::Pony
Cleaning::
Thanks to Lady Demonsia for
her info on customizing. Side notation on paints added by Amanda.
The Mane (lots of work; I prefer
to avoid plugging when I can by using extras)
To remove
the mane:
- First you want to remove the head. Do so by cutting
along the seam separating the body from the head. Using a razorblade
works best for this. Go slowly so as not to cut too deep or at the wrong
angle. NOTE: Some pony's vinyl can be harder than others; take
this into consideration when considering a custom pony.
- First you have to remove the old mane, by cutting
the old mane off and pulling it out in small bunches; best done with
tweezers or pliers. I have and am able to use a dental pick to pull
the hair from the inside of the head and I think that works much easier.
Make sure you have all of the old mane out before you go any further
as a few stray hairs can be a pain later.
- To create a new mane.
- NOTE: To make curly hair straight, place
it between 2 layers of fabric an lightly press iron on med-low heat
for a few seconds. Do sample before you try on finished pony or
other hair.
- IF you have a doll from which you are taking
the hair from that works best as the hair is already is small clumps
and easier to use. I then take small clumps of hair I removed from
the doll and tie a small knot at the centers of the hair (where
it is folded over). If you don't have 'ready hair' you can use doll
hair purchased from the store. It is sometimes in long strands with
a desirable amount of hair in strands already clumped together.
When cutting the hair you should cut it 3 times longer than your
decided finished length (or longer, you can always cut it shorter).
Fold the hair in half and knot as above like ready hair. I used
both a curved and straight needle (which ever worked best at the
point on the head) and thread the hair though the inside out, leaving
the knots on the inside. By pushing on the head you can adjust the
angle of the holes and therefore make it easier to still thread
from the inside. At some point on the mane it my become very difficult
to tread the hair from the inside at which point you have to work
from the outside. I thread the clump of hair on the needle (before
I knot the clumps together) and work from the outside in. Very carefully
I pull the small clump through until I have a hold of enough hair
to tie a small knot in and then I pull the hair back through until
the knot sets firmly against the inside. NOTE: If you have longer
hair than you will need and have to tread from the outside you may
want to tie a knot in the finished end to keep the hair from completely
pulling through when you try to tie the knot on the inside. Once
you have the knot on the inside you can cut the knot off of the
finished end on the outside. Then you will have to glue the hair
on the inside to keep the knots from coming out.
- Working with original mane or setting a new due.
- To detangle-Use Johnson's No More Tangles Spray
on Detangler in the hair and work all the tangles and knots out
and twist the hair around drinking straws, bobby pin it, and let
it dry.
- To clean-Shampoo and conditioner.
- To curl- Comb it out the best you can and then
washed it really well. Then brush it again w/ a fine tooth comb
and separate the strands you want curled. Use moose in each one
of those strands, making sure to comb out the frizzy ends. To set
hair wrap the group of hair around a barrette (about a 1/4 inch
wide barrette) and clipped it closed. Do this to each group of hair
and leave the barrettes in overnight. Use a pick to make the hair
nice and fluffy
The Tail
- Remove the old tail.
- If you have not removed the head for altering
the mane, it is best to do so now. Refer to above on removing the
head. If the tail still has the washer on it, save it, if not that's
okay. Here again I use my dental pick to pull the tail out from
the inside.
- Making a new tail.
- If you are discarding the hair in the tail,
use a pliers and open the small clip that holds the hair of the
tail. Remove the hair and save the clip. If you are using doll hair
you will have to separate the small clumps and lay them out flat
(a very long a tedious process). If you have store bought doll hair
I wrapped the length of hair around a book, that gave the tail a
suitable length. After I had enough hair I tied the ends together
and the bunch of hair so it wouldn't come apart. Lay the bunch of
hair in the tail clip and close the clip again. You will have to
work with it a bit to get the little tines back in right. I try
to only open one side and push the hair around inside, then I only
have to force half the clip back together.
- Adding the new tail.
- You can push the tail back into the hole where
it cam from and pull it into the body, then push the washer clip
back over the end of the tail (hopefully it will still fit and stay
properly). Pull the tail tautly out. If you don't have the washer
and can't makeshift one, be sure the tail clip is sideways inside
the body instead of perpendicular.
The Body
- To Clean the Body Thoroughly
- Soap and water... and a toothbrush
- Non-whitening toothpaste
- 409 Surface cleaner
- All above methods work best with a toothbrush,
scrubbing.
- For yellow marks, letting the pony sit in the
sun.
- Lemon juice can also be used to remove yellowing,
let sit in sun. Removes rust also.
- CLR (Calcium Lime Rust) removes rust also.
- For ingrained dirt, I here a solution (rather
thick) of Comet, Bleach, and water. Let soak for 4 minutes, then
scrape with finger nail or butter knife.
- Nail Polish remover and Acetone will work to
remove paint and some types or stains. Note: this can possibly
damage pony vinyl, SO BE CAREFUL! I have had success in lighting
ponies bodies when the head and body color is different (lemon drop
with darkened body). ALSO NOTE: This will remove paint (symbols,
blush, and eye paint) and discolor dark bodies.
- Nail Polish remover and baking soda- I've heard
is good on blue marks, scrub away...
- Wine?
- For Mildew- Hot Water and Bleach. Rinse Well!
- Woolite-cleaning so soft ponies, scrub lightly
with a toothbrush.
- For So-Softs are supposed to be white so a
light bleaching wont hurt their fur, rinse well. Also shampoo works
well.
- GOO-GONE is also supposed to work for cleaning
tuff ponies, works best with black spots, other colors, just changes
them.
- Hasbro softies or other plush, put in pillow
case a wash in washing machine, gentle cycle. air dry...
- Things not to use
- Clearasil- I hear this can do damage, some
of which wont be seen right away.
- Neutrogena cleaning pads-will fade out blue
marks, but blisters the vinyl.
- Dyes
- RIT dye- This works well to dye a ponies body,
will dye lighter colors of hair. Mix double Strength and let soak,
checking occasionally, until desired color is reached. Wont wash
out, don't know what paint thinners will do to finish...
The Symbols
- Your Brush
- I've used a few different paints myself with
varied results... Hopefully this will help. I like to use small
brushes as opposed to anything bigger than say a #2 or #3... my
favorite is a #1 with long white plastic hairs. I also use a #000
for small details. ( I can't remember the names) You can buy these
as well as the paints at crafts stores and hobby shops. I don't
recommend using the cheap craft brushes, but that doesn't mean they
will not work.
- Paints
- Model paints, such as
Testors, are typically enamel-based paint that can only be thinned
with various solvents. They smell because of their volatile base,
and can take a very long time to dry, depending on color, thickness,
humidity, and the surface to which they are applied. Dry time is
seldom more than a couple of days, however, or model artists would
not use them -- they want to get back to their projects ASAP.
Acrylic paints ARE water based, that is why they are acrylic,
which refers to the suspension of pigment in a water-based acrylic
(plastic) mixture. Acrylic paints, depending on gloss, dry very
quickly, from a few minutes (very matte, often 'cheap' paints)
to a few hours (typically very glossy, high-quality tube acrylics).
I use acrylics preferentially because of their quick dry-time
and non-toxic nature -- they don't have a smell, or (usually)
contain nasty chemicals.
Mistakenly thinning enamel paints with water would result either
in runny paint that separated (like ketchup in a bottle) or even
in paints that . . . took a very long time to dry.
Now, I don't use Testors -- rather, I haven't in a very long
time. Maybe their labeling is inaccurate. Do they label themselves
as acrylic, enamel, or oil? There are hybrids as well, acrylic/enamel
(sometimes called water-based enamel) which is a different animal
than either acrylic or enamel, as it shares properties of both
and cleans up with water -- theoretically?
I recall that Testors
are primarily enamel paints, and would indeed be good for detailing
on plastic -- that's why they're model paints, after all. Water-based
paints (acrylics) typically have very poor adhesion to smooth
plastic surfaces. I'm sure that Testors are available in water-based
formulas as well (and mixing the two would also result in 'sticky'
paint that refused to dry), but enamel and water-based acrylic
paint are two different things, as are enamel and water-based
enamel.Nail Polish- This is very fast drying and hard... big draw
back is that it wont fuse to pony body like other paints, will
peel off, especially over larger areas. Gives large variety of
colors though and should work very well for detail work.
(Basic Paint Information
courtesy of Amanda).
-
Vinyl jig lure finish-Dries very fast and
appears to work well except that it wants to build up a thick
layer and doesn't thin out when dries.
- Sharpie markers or other markers work well
also. Sharpies don't bleed out into the plastic, but you are limited
to color selection.
- Regular acrylic paints, such as Apple Barrel
(Wal-mart) will also work.
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