A Philosophy of Reel Cleaning

You got 'em, we know how to clean 'em
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RAM
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A Philosophy of Reel Cleaning

Post by RAM »

Paul's reel looks outstanding as cleaned. Enough said there.
The question as to "whether to clean or not" is about as subjective as you can get. On "Antiques Roadshow" one guy will say "Oh! You souldn't have polished that! You've devalued it!" Another will say "A nice cleaning well enhance the value of that piece."
As "Devil's Advocate" let me present two hypothetical situations:
1) You, a collector of vintage cars, have found a 1928 Deusenberg two seater roadster in grungy condition in a dusty, rundown garage. Do you get the engine in running order and leave the rest of the car grungy and even drive it to shows that way? After all, it will have that "certain patina".
2) You find a Billinghurst birdcage reel in mint condition in the box-absolutely perfect-unscratced and untarnished. Would you leave it out in the weather for a couple of years to develop "that fine old patina"?
The answer in both cases is likely no.
My point being there is no "Eleventh Commandment" stating that the restoration of very old reels to their original condition is a deadly sin, or that keeping it "looking old" should enhance its value.
No truer words have ever been spoken than "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". One look as some guys wives is proof enough.
Love your reel if it looks old. Love your reel if you clean it to look new.
As always, my opinion is worth what it costs! Bad Bob

PS- Disclaimer: Counsel has advised posting the following disclaimer: The author has not intended, explicity or implicitly, to infer that this statement of opinion, or any part thereof, is meant to suggest that any method to clean a reel is foolish, nor is the decision to not do same equally so, or that any wife of any member or nonmember reading this post is not stunningly beautiful (not only in the opinion of said wife's husband but also in the eyes of any discerning individual having even a modicum of appreciation for the feminine mystique).
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john elder
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Post by john elder »

Much to my chagrin, I agree with almost everything you say, Bob...and I'm just pretending it isn't everything out of spite.

The one interesting add I might make is re the old car. I have a 1961 Corvette and it is far from stock...lots of changes over the years. I was looking at this vintage car store several years back and I popped the hood on another '61 in that showroom. The whole engine compartment was daily drive dirty...almost blasphemy in the collector car circuit...and I couldn't understand why they had left this otherwise beautiful car in that shape. Then I realized that to clean it up might have brought into doubt the notion that it was dead-on original. No oil leaks...no subbing out of parts. I would have forgotten that car amongst the dozens of pristine '61s I've seen over the years except for that dirty engine compartment. the moral of this story is...well, heck...I can't even remember why I started telling it...did I take my pill?..."Clyde...the dog's got my shoe, Clyde!" ...


(Gene Hackman...Bonnie and Clyde...after about half his brains left the building)
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Ron Mc
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Post by Ron Mc »

there is a difference between cleaning and polishing.


In the case of Paul's reel, he also stopped active corrosion by removing the corrosive environment along with the surface deposits.
So cleaning and preservation are not mutually exclusive.

One man's patina is another man's dealloying corrosion.
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