Suggestions, please

[Paul M]

Any suggestions on how to clean the surface rust and oxidization from this Follett? Note that the handle is made of wood.

Thanks in advance,

Paul M

[Jerry J in OK]

I rub very lightly with 000 or 0000 steel wool to remove some surface stuff on both metal lures and reels. I haven't taken off any finish yet but maybe I have just been lucky...Jerry

[SilasTerry]

My suggestion:

Leave the patina alone, it is a very old reel and should look like one. But that is just my opinion, it is your reel.

Dan

[Paul M]

Dan, I didn't have the heart to try steel wool, regardless of the number of zeros, although I appreciated Jerry's suggestion. I don't want to damage this precious piece it but it does need a cleanup. I have never even wiped it with a damp cloth.

Paul M

[john elder]

Paul...the usual soak in a part vinegar to 4 parts water for about half an hour will likely clean it up, but not make it look polished. You can submerge it in a pan so that the handle stays out of the solution...it won't hurt it to get a bit wet, but not a good idea for long soaks. Rinse thoroughly with water and a tooth brush or other such, then wipe dry with a clean rag...should be good to go!

[Teal]

You could also invest in a Vibrasonic cleaner like a few eBay users utilize. These seem to make reels like this extraordinarily clean.

Use the search function on ORCA's site as Vernon and others discussed this topic in some depth.

If you do clean it show us a before and after!

Cheers,

Dr. Todd

[Jerry J in OK]

When I mentioned the steel wool I was referring to the light surface rust. I don't even attempt to take the natural patina off. I have a small vibrosonic cleaner and they work wonders as far as removing dirt, especially from screws and any type of intricate work .

Good luck.

Jerry

[Steve]

Paul, you might want to try the damp rag first. If warm water doesn't clean the dirt off, you could dampen the cloth with soapy water or mineral spirits, wipe, rinse with water and dry. Once you've cleaned the real dirt off and determined what the metal surface is like, you can deal with the corrosion.

[Paul M]

I have a small ultrasonic cleaner that was intended for jewellery. I have used it a few times in the past on smaller parts of lesser reels. It has two tiny compartments, each sized like the bottom half of a coffee cup. I have used that in the past, in conjunction with vinegar and water. The results have been a little underwhelming but maybe I am not appreciating the results I have achieved.

In this case, the Follett cannot be disassembled into smaller parts so that is not an option unless I buy something with a bigger basin. I will look more carefully at the vibrasonic links and see what that's all about.

Thanks for all the great inputs. I am flying this aft and will ponder my options from 30,000 ft.

[Ron Mc]

I would recommend with ultrasonic cleaners, that you get aluminum containers , like small deep pie pans, to clean you parts. Glass is right out - it scratches the fool out of metal in an ultrasonic.

I would try the dilute vinegar and a toothbrush. Soap is OK to follow up on this reel.

[Paul M]

I cleaned it up gently with a mild vinegar solution and am happy with the results. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Sincerely, Paul M

[john elder]

Looks great, Paul! Put it on the shelf and enjoy it!

[Ron Mc]

excellent