rusty/corroded I would just scrub it well with toothpaste and make sure all is bone dry before re-assembling. The tail will never look the same again if you remove the clamp. Good luck, hope to see some pics!

The clamp in my Merriweather was so rusted it was falling apart. 

The difference in look is due to the crimp being wider than your average ziptie head. If you use two medium zipties instead of one to cover the same area as the crimp and a nylon washer you can't tell the difference without opening up the pony.

Hmmm interesting. The clamp/crimp must be different in different ponies. You can see in the photo how the washer has rusted and stained (I threw it straight in the bin) but the tail but the crimp looks completely fine:

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Has anyone seen the well designed and different kind of tail clamp  that was inside some Parasols? I don't know why it didn't catch on with the other lines. So much better than those cheap rustable pressings.

I love these threads, so interesting!

[sweetlittlejenny]

Hmm, the clamp looks to not be rusted itself so I think I'm just going to leave it for now.

Sadly I did not take pics of either of the ponies prior to cleaning them up. I should have though. I only have the saved auction pic of Tux.

Thanks for the input everyone!

[Like A Tea Spoon]

If there is no tail rust or other issues with a pony, I leave it as is. Some of my ponies have crispy dry hair or have had a tiny trim from previous owners, but it doesn't bother me.

In most of my ponies ( I buy large bait lots ), there are issues like tail rust, mold inside, in which they either become alternate rehairs or up for restoration. These make up more than 90% of my collection. I don't have plans on selling them. Any ponies I do sell, are sold as is because it does affect the value of a pony.

Many collectors want everything original, even down to the factory curls. You'll get a better price for a pony in good condition from the factory than a pony who's neck seal has been broken and parts replaced in most cases.

when I rehair I do replace all metal tail parts with zip ties. It's easier to install a new tail as someone above mentioned. One big tie for the tail and a smaller one as a washer to keep the tail secure in the bootay. lol

You do want to let potential buyers know any alterations you've made to the ponies.

[pineapple]

The tail clamp itself is never rusty in my experience, they are a different metal to the washer. If it seems rusty/corroded I would just scrub it well with toothpaste and make sure all is bone dry before re-assembling. The tail will never look the same again if you remove the clamp. Good luck, hope to see some pics!

The clamp in my Merriweather was so rusted it was falling apart. 

The difference in look is due to the crimp being wider than your average ziptie head. If you use two medium zipties instead of one to cover the same area as the crimp and a nylon washer you can't tell the difference without opening up the pony.

Hmmm interesting. The clamp/crimp must be different in different ponies. You can see in the photo how the washer has rusted and stained (I threw it straight in the bin) but the tail but the crimp looks completely fine:

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Has anyone seen the well designed and different kind of tail clamp  that was inside some Parasols? I don't know why it didn't catch on with the other lines. So much better than those cheap rustable pressings.

I love these threads, so interesting!

Yeah, the clamp is more resistant but her washer had disintegrated into powder and the stain wouldn't come out completely.

[hathorcat]

I only take a tail out and remove a washer if its rusty of course and I will normally remove the clamp at the same time. I understand why people dont however as it does tend to rust less often than the washer. However given time, exposure and environment the clamp will and can rust so in the long term I find it worth replacing.

As to removing the staining something as simple as whitening toothpaste will be much kinder to the hair than bleach.

[vortex1310]

It's really interesting to see what others do with their ponies. 

I personally take out the washer and the clamp because both rust. I've seen ponies that had washers removed or missing and the clamps still rusted.

I used to think if I never washed my ponies they would be fine, but simply age and even just precipitation in the air can cause the rust.

Either way, for me, I've seen too many minty ponies have rust starting when I open them up that it gives me a great sense of relief to just replace both since I'm already in there. 

[Artemesia's Garden]

It's really interesting to see what others do with their ponies. 

I personally take out the washer and the clamp because both rust. I've seen ponies that had washers removed or missing and the clamps still rusted.

I used to think if I never washed my ponies they would be fine, but simply age and even just precipitation in the air can cause the rust.

Either way, for me, I've seen too many minty ponies have rust starting when I open them up that it gives me a great sense of relief to just replace both since I'm already in there. 

It's funny I've restored 50 ponies in the last 6 months off ebay/boot sales and all of the ones with rust it was just the washer. Even my very rusty US Gusty. Must just be a lucky co-incidence!

[Prince Primbrose]

I've never removed the clamp from a rusty pony. I use whitening toothpaste to scrub the rust out of the tail hair and off the clamp, then let it dry before I pop it back in. Unless the clamp was so rusted it was breaking apart, I don't see reason to go through the trouble of removing and replacing it.