tail rust- leave it be or...?

[Radiance]

I'm cleaning up some ponies that will be for sale soon. A few of them are in very nice condition but have visible tail rust. Their heads are firmly factory sealed. Would it be better to leave them as is for sale or remove their heads, fix the tail rust issue, and replace the tail using the nylon zip tie method? They are all pretty common G1 ponies, if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

[Leave a Whisper]

I wouldn't leave the rust personally but that is up to you. I remember I used to play with my G1s all the time in the bath and swimming pool and one day I heard a rattling noise and found this weird stuff coming from her butt and popped off her head. Rust-splosion! Eee-yuck!  I don't sell ponies but, as a buyer, I'm more likely to be drawn to toys that look clean and are at least somewhat presentable. This is just my personal opinion. I know others will have different ideas, especially since its not hard to pop off their heads and clean em up themselves and they really enjoy doing it.

[Radiance]

Yeah, a couple of them are still fully factory sealed & would need their heads cut off, or perhaps use something to dissolve the glue. I know some collectors would rather have an un altered in any way pony and some would rather they be opened & cleaned.

[Skeen]

If I can't get a pony's head off but I need to remove tail rust, I pour some CLR rust remover into the cap from its bottle, then just sit the pony butt-first onto the cap.  The hair will absorb the rust remover, and then I can work it through whatever part of the hair I can get to.  Repeat as necessary, clean as normal, condition, and dry really really well.  It's obviously not as good as taking the head off but in my collection I'd rather have a slightly rusty tail than a head that has been badly removed because I can't work an exacto knife. 

[Strawberry Swirl]

I'd get rid of it. Luckily, if you soak the head in hot water it will be easier to take it off!

Get a toothbrush, some whitening toothpaste, and brush the rust away.

[Radiance]

Thanks for the tip, Skeen! I'm not too neat with an exacto knife either, so I'll try this if I can't get their heads off by softening the glue.

[Leave a Whisper]

If I can't get a pony's head off but I need to remove tail rust, I pour some CLR rust remover into the cap from its bottle, then just sit the pony butt-first onto the cap.  The hair will absorb the rust remover, and then I can work it through whatever part of the hair I can get to.  Repeat as necessary, clean as normal, condition, and dry really really well.  It's obviously not as good as taking the head off but in my collection I'd rather have a slightly rusty tail than a head that has been badly removed because I can't work an exacto knife.

Thanks for the tip Skeen.

[Tiara546]

I do encounter ponies from time to time who have had rust removed and therefore had their head cut off. For me, those cuts in the plastic are just horrible and I won't bid on such a pony if it is mentioned in the description.
What I do myself to remove rust if the neck seal is too strong to pull it open with bare hands, is to boil the pony in water and if it's still too firmly attached, then I use something edgeless to open up the seal with a little force. If nothing helps, I'd use an exacto knife also but I'd do it very carefully in order to pull apart the neck and body before I cut and therefore just cut parts that aren't seen afterwards if reglued later. This said, I also already messed up ponies with an exacto knife. That's why I'd always try anything else before resorting to that.

I'd always remove rust on a pony but I'd rather not cut into a pony that I'm planning to sell.

[hathorcat]

I would give people the option. Ask a price for the pony with tail rust and then a higher price for the pony without (but therefore with head removed). If you go by the option of removing visible rust only (and therefore leaving rust inside the pony that will come back) you are going to have to disclose that when selling anway.

[nhal039]

What cat said. I dont mind a pony thats had its head removed and clean but i would hate to buy a pony thats just had its tail cleaned and not its insides. The only reason i dont like it is because in the second case i may not be aware of the rust inside and so the rust can just worsen over time. I have seen rust cause permant stains and discolouration to ponies so i really dont like it being left inside a pony.