Nirvana Restoration

[tuneful87]

Let's talk Nirvana Restoration!

For me, it depends on the condition of the pony. There are some I've never had a need to clean. Others, I've washed and/or removed tail rust, etc. I wouldn't say I've done anything drastic. I do have two (Peruvian Windy and Piggy Peachy) that were rerooted by the previous owners which doesn't bother me in the least. In fact, I adore Peachy in her long, wavy hair. She reminds me of Miss Piggy. hehe.

I think the only major restoration I've ever commissioned is the symbol restoration for my Spanish Milky Way (her symbols had disappeared altogether) but I don't feel guilty about it. She has been returned to her former glory. If I could go back, I don't know if it would matter as much to me. I think she looks just fine without them, but what's done is done...

Anyhow, I'm just curious as to your stance on, and experiences with, restoration.

P.S. Feel free to share before and after photos.

[Bibinettepony]

well I have mostly MOC, so I very very gently clean the dust which may be on the card but nothing more. Concerning the few loose I have I wash them very careful. I do not cut hair or re-hair or someting like that, the pony is cleaned but stay as I have bought him 

[BomChorom]

So 14 years ago I found some long forgotten moc greek ponies at a toy store that was closing for good and decided to get them out of storage. So given the fact I was a teenager and not knowing their value (no internet, no pony community back then) I discarded them. After being on the cards for so long , some had paper stuck on the side that was attached to the card... I was really disappointed back then and really afraid to remove the paper off of them, but one day i did it, and as a result Windy's symbol was smudged . I put acetone at the end of a toothpick to get it back to the way it was supposed to be (cause a cotton bud's end was too big to fit through the designs/lines and would smudge them more) . I had no idea what else to do  This was my only drastic intervention on a greek pony.

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This is the end result

[Leopard_Print_Unicorn]

It depends on condition, and also the rarity and value of the pony.

I have some Argies that have almost no hair, and I plan on rehairing them. If they were South Africans or Brazilians, I would not, but then again I don't buy ponies in that price range anyway. My most expensive Argie, blue and white Snuzzle, had a haircut that I could live with, so I cleaned her up and straightened it with a flat iron, but otherwise left it as-is. My yellow and orange Argie Snuzzle was purchased as a rehair, and I'm 100% ok with that for the price I paid for her.

If they needed more extensive work on eyes, symbols, chew marks or missing parts, etc., I probably would pass on them in the first place.

[Galactica]

I don't have many Nirvanas-

but I do have one that is totally bald and without tail, and I had always intended to rehair her. I started during a pony meet once but never got finished so she only has a few plugs.  I guess I don't have a lot of time to re-hair ponies, I sure hope she gets hair one day!

But I wouldn't retouch the paint. 

[BerryMouse]

Some smaller symbol rubs or hair cuts or even some missing streaks are okay.
I kept those as they were.

But the best example that I do restore some Nirvanas was this poor brazil Moonstone:

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I don't think restoring de-falued her very much =)
And she looks much happier than before.

[LadyPinwheel]

I prefer to keep nirvana ponies as close to the original as possible. But sometimes the pony is in such a need of TLC that you just have to give it some new hair or a deep cleaning.

[pinkkittywinks]

It depends on what state the pony is in Most of my ponies just have a wash and groom. I will clean out the inside, if there are signs of rust and mould. I have touched up the odd eye rub, rehaired and smoothed out frizz.

Love pkw xxx

[Leopard_Print_Unicorn]

Some smaller symbol rubs or hair cuts or even some missing streaks are okay.
I kept those as they were.

But the best example that I do restore some Nirvanas was this poor brazil Moonstone:

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I don't think restoring de-falued her very much =)
And she looks much happier than before.

She turned out beautifully! Great job on repainting the symbols.

[lilico]

Good job on the poor Moonstone ! She looks pretty !

I personnally only gently clean them, but never reroot or repaint them. I prefer to keep them in their original state, even if very bad. That's part of their personnal history, I like to believe. I kinda like 'poor' nirvanas, in fact
The only time I really 'restored' a nirvana pony was a poor italian Sunstone who had her horn half cut. I re-sculpted a new half horn, but it was entirely removable. I have a pic somewhere, need to find it back...

The only thing I tend to say is, when you choose to restore, repaint, reroot a nirvana pony, to mark it in some ways. Maybe a small sign on a hoof, or something, so a future potential buyer knows that the pony is not in her original shape.

[LadyGuinevere]

I guess I don't really consider cleaning them to be restoration, though I suppose it is when you look at it objectively I would clean a pony, or wash their hair and things like that, but I prefer my hair and symbols to be original where possible.

[jrr74]

I wished I hadn't read this post.  I have a Brazil Windy who's tail was full of brown mucky stuff on the inside and the mane was dry and sparse.  Looking back at the pictures before I removed all of her hair and gave her a good cleaning, I realize that she probably wasn't all that bad, and could have been kept in her in her original state.  I just wanted to bring her back to her glory years.  I will no longer have her symbols touched after reading this.  To help make myself feel better, I just wanted to put out there that even the artwork of the Sistine Chapel has been restored  . 

[Tiggums6]

I bought two ponies,  a Lickety split and hopscotch, think they were both NC maybe one was marked Spain, either way, I paid $5 for both as they were in terrible condition, all their eyes scratched, symbols damaged, Hopscotch had the most matted dreadlock nugget for a tail I've ever seen and her mane not  much better...I rehaired both of them and feel much happier looking at them. And I retouched LS's eyes, no guilt there. It all depends I think

[tuneful87]

Some smaller symbol rubs or hair cuts or even some missing streaks are okay.
I kept those as they were.

But the best example that I do restore some Nirvanas was this poor brazil Moonstone:

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I don't think restoring de-falued her very much =)
And she looks much happier than before.

Nice work!

I wished I hadn't read this post.  I have a Brazil Windy who's tail was full of brown mucky stuff on the inside and the mane was dry and sparse.  Looking back at the pictures before I removed all of her hair and gave her a good cleaning, I realize that she probably wasn't all that bad, and could have been kept in her in her original state.  I just wanted to bring her back to her glory years.  I will no longer have her symbols touched after reading this.  To help make myself feel better, I just wanted to put out there that even the artwork of the Sistine Chapel has been restored  . 

I think cleaning brown mucky stuff of of anything is ALWAYS a good idea! I'm glad you did!

I bought two ponies,  a Lickety split and hopscotch, think they were both NC maybe one was marked Spain, either way, I paid $5 for both as they were in terrible condition, all their eyes scratched, symbols damaged, Hopscotch had the most matted dreadlock nugget for a tail I've ever seen and her mane not  much better...I rehaired both of them and feel much happier looking at them. And I retouched LS's eyes, no guilt there. It all depends I think

No need to feel guilty at all! I'd love to see photos.

[pinkkittywinks]

I agree with Tuney! Cleaning anything nasty, sticky and yucky off a pony is good idea they may well leave a stain (like spider dirt) or even worse cause deterioration of the pony.

Love pkw xxx