My very successful pin dot removal!

[mlpkatie]

So, I found a cheap Lil Tot pony at the MLP Fair last year. She was covered in Pin dot/smooze/ingrind dirt, and not until now did I decide to get rid of it.

I was on the MLPpreservationproject website, reading about it. It said to run her under hot water for a few minutes and then use your nail to scrap it.
I have no nails, or a metal brush thing they also suggested.
So I grabbed a spoon. It was only one sitting(10 minutes) that I got her 90% pin dot free!
To me, this is the best method! Although the spoon made her feel unsmooth, but under some hot water for a minute or two she started to smooth out a bit more. 

Heres before(left) and after(right) photos! visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[celticowgirl88]

Wow! Looks great

[ponycake]

Awesome job! And good to know. I would have just figured it'd be a lost cause.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Congratulations! I have a Pony with a little bit of ingrained dirt and I've been wondering whether to even try to remove it, largely because of the rough feeling that will remain. When you used the hot water on yours, did she stay smoothed out or go back to feeling rough after a while?

[Rhubarbpie]

That's awesome! I have a number of ponies in this condition and no finger nails as well   Great tip there 

[mlpkatie]

Lucky_Ladybug, she started smoothing out the more times I put her under. I'm not really picky and I kept my pony under for about a minute and she was smooth but you can still feel a lil ruffness. You can only feel it and not see it unless super close.

[Teddy]

Wow, that's amazing! Makes me want to try this out on a couple of my ponies!

[hathorcat]

She looks fantastic! A butter knife is also great for pin dot removal

Over time and as long as she is heated up in some way the pores in the plastic which were distorted will relax back to original. Plastic has a memory and heat helps speed up the process.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

That's definitely good to know. I was afraid the rough feeling would last forever! I might attempt getting the dirt out, then. It's not really noticeable unless you're up close, but its presence does drive me a bit bonkers.

[kissthethunder]

I always was so fond of Lil Tot, it does my heart so much joy to see someone spend the time to make her pretty again <3 Awesome job!

[cyberfluf]

She looks amazing! I have to remember that