Newbie: If I polish an old reel, do I ruin it or not?

boblaniermd · Post by **boblaniermd** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 10:40 pm

New ORCA, - recently beginning to define collection from EBay. Bought a few lately - like a Horton Simplex - must have come from estate sale - has mono and snap swivel. But it's ugly - and I would love to get after it with some low abasive polish. I understand patina - but this is ugly ! If I shine it up - have I reduced it's value? Can I replate some reels like old Hendryxes where the oringial plating was thin to begin with and worn now - or does that make it worthless too?

Thank you very much for these basic questions.

Bob Lanier MD
Fort Worth, Texas

SWIM JIG · Post by **SWIM JIG** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 11:13 pm

Experment on a low dollar reel, ie. shakespere direct drive etc. I would never polish any reel until you find its worth! Clean yes, first learn how to take out the srews without damaging the slots etc. you will need proper fiting wrenches and screwdrivers, a brass very small hammer, some decent oil to soak threads in , we use daiwa and zebco hot sauce, No wd40! we clean them in PURE 100% mineral spirts and only pure no addititives, we use tooh brushes, and brass gun cleaning brushes to rub off the crud, As for polish we only use metal glow ie thats a brand name, and we use gun patches or flanel night gown type of material. Once the reel is clean it will look very good or with a lite bit of polish, (However its best to leave a clasic alone as you cannot put back metal that has been scratched or rubed off! as for plating , it will be next to imposible to find a plater using the cyinide method. and that was what they used 50 years ago and fruther back, email me for more indepth methods or watch the reel fix column. col. milton Lorens aka SWIM JIG

Post by **john elder** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 8:15 am

what Milt said...and also read the thread below re "let's see pics of your reel cleaning station"

drexelantiques · Post by **drexelantiques** » Mon May 03, 2004 12:59 pm

To me cleaning dirt and grime, corrossion is ok, lubricating the reel is ok. Going much beyond this, polishing, removing the patina, is a no-no and can hurt the value of some reels.

But then there are reels in need of restoration that are worth more restored (when done properly) than as they sit.

But it is a fine line.

I hate to see a nice, old, brass reel looking bright and shiny after being hit with brasso.

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Mon May 03, 2004 1:54 pm

I like to use 20% vinegar in water on disassembled reel parts. I keep it warm (using a hotplate), and soak from as little as 15 minutes on lead-finish alloy reels and painted brass, to 2-3 hours on patinated or nickel-plated brass. I have had no problem with removing patina or nickel, and it's very good at removing the red layer from surface dealloying. It really helps in removing old tarred lubricants. (Ever get one of those reels that has been pumped full of axle grease?) A soft toothbrush helps, and you chase it with a warm soapy water soak (and toothbrush), a good rinse, air dry and rub each part with a waxed gun cloth.

The only problem I've had was one leaded finish that went completely south on me.
Also, paint may come off brass because of the hydrogen evolved from active chemical cleaning - a short time is not going to hurt, and will help remove grease. (I did this on purpose on the bulldog on my avatar)

On the subject of experimenting. I used aluminum black on the alloy reel I mentioned above. It came out beautiful - not original, but nice. I also blued an old brass reel that came up with more dealloying than patina. That reel also came out beautiful, and I sold it for more than twice what I had into it. On both of these, I took metal polish to them before treating. But I do agree that when you alter one to this extent, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not the collector.

And I love to fish antique tackle.

Don Champion · Post by **Don Champion** » Mon May 03, 2004 2:44 pm

FIRST THING! Get that mono off that reel and don't put it back! The same goes for any reel manufactured before the 1960's. It goes on under pressure (stretch) and can littelry push the spool flanges off the reel. Mono is probably the reason there are so many bent spool flanges out there.

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Mon May 03, 2004 2:53 pm

yes, not just mono - all old lines are rotting on the spool and the decomposition and cheese that lives there causes dealloying corrosion of the reel. (I'm a PE metallurgist and corrosion engineer.)