Dapples Project Prep

 I was doing research on the Dapples project and was pulling models out to photograph. 

I needed help from Craig as I'd lost some height after my most recent spinal fusion, so I asked him to come help me get some models off the top shelves in my office. I simply cannot reach them anymore.

The first piece he pulled down was a shrinky - the dapple grey Running Mare from 1987.

I told him that she was a shrinky and explained what that meant. He was pretty surprised when I set her next to a non-shrinky Running Mare to compare - in fact, he did not think they were from the same mold, the size difference was so great.

This led to a conversation about the why/how of shrinkies, and then on to the lick test, the vinegar smell, bloaties, and oozies. 

Craig was fine (even with the lick test) until I explained about oozies - that made him look a little green. And when he learned that I was keeping a ready-to-ooze in a box in my closet, he asked why I didn't just throw it away before it leaked out of or through the box.

Before I could respond, he guessed the reason. "Sentimental reasons," he said knowingly.

Sometimes it's hard to throw away something that has given you joy over time. That model will stay in its box until I have no other choice.

Volunteer Model Puzzle

Because I stewarded for the BreyerFest Adult Novice Photo Show, I was given a volunteer model for helping and that model arrived just after FAMulous wrapped up. The model? Ben Nevis, the 2020 BreyerFest Volunteer Model.

He came in two colors, a light and a dark version, and I received the light version.

My photos don't do it justice, but he has a very sweet face.

I only have one other model on the Flash mold and that's Ivy, one of the two Christmas Horses from 2015. It was when I was putting Ben Nevis next to Ivy that I realized there was an issue.

Ben Nevis was not only longer than Ivy, but he was too long for the shelf.  Puzzled, I pulled the two off and examined them.

Length wasn't the only thing that was off - look at that height difference! Was Ivy a shrinky? He was only seven years old so he shouldn't be.

The height and length difference between the two was very marked and obvious when they were placed together.

I need to do some research to find out more about this size discrepancy. If you have any information, will you please email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog post? Thanks!

In the meantime, I will rearrange a few shelves of models so that I can put Ben Nevis and Ivy safely together at an angle on the shelf.

Thanks, Breyer - I really appreciate the gift of this volunteer model.

Surprise Shrinkies

I set my new Sandman onto the shelf next to my original Smoky and got a surprise.

Look at that size discrepancy!

It wasn't just a trick of my eyes or placement on the shelf; Sandman was quite a bit larger than Smoky.

I set Northern Lights in between them - there is clearly a trend of height differences.

Intrigued, I grabbed my seam measure and started more closely examining the three models.

Smoky's extended foreleg measures 3/8" off the ground.

Northern Light's measurement was a half inch (4/8") off the ground. (Er, shelf.)

While Sandman's was at 5/8".

My heart sank - Smoky and Northern Lights were shrinkies, models whose plastic was beginning to break down. Fortunately, neither Smoky nor Northern Lights have any of the other indications of shrinkiness - their bodies are not visibly contorting or contracting elsewhere; there is no odor and no ooziness. (Yet.)

(Kristen Wellman's blog, Model Horse Collectibility, has three excellent articles on vinegar syndrome, the more formal name of the decomposition of cellulose acetate, the plastic used to make Breyer model horses.)

I found something else interesting while examining these three pieces and am doing a little research on that. Hopefully tomorrow I will look at that discovery in my next blog entry.

Stay' tooned!

Shrinking Models

A friend recently sent me photos of some very hard to find model horses that she'd just received. Her initial excitement had turned to dismay when she realized that one of the pieces was a shrinky.

Shrinkies are models from the late 1970s through the 1980s (there are exceptions to those dates)  that are degrading. Signs may include include a vinegar smell, liquid oozing from the model, or the shrinking of the model in size.

I check my collection periodically for shrinkies. While I am sad to see them deteriorate, I don't want them to get to the oozing stage and have liquid pooling on my shelves. The call from my friend prompted me to do a check. Here is a look at them, some of which I already knew about, while others who were a (sad) surprise.

The dapple grey Five Gaiter (1987 - 1988)

American Indian Pony (1988 - 1989)

Project Universe (1987 - 1989)

Dapple Grey Running Mare and Foal (1987 only)

The dark grey foal to the left of the shrinking mare (1991 only)

My sister's old smoke Western Prancer (which she got in the 1970s)

My very early chalky Western Horse (1951 - 1953)

You can see degradation of the plastic on his legs - it's rough, discoloring, and just a mess.

  

He lives in that box bottom - he can no longer stand and while he isn't yet oozing, I'm taking no chances.

Then there are some models in my collection that I am keeping an eye on. (There is some natural shrinkage as the models cool when they come out of the mold so height can vary a bit among pieces from the same mold. Those are not shrinky pieces.)

My JAH Saddlebred Weanling (1990)

Appaloosa Stock Horse Foal (1983 - 1986)

Golden Bay Clydesdale Stallion (1990 - 1991)

Dapple Grey Belgian (1979) He has been this size since I got him decades ago with no more changes, so I don't think he is a shrinky.

There are those who enjoy collecting shrinkies and actively look for them. While I did purchase the grey Running Mare and Foal because they were shrinking, the rest of the shrinkies in my collection began degrading after they'd been with me for a while.

Unwelcome surprises, but not unexpected. That's just a part of collecting.

A Changing Perspective

Well, you never know what you will find out when you talk to other model horse aficionados. After writing my post about the deteriorating Western Horse in my collection, Collector Sande Schneider and I had quite the e-conversaion!

With her permission, I share a part of that - she, too, has a Western Horse like mine. Hers is on a lamp while mine is free standing. Even more interesting, she knows of the existence of two others, both of which, like ours, are chalky palominos with black hooves and the high grommet snap saddle from the earliest days of production.

I'm sharing this photo with you of my WH on a lamp base that has the blistering and crumbling problem.  This is what it looked like when I first brought it home last summer. 

That white dust like substance surrounding the rear hooves is powder from the chalky plastic rubbing against itself that happened when I moved the legs into alignment again. 

This close up ↑ was done outside in natural lighting.  The other two photos were shot indoors in our rec room. 

Chunks of plastic from the one leg have since fallen away from the rest of the horse.  As I mentioned previously Zap-A-Gap glue would not adhere to those chunks so I could reassemble the leg.  I should probably try some Gorilla Glue but haven't done that yet. (Meanwhile the lamp continues to remain on that table in our rec room.)

The black hooves on that horse presumably date it to the very early 1950s, probably no later than 1952.  That style of scrolled metal lampbase was the type used by Marks Lamp Company of Chicago.

I also have this WH on a Marks Lamp Co base and it shows no sign of stress to its legs (yet).  But I believe it to be a later production item because it has gray hooves not black ones.  I also have a palomino Western Pony on a Marks Lamp Co metal base that has no visible problems with its legs.

So now we have two of these deteriorating horses, but unlike shrinkies and oozes, they are "dry" deteriorating - there is no oozing or wetness, and a white powder is shed as it falls apart.

There are two more of these like ours - black footed palomino Western Horses from the very early 1950s who are falling apart. Sande put me in touch with the owner of one of them, and I discovered a surprise. I am waiting for permission to post some of her pictures of her piece. 

Her photos only add to the mystery of what is happening to these model horses. And at this point, I am wondering if this is a new (to collectors) form of plastic break down.

Are You Sure? A Closer Look

I've known Sande Schneider for years (actually, nearly three decades). If there is someone I trust to give me accurate information on Breyers, it's Sande. And when it comes to Breyer's Western Horse, she has no equal - it's her favorite mold.

I was very interested in her comments on the blog entry about my shrinking Western Horse. She sent me several Facebook messages and emails, and with her permission, I post part of our discussion here.

Are you sure that your WH is actually a shrinky, though? If so, might it have caught the "virus" from another shrinky? Most shrinkies are from the same era and your WH is presumably too old to be from that era.

Her question made me stop and think. There is a "shrinky era" (late 1980s - early 1990s), but there have been pieces found from earlier years that are shrinking, too. And some collectors have noticed that the shrinking often begins where the legs come out from the body (like my guy.)

Nancy Young's book talks of shrinking in the section titled Variations of Size (p. 340) but she doesn't mention vinegar syndrome anywhere that I can find and discounts the idea of the actual plastic shrinking based on information provided her by Elaine Lindelef, who is a mechanical engineer as well as a collector. While Nancy's research is top notch, it is also twenty years old and new information has come to light since her last book was published.

So the take aways from this was 1) my guy did not really fit the shrinky era, 2) there are exceptions known, and 3) he matches other pieces which also began deteriorating where the legs attach to the body. And, he has not been near other shrinkies to have caught the virus while in my possession (I cannot speak for his time before I bought him.)

Sande continued. That said, I have a palomino WH on a lamp base that has blistering issues with its back legs. It is a chalky plastic one and glue doesn't seem to want to adhere enough to repair it. At least one leg has crumbled into pieces. I know of two other palomino Western Horses with the same blistering on their legs. One is on a clock and one is free standing. I honestly don't know what it is or its cause. One gal thinks it is from direct exposure to heat. I'm not convinced

Okay, mine is 1) palomino, 2) not on a lamp, 3) has blistering issues, 4) is chalky, and 5) has not begun crumbling but has cracks appearing that lead me to believe that he will.

So... is he a shrinky or not? Is this vinegar syndrome? Or is it something else?

I'm not sure, as I can see commonalities with other shrinkies, but differences, too. He does sound a lot like the three that Sande describes.

I'm going to keep thinking on this.

What a Shrinky! Poor Old Western Horse

How's this for a shrinky?

It's too bad because he is also a chalky and a very early version of the Western Horse with the O-link chain reins and high rivet snap girth.

Estimated date would be around 1951 - 1953, which makes this the earliest Breyer in my collection (as well as older than me. Haha!)

All four legs have a line of demarcation where they come out of the body and the shrinking begins. The legs are in bad shape, but above that line, the body is in good condition.

Some models with vinegar syndrome begin oozing, but I am not finding any evidence of that yet.

The hind legs are curving forward - he no longer can stand without support.

And the paint is flaking off in places.

There are two odd spots like this one, one on the inside off hind leg and the other on the outside near hind leg. You can also see bubbles popping up. They're hard, at least at this point in the deterioration process.

Some of the plastic has cracked - I could push just a bit of my fingernail into that crack.

And he just looks dirty as he flakes and peels.

I bought this piece at an antique shop about ten years ago. He was deteriorating then, and my thought was that I could save the saddle. Well, the tip of one tapadero broke off, so there went that idea. (That's what is taped to his underbelly - since he was falling apart, I was not worried about tape residue or damaging him. It was already far too late.)

Identify Your Breyer has an interesting article on Western Horse variations. Scroll down to the palominos and this piece is the same as the first guy shown. (That piece has a later version saddle.)

I am sad to see an oldie lost like this, but the process cannot be halted. So, I keep him and observe what is happening. Probably when he begins oozing is when I will chuck him into the trash, but in the meantime, he resides in a box in my closet, awaiting his fate.

Dapple Grey Shrinkies

I have been aware for some time now that, at least in my collection, some of the dapple grey models shrink more than their counterparts do. (Shrinking is called "vinegar syndrome; go to this excellent article in Kirsten Wellman's blog for more information.)

Since that article was written in 2013, we have learned more about shrinkies and more have been found in people's collections, including mine.

I took some photos of some of my dapple grey shrinkies so that you can see them in comparison to their non-shrinky counterparts.

 The Sears Holiday Catalog 1987 Special Run Graceful Mare and Foal set is very common.

And the American Saddlebred, produced 1987 - 1988 is notorious for shrinking.

The 1987 Black Horse Ranch Special Run (second from left) has a reputation for shrinking but so far, so good. But there is one that is shrinking - look at the blue roan on the far right. He is from 1990.

Notice how all those models share the same year of production as well as the same coloring? I find that really interesting and would like to do more research on dapple grey models produced at the same time and see if they have vinegar syndrome, too. (The paint colorway may have absolutely nothing to do with the tendency to shrink. Still, I find it interesting!)

This shrinking Belgian is a special run from the 1979 Model Congress. Others from the same run were sold through mail order companies, with leftovers being released in 1984. This is a little early for the shrinky period, but then, shrinkies can be found all the way back to Breyer's earliest pieces.

 I love Breyer's Running Mare - such a sweet little mare, and this color is especially pretty on her.

You can see that she is beginning to distort as the plastic changes. So far, she is not oozing. (Something that often happens with shrinkies.)

 Her foal is becoming distorted, too, and I had difficulty getting him to stand as a result.

 I finally just laid him down for his off side photo. His soft grey coloring is beautiful, albeit a little yellowed.

This shrinky has really yellowed! (Yellowing can happen to all models, not just shrinkies.) I should put him in a sunny window for a while.

No distortion shows yet which I'm glad for as the Five Gaiter is one of my top three favorite vintage molds.

As far as I can tell, this boy has not begun shrinking, despite being one of the Black Horse special runs, many of whom have had heavy shrinking.

I hope he will beat the odds, but I think that they are stacked against him so I keep an eye on him.

This is the 1979 Congress special run. He's clearly shrinking, but I don't see any distortions or leaning yet.

While I do collect vintage molds, the Belgian is not a favorite - that too short off front leg has always bothered me.

Such variations in the dapple grey coloring! And all lovely in their own way.

Tomorrow I will feature another shrinky, one from Breyer's earliest years.  He's so bad he gets a blog post of his own!