Cleaning German Silver reel?

[bob55]

What's the best way to clean a German silver reel with very heavy tarnish? Thanks

[SteveO]

As I understand it, German silver doesn't actually contain any silver at all, it's a nickel alloy.I guess the term just sounds nicer. The general rule of thumb I follow is to start off by using the mildest cleaner/abrasive I can get away with (like silver polish), and progress up from there if needed. I will say that from my experience working in a plastic-injection plant many years ago that the machinists/mold makers would often use Crest toothpaste to polish their molds to a mirror finish. I've used it a lot on the chrome of my reels and my old MG roadster. You can feel the grittiness (which is mostly composed of ground-up seashells) and it's definitely more abrasive than silver polish, and I think it works just as well as the pricier products like Flitz & Wenol.Hope that helps!

[Steve]

This topic has been covered a lot here. See this post, for example. And try the Search button above.

One of the quickest ways to ruin a nice old brass or German silver reel is to polish it with a highly abrasive polish. Markings get ruined, edges get rounded, etc. Mirror finishes often are a sign that someone loused up a restoration.

[SteveO]

My Pflueger Rocket has a mirror finish, and I don't believe it's loused-up.

[Brian F.]

SteveO, your Pflueger Rocket came from the factory with a very highly polished finish and not a german silver finish, which Steve is referring to in his response to the original question. Pflueger finished many of their mass produced reels, like the Rocket, with what they called "Diamolite", a plating similar to chrome but using nickel silver. When most people refer to a german silver reel, it usually doesn't have any type of plating and sometimes has a satin finish to it.

[Ron Mc]

I just finished up a Montague Jupiter that started off red with dealloying, and it came out bright white and gorgeous. There are still shallow pits at the worst dealloying. Mechanically, the reel was no hope, bushings worn misaligned and face plate flared because of over-tightening. But it looks great on a shelf.

[SteveO]

Brian F.
Yes, since that post of mine I have learned exactly what you just stated.
Thanks for the info though, because while I've always admired old reels, I'm just now learning about the various materials and the history behind them.
ORCA members provide a great source of information...and help (thanks BillSonnett!)

[wrong99]

Brian F.
Yes, since that post of mine I have learned exactly what you just stated.
Thanks for the info though, because while I've always admired old reels, I'm just now learning about the various materials and the history behind them.
ORCA members provide a great source of information...and help (thanks BillSonnett!)

That's part of who we are. Imagine being a member!
Mark

[Steve]

Bob and Steve,
Here's an example of a nice, old, over-polished brass reel. Even though the photos aren't sharp, you can see that edges are rounded and the markings aren't crisp.
On this example, you can see surfaces covered by highly polished pits and scratches.

Jim Hardman's article, "An Appeal for Restraint," which you can read in this month's Reel News, is probably the best ever written on antique reel restoration.

[Dale Noll]

For many years have been cleaning reels with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. This was one of Col Milt's suggestions long time ago. Does not harm metal to my knowledge. Little jars can be bought at Walmart Auto in the parts areas. One jar will last and last and last.

Warning on Jar reads: Mothers will not scratch metal surfaces. Not recommended for Gold plating, chrome, anodized, painted, or coated metals surfaces.

There is another label on the Jar that says: Shines and Protects Not sure what this Protects means, except that reels can be handled after applying Mothers, and don't seem to have many handling prints. This also applies to reels that have been cleaned yrs ago.

Dale Noll
865-458-0004

[Don Champion]

Steve - Those are two examples of why I don't like to see reels machine buffed. I always hand polish my reels but if I had a really nice old and rare reel I would give it some serious consideration before polishing of any kind.

[bvandeuson]

Real German/nickel silver can usually be identified by a slight yellowish tinge when moved around in the light, because the alloy is mostly copper.

That aside, I accomplish the bulk of my reel cleaning with a fairly inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner made for small parts. I first remove the big gunk with an old toothbrush, warm up (just nicely warm makes the process faster) an amount of pre-mixed cleaning solution required to just cover the parts being cleaned, put the parts in the machine and pour in the cleaner. Run the machine for the number of cycles required to completely clean the parts. My machine has an 8 minute maximum cycle. Rinse with very hot water and allow to dry on paper towels. I sometimes use an air nozzle to blow excess water out of tight places.

My cleaner is Simple Green Pro HD Heavy Duty Cleaner, available at Lowes. It is diluted with water...I use the maximum strength of 4 water to 1 cleaner, pre-mixed in an empty milk jug (be sure to label it). To date, it has not affected any plastic, rubber or bakelite parts that were sound to begin with. If any of these parts are cracked, you will probably need to clean gently by hand. You should carefully remove 1 seal from a double sealed bearing before cleaning.

The beauty of ultrasonic cleaning is that it cleans areas not accessible to other methods as long as the cleaner can squeeze in there. Good nickel silver and plating are usually returned to their original luster; if not, rubbing with a terry towel will bring back the shine. Speaking of original luster, mama will appreciate you cleaning her jewelry from time to time, using a specialized jewelry cleaner in the machine.

Bruce

[Steve]

Bruce, a lot of us agree with you. If you try the "Search" link above, and search for "ultrasonic", you'll find a bunch of old posts on reel cleaning trials and tribulations with and without ultrasonic cleaning.

[Ray Hencken]

[quote="bvandeuson"]
"... warm up (just nicely warm makes the process faster) an amount of pre-mixed cleaning solution required to just cover the parts being cleaned, put the parts in the machine and pour in the cleaner. ... Rinse with very hot water... "

I wouldn't recommend warm cleaning solution or rinsing with very hot water for german silver and hard rubber reels. There is a very good possibility that the black hard rubber will turn brown and that is not desirable.