Cleaning Stuart Horses and Figures
	Stuart History Dexter Balterman Stuart Sets Stuart Colors Stuart Accessories Cereal Premium Anchor Connection Emails From You Cleaning Stuarts Collections Knockoffs Unusual Stuarts Lizabeths Page Trade Page Links Home	In collecting anything old, clean as little as possible. The original patena, cleaned of just dust and dirt, is more desirable than a highly polished changed surface. A gentle bath with warm soapy water is a good start. Use a mild dish detergent. If your Stuart items need more work, try using Formula 409. A soft toothbrush is useful for the hard-to-get-to areas on horses like manes, tails or dirty scratches. Don't scrub hard. They may seem hardy but they are very old. Rinse with cool clean water and blot with a towel. For white or cream items you may need an extra step. Using Clorox gel and a soft toothbrush or soaking in a mix of half warm, slightly soapy water and half household bleach usually gets good results. I prefer to use Clorox gel because it's less messy. Use a towel that you won't mind getting bleached. Rinse with cool water and blot dry. Yellowed white horses are more of a problem. This is usually caused by prolonged sunlight. Try the Clorox gel more than once, or a bleach bath overnight. Don't expect the yellowing to completely go away. Remember that Stuart made cream and pale cream horse models. These are natural colors. An uneven yellow tone or a whiter saddle mark can indicate yellowing. I've decided not to recommend watery conditioners that may absorb. Most are just too risky as dyes can run, leaving a duller color in your Stuart. I just tried a product sent to me by a collector called Glysolid which is a solid gel-type glycerine with allantoin. It comes in a tube and was purchased in a beauty supply store. This product produced nice results on two C-7 black Stuart horses. Apply it only to the parts that need it as well as to the section where the horses tail connects to the body. Petroleum jelly also produces pretty good results but make sure any residue is removed. One Stuart collector places her not-so-good petroleum jelly-conditioned horses in a zip lock bag for a couple of days for best results. Make sure any conditioned horse is thoroughly dry before placing a saddle and bridle on it. Remember, natural finishes are preferred when it comes to collecting. Horses and figures in C-8 or better condition probably don't need conditioning. Slowing down the drying out process of our old toys is very difficult to do. Though I live in a normally humid climate, I spray a clean water mist through my house daily during the winter. A tail or leg can break off if a plastic horse is dried out. Some horses are probably more brittle due to prolonged weather and sun exposure or time spent in a hot attic. Display your Stuarts away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Painted Stuarts are extremely hard to clean. Most paints stain white horses, even after the paint has been removed. Black or red paint is the worst. I've tried everything to get stains out with little success. Enamel and acrylic paints can usually be removed with fingernail polish remover and a Q-tip swab. Have patience, it may take some rubbing. I use an old soft toothbrush with nail polish remover for stubborn areas like manes and tails. Oil paints can be removed with turpentine and a Q-Tip. Hobby paint usually needs mineral spirits or a thinner sold in the hobby paint section of craft stores. One collector recommends Easy Off oven cleaner, letting a coat soak the paint first. Use rubber gloves and plenty of ventilation if you try that. Another collector recommends soaking a painted Stuart horse in Pine Sol cleaner, then using a soft toothbrush, remove the paint. MENDING BROKEN PARTS I've been told a hot glue gun may work or a glue called Zap. Another technique I've heard about is to heat a pin tip (clipped so it's sharp on both ends) then press one end into a broken tail and last - the other end into the horse. Consider transforming your broken Stuart into a work of art. I do not recommend custom painting a Stuart in good condition. Remember, no other Stuarts will ever be made. DISPLAYING YOUR TREASURES In order to preserve our Stuarts, I recommend investing in a display, used or new, that will keep them from getting constantly tipped over by people or pets. China cabinets are ideal since glass cabinets reduce frequent dusting.