Quick question regarding cleaning ponies

[jrr74]

Once you remove the pony head and get the metal parts of the tail wet while cleaning a pony, do you have to remove the washer to avoid tail rust?  I am hoping by leaving the head off and letting the pony air dry, this should be sufficient.

Thank you,

[Elisto]

Unless it's already rusty, I've just left it in place and let everything air dry. Not sure if that's actually a good idea? But it's what I do and what I suspect most others do too.

[ghouldilocks]

I personally plan to replace all my ponies' washers/clamps with plastic zip ties eventually - the rusty ones for obvious reasons, and the ones that aren't already rusty, just as a precaution. 

[Baby Sugarberry]

Usually I disassemble completely if the interior of a pony is going to / has gotten wet.  That means head off, tail out, and both left separated from the body for days/up to a week to ensure all the moisture has had time to evaporate from the nooks and crannies.  Your milage may vary depending on the relative humidity of your room(s).

If the ring shows no sign of rust, then it's safe to put it back in as long as the pony isn't going to be in a very humid environment or dunked regularly in water in the future.

[hathorcat]

The key is simply to make sure everything is absolutely as dry aspossible before popping the pony back together again.

If the washer is not rusty and if you have dried everything then you will be fine putting the same washer back in place again