"New ponies arrive in the Fields all the time," Lady Minty informs you, "and many of them aren't always feeling too well when they first get here. Little Ponies can fall victim to all sorts of ailments -- tail rust, Smooze, spots and stains... The list goes on and on. Here at the CloverFlower Rehabilitation Center, I do my best to make these ponies feel better. "Other ponies are always asking me for advice on curing their own herds, so I've decided to explain my cleaning and repairing techniques here, in a Q&A format." Lady Minty's voice suddenly turns serious. "The most important thing to remember about the info on this page is that it is only what has worked for me. I make no guarantees that these tips will work on your ponies, and I will not be blamed if any info presented here ends up damaging your ponies. This page is all about advice -- do with it what you will. But I will not be held responsible if you ruin a pony, okay? Use your own caution and discretion with what you use on your ponies. "Now that the warning has been issued, let's continue on to the questions!" Lady Minty's Frequently Asked Questions About Pony Cleaning/Repair You can either skim down through the page, or click on a subject from this list to jump directly to the info you're seeking. 1. Cleaning 2. Spots and Stains 3. Hair Care 4. Symbols and Eyes 5. Painting ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Issue One: Cleaning 1. What do you use to clean your ponies? The products I use are Herbal Essenses shampoo and conditioner for normal hair, Bath and Body Works Creamy Body Wash in Daffodil and Vanilla scents, Crest Tartar Protection Toothpaste, and Clorox Bleach. Which products I use depends on the pony's degree of dirtiness. 2. Explain your cleaning methods. If a pony is pretty clean already and just needs a "freshening up", I use a light lather of either shampoo or body wash on her body and hair, rinse well, comb a bit of conditioner through her hair, let sit for five minutes, and rinse well again. If a pony is really dirty, I use toothpaste and an old nail brush to scrub the pony's body, being especially careful around symbols and eyes. Remember, toothpaste works because it is abrasive. It's not a good idea to scrub painted areas, because you'll probably scratch the paint. Toothpaste is especially deadly to glittery symbols, so use it with extreme care. After I've scrubbed off the major dirt and rinsed the toothpaste away, I follow up with the method for cleaner ponies explained above. 3. What about mold/rust on the pony? This is where the bleach comes in. Sometimes ponies will have internal mold and rust because at one time they were immersed in water and not allowed to dry properly. If a pony has been treated or stored especially badly, it can even develop external mold and mildew, which is really nasty to look at. ;) To treat these problems, I remove the pony's head, create a mixture of bleach and water in the sink, and let the pony soak for a few minutes. This dissolves the mildew and loosens the rust (you may have to scrub at the rust with a toothbrush to remove it completely). I then rinse the pony completely, and follow up with the method for cleaner ponies explained above. Again, remember that bleach is a strong chemical, so use care and protect your skin and clothes. Issue Two: Spots 1. What products do you use to get rid of spots and stains on ponies? I use acetone-based nail polish remover, and Clearasil "vanishing cream" (the white zit cream). 2. Explain your methods for spot removal. Some spots, like paint and stubborn dirt, are on the surface of the pony. I remove these with a bit of nail polish remover on a cotton ball. Extreme caution is required, as the remover will also smear eye and symbol paint. Keep it away from those areas. I have also heard that remover will discolor some ponies, but I've never experienced this. Just be careful. Other spots have bled into the pony's plastic. These stains are harder to get rid of, but some ponies benefit from a Clearasil treatment. This method involves spreading the Clearsil cream over the stain, and then exposing the area to sunlight for a few hours or day (or, in really bad cases like my Sharpie-scribbled Daddy Bright Bouquet, months!). The cream is a bleaching agent, and it can help get rid of ballpoint pen marks, highlighter, and the like. However, this is also the riskiest cleaning treatment of all, because the Clearasil can also fade pony plastic and discolor white ponies. If you decide to try this, please test the cream on hidden areas of the pony, like under a hoof and behind an ear, for a day first. Clearasil can be very unpredictable, so USE WITH CAUTION!! Other spots, like brown age spots, I have not yet been able to cure. 3. What is Smooze? Different collectors have different definitions for Smooze. To me, Smooze is the tiny specks of ground-in dirt that are often present on well-loved ponies. Some collectors refer to this ailment as "pony pox". The best way I've found to treat this is to scrub the area with a nail polish remover-soaked cotton ball for a minute, and then scrape at the spots with a fingernail. This often removes the dirt specks. However, the pony's plastic will always be a bit rough to the touch afterwards, so it is not a perfect cure. Again, heed the warnings for nail polish remover. Issue Three: Hair 1. What's the best way to clean pony hair? I use the method explained above in the cleaning section. Shampoo or body wash work equally well; I gently lather up the product in the hair and then rinse completely. Then I carefully comb conditioner into the hair, let it sit for five minutes, and rinse. If the pony's hair is tangled prior to washing, I gently detangle it with a wide-toothed comb before I begin. I usually let the hair dry naturally after it has been washed. If I think the pony has taken on a bit of water, I stand her on her rear to let her dry, so the excess water can seep back through the tail hole. Leaving water inside a pony leads to tail rust and mildew, so this is important to keep in mind. 2. How do you remove tail rust? If the pony has tail rust, but not enough internal yuckiness to merit a bleach treatment, I simply scrub the rust away with some toothpaste and a nail brush from the outside. I then use extra care to condition the tail well. Some collectors suggest using special rust removers, but I find that toothpaste works well enough for me. 3. On a related note, what about mane mold? Mane mold occurs when the pony is so badly mildewed that the gunk is actually seeping into the mane through the plug holes. A bleach treatment usually takes care of this; if the mane still looks gross, I gently scrub it with an old toothbrush while it is sitting in the bleach. 4. How do I replace a mane or tail? Rethreading hair is a time-consuming process, and the best way to learn is to experiment. Here's the explanation I give of my own method, but every customizer has his or her own preferred method: *Here's how I rethread a MLP mane:* ~First I decide what sort of hair I'll be using as a replacement. I've used real MLP hair (from another custom-ready pony), "fakie" pony hair, and curly doll hair from a craft store. Real MLP hair looks the best, but other kinds of hair look great on display, too. And it's best if the replacement hair is a little longer than the length you'll need the custom pony's mane to be. :) ~Then I remove whatever is left of the custom pony's old mane, usually by clipping it as close to her head as possible, then using tweezers to pull out the roots from the inside (oh, her head has to be removed for this method). ~Then I get one plug of replacement hair ready. Since I'm usually getting it from another pony or fakie, it has to be removed without being cut or damaged. Most of the time, this can be achieved by gently forcing a sewing needle down into the plug-hole of the hair plug you're about to remove, and working it around to loosen the hair. Then gently tug the plug of hair free. If this isn't working, try another plug. Also, it can be helpful if the hair is dampened during this procedure, because this makes it easier to keep the plugs seperated. After the plug is free, make a small knot at the end that was originally secured in the plug-hole. If the knot doesn't seem secure, a dot of superglue on it will ensure that it doesn't unravel. This knot is what keeps the hair from falling out of the custom's head. :) ~Once I have the replacement hair, I take a length of very thin wire, fold it over, and push the loop through a plug hole in the custom pony's head from the outside. I use tweezers to reach up inside the head and pull the loop down through the neck hole. Then I position the plug of replacement hair in the loop and gently pull the wire back up through the plug hole. If everything goes right, the loop brings the hair up with it, and all you have to do is pull the loose ends of the hair out of the hole. Then the hair should be secured in the hole bythe knot. ~Finally, I repeat this for every plug hole, and then wash and style the hair. Because I take great care in this procedure, the manes I rethread are as strong and brushable as original MLP manes. :) As for tails, I usually use tails from "donor" MLPs or fakies. I wrap string or rubber bands around the top of the loose tail; this will anchor it in the pony. Then I take some strong string, make a loop, and feed that loop into the tail hole from the outside, so that the loop comes up through the neck hole (the pony's head has been removed). I place the tail in the loop and pull the string back out through the tail hole, and then pull the loose ends of the tail out so that it looks like a "normal" pony tail. 5. How do you treat frizz? Really bad frizz is usually there to stay, but a careful conditioning can make it more managable. I've also had some luck with a product called Citre-Shine "Shine Miracle" Hair Polisher. I work a tiny drop of this product through frizzy hair, and it increases shine and managability. 6. How do you curl hair? After washing/conditioning hair, I wrap sections around drinking straws and secure with bobby pins. Small curlers can also be used. I then carefully dip the hair into boiling water for ten to fifteen seconds (longer submersion may lead to frizz). Finally, I let the hair dry, and then carefully remove the pins and straws. This creates tight pincurls. For looser curls, I remove the pins and straws when the hair is still a bit damp, and comb through the curls with my fingers. 7. How do you color hair? This is a toughie. I've never experimented with permanent hair dyes and pony hair, so I can't give a complete answer. Markers and highlighters can produce a "temporary" color, but this usually washes out too easily. Issue Four: Symbols and Eyes 1. How do you retouch smeared or scratched symbols and eyes? I use a tiny brush and Liquitex acrylic paint, and I mix my own colors to match the symbols as closely as possible. 2. How do you design and paint new symbols, like on a custom pony? First I plan the symbol by sketching it several times on a sheet of paper. When I am satisfied with the design, I lightly draw it onto the pony with a pencil. Then I paint it on with acrylics. For more information on painting, check out Issue Five below. 3. Any warnings you'd like to issue? Again, keep nail polish remover away from symbols and eyes unless you intend to remove the paint for a custom product. 4. How do you retouch or create glitter symbols? Glitter is a special case, and I haven't been able to perfectly replicate true glittery symbols. The best technique I've found is to paint the symbol with regular acrylic paint, let it dry, and paint a thin layer of clear acrylic sealer over it. Then I sprinkle matching micro-glitter over the still-wet sealer and let it dry. Issue Five: Painting 1. How do you paint ponies? Again, I use Liquitex acrylic paint. It's the most reliable brand I've tried, and it mixes well, so I can create any color I need. I also always use artist-quality paintbrushes, which is very important. To apply paint smoothly, I mix and thin the paint until it is the consistency of a milkshake, or thick gravy (those are the best comparisons I can think of). I then apply several thin coats, letting each coat dry completely before adding the next. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ That's all the available info at the moment. If you have a question you'd like answered and you can't find a solution here, email me at minty12_mlp@yahoo.com and I'll see if I can help.