Poor pony victims of my young inspired self. UPDATE

[Shiverdam]

When little me first discovered customizing, of course I had to try it myself. Sadly my selected victims were G1 Peachy and Trickles. They were crudely painted with metallic acrylics while their hair was taped out of the way.
I few months later I realized the err of my ways and hid them out of sight for many years to come. Today I discovered them.

This is the result of over a half hour of scrubbing with sponges, brushes, even scraping it away with a butterknife. I soaked them in hot water and dish soap and even boiled them. Some spots come away pretty easy but others hold fast and won't budge. I'm too afraid to use any other products because I'm not sure what would ruin them and what would not. For anything I try, Peachy would probably be the guinea pig since she's common as dirt. I can do restoration work if necessary, it looks like Trickles will need a symbol repaint anyway.
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Please help these poor girls! I don't want to throw them away, I feel like their case is still salvageable.

[Mirnyj]

Oh goodness, poor ponies indeed! I'm happy to hear you want to save them, but I'm afraid I have no more to offer than good luck wishes on your quest. 

[Juliepants]

Same here, can't help, but all the best. Poor girls.

Jules x

[Snapdragon]

You're gonna need rubbing alcohol, and a lot of elbow grease! But the more potent choice would be to go at them with acetone and gloves (be careful, it's a powerful chemical! make sure to have windows open and air circulating!), and be mindful of the eye paint. Acetone will strip anything, including the factory paint! If you are careful, you may be able to scrub the more delicate areas around the eye with rubbing alcohol, which I believe is less likely to strip the eye too.

I've had to strip some old customs too, covered in filthy, sticky old paint (grooooooss!!), so it's not impossible! Just tedious! Good luck!

[Griffin]

I second Snapdragon's advice. Something like OxiClean might be worth trying as well, I'm not sure how well it works on paint but I've used a similar product successfully on some tough stains, ingrained dirt and such on ponies and it won't damage the eyes or symbols. Good luck! 

[Gingerbread]

Maybe a Magic Eraser would work? Good luck on cleaning them up!

[Shiverdam]

You're gonna need rubbing alcohol, and a lot of elbow grease! But the more potent choice would be to go at them with acetone and gloves (be careful, it's a powerful chemical! make sure to have windows open and air circulating!), and be mindful of the eye paint. Acetone will strip anything, including the factory paint! If you are careful, you may be able to scrub the more delicate areas around the eye with rubbing alcohol, which I believe is less likely to strip the eye too.

I've had to strip some old customs too, covered in filthy, sticky old paint (grooooooss!!), so it's not impossible! Just tedious! Good luck!

I know the dangers of acetone, which is why I was reluctant to try it! If all else fails I'll just grit my teeth and bear it. These two were part of my childhood collection and I'd like to have them back to normal!

I second Snapdragon's advice. Something like OxiClean might be worth trying as well, I'm not sure how well it works on paint but I've used a similar product successfully on some tough stains, ingrained dirt and such on ponies and it won't damage the eyes or symbols. Good luck! 

Oxiclean was going to be the next step, I just wanted to make sure someone actually recommended it first!

Maybe a Magic Eraser would work? Good luck on cleaning them up!

I also tried a magic eraser, no luck This is really tough stuff in some areas.

[hathorcat]

Yup I ll third the rubbing alcohol option. You can use paint stripper (great for deflocking) but it can use a pock mark effect on the surface of the plastic and you need to be incredibly careful when you are using it in regards safety.

Good luck! I am sure you will get there...you just may need a lot of patience.

[FarDreamer]

 

Lots and lots of acetone.

Since they have nice hair and no damage to their bodies, there is hope.

[Shiverdam]

Here's an update!
After simmering in Oxiclean for a while, Peachy's main coat of paint has been removed. I say "main coat" because there is still quite a bit of residue left over. I managed to remove a lot of it with a Magic Eraser, but there's still more to be done. As expected, the blue paint has stained her plastic. I popped her head off and removed her tail, which was given a spa treatment in itself to remove paint stains. Her head and body are currently swimming in another oxiclean bath for a prolonged time.

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She's probably going to have to sit in the window for a few months after this ordeal!

As for Trickles, the red paint has dyed her body a darker color over time. She's now a darker more orangy color. The space between her hairplugs (the only part I hadn't painted) is still the same light yellow.

[hathorcat]

Sounds like you are making some kind of progress! I actually like Trickles new colour Very unique!

[Shiverdam]

'Nother update!
The Oxiclean bath did nothing to further Peachy's cleanliness so I've wrapped up her mane and covered her eyes, and she's now gonna chill in the window for a while.

TRICKLES. She's a stubborn one. The red paint is proving to be a LOT tougher than the blue. One oxiclean bath later and it's not scrubbing off at all like the way the blue did. I may have to resort to acetone.

[LNS]

Best of luck.