Sunday, October 1, 2017

Make Those Black Marks Vanish!


I've been collecting Breyer horses for 30 years, and have not found a good solution to remove marks from models that I find when hunting at antique stores, flea markets, etc....

Until now!

I have tried this method on several models in the past month or 2, and have had very good results with quickly removing general marks from being played with.

I have even successfully tested this on a SR buckskin Lady Phase that I purchased at a thrift store years ago, who appeared to be hopelessly in fair/body condition, due to tons of black marks that would not budge with soap and water. 
She is now in good to very good condition after washing with this!!

Disclaimer: You may want to test a less noticeable spot first to make sure that you do not damage the paint.
Grey horses from around the 1990s seem to have delicate paint jobs, so I do NOT recommend this for those.

Be gentle on lightly shaded areas, as well.

Super tough marks may require more work to remove, and may not go away completely, but may be improved!


Meet #710 American Indian Pony from 1988-1991 that I picked up at an antique store today for $20:

He was well loved and had marks on him from being played with.


A better view of his marks, especially on the right hindquarter.


Mid-bath, I decided to photograph the marks on his right side before I washed them.


Ingredients:
-paper towel or soft cloth
-baking soda
-a few drops of dish soap (Dawn was used)
-water

Steps:
-Pour some baking soda into a dish, or right into a corner of your sink where water won't wash it away easily.

-Fold paper towel for strength and put a couple of drops of dish soap on paper towel.

-Wet the paper towel and rub the soap around slightly

-Dip the soapy part of the paper towel into the baking soda powder. 

-Get several drops of water on the baking soda on the towel to make a wet paste- *should not feel gritty*, as that would be abrasive to the paint!

If it feels gritty, add a little more water!

-Gently wash model, especially in places where it has marks. Many marks will be removed quickly with gentle cleaning!

-Dip paper towel into baking soda and then add a little bit of water as many times as you need to, to keep cleaning.

-Wash model with dish soap when finished.



Here he is after his short bath!


Marks on right side are gone!


Left side marks are gone, and I discovered 2 spots that I missed


I noticed that I missed cleaning these marks above the shading on his left hock area.

This is a thinly shaded area, so I tried to be very gentle.

These marks were stubborn and did require gentle scrubbing, however, I did slightly rub off a little bit of the thin shading. There is some of the grey paint in that area of shading, where the baking soda did not harm other areas of strictly brown overspray.


You can slightly see the marks, as I did not want to scrub harder and remove more shading.

He now looks great, with the exception of a few areas of paint loss from when someone played with him- just some old battle scars, at this point.


Happy horse washing!!!