What's your pleasure?

[oc1]

All natural fiber fishing line (predominantly silk and linen) is at least eighty years old now and at least partially degraded by chemical and microbial attack. I doubt any of it retains it's initial strength. This includes unused line on the original wooden spool and kept in the original cardboard box. You might get 50% of the original strength if you're lucky.

There's a lot of information on techniques for museum conservation of natural fiber textiles and it's just not the sort of thing a fishermen is going to do with old outdated line. Direct contact with brass is near the top of the list of things that must be avoided.
-steve

[john elder]

probably not "new" strength, but I have several lines I've recovered using the above technique and fish with them...keeping mind I'm usually after brookies and rainbows 14" and under, so might be an issue with a more serious fish.

[Deepfins791]

I always take the old line off and look at the spool. If there is zero hint of corrosion on the spool after having the old line sitting on it for over 60 years, I assume the line was put on brand new, and the reel was never fished again, or the fisherman stripped it off, rinsed it good, re-spooled it, and never fished it. Given no hint of corrosion, at this point whether or not you put the linen line back on is more an aesthetic choice.

Below are pictures of a 16/0 Kovalovsky I recently purchased. The linen line on it looked brand new. I stripped it all off using a line dryer, and as you can see, there is zero corrosion on the spool. After I gave the spool a light rubbing with a fiber cloth, it shined like brand new. At this point, do I put it on or leave it off? From an historical perspective I think it would be a crime to just toss 800 yards of the original #54 in the trash, and personally I think this particular reel would be better displayed spooled with its original linen line. I'm going to give the line a good rinse and dry it. After I clean the reel, it will be going back on.

I have also had reels where the original linen line had corroded and disintegrated to the point where it had to be cut off the reel. In those cases, the choice is obvious.

John

[54bullseye]

I always strip of any line right away to see condition of spool . I clean spool good and like Deepfins if spool is not corroded I reuse the line as I like displaying reels with line. Having said that the big linen is hard to come by so I load the reel up with cheap string or twine then just top it with the linen. I have found the string they use to tie up pot roasts in a meat market works great ! It's pretty thick and packs tight and is cheap then 1/2" of linen on top. You can find that string on eBay cheap.

John Taylor

[Mike N]

Here is some fairly-priced braided vintage line for sale:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-3-VINTA ... 0005.m1851

[oc1]

Yeah, but Mike, it is all nylon and post-dates linen.
-steve

[Mike N]

Yeah, but Mike, it is all nylon and post-dates linen.
-steve

Well, here are are few links for less decorative, but linen line:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-2-Wood ... Sw46BZuvRS

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Wood-Spools- ... SwfbpbjUIV

[oc1]

Not to be picky, but the first link is for some soft lea cotton twine wrapped on a spool that originally had premium hard lea Irish linen and then what looks like some wire wrapped on an old spool that originally had braided silk. The second link is for unused cuttyhunk from a preeminent line company. Might get that one myself.
-steve