Maintaining old wooden reels

ozzie · Post by **ozzie** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:20 am

Hi
I am new to ORCA as a member I have been collecting old wooden reels for a number of years. I have them stored in a glass display cabinet. I clean them and give a light coat of quality wood wax when I obtain them. I have found common furniture oils tend to make them discolour. I would like advice on ongoing maintenance to prevent splitting warping etc. i.e preservation
Thanks
Ozzie

Post by **Brian F.** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:13 am

Hi Ozzie,

Welcome to the ORCA Reel Talk Forum. Not sure if you mean you joined the ORCA club but if you didn't know, you can sign up for the organization by clicking on the ORCA Stor link above.

John Elder, ORCA's resident woodworking genius, is your man and he should see this sometime very soon.

WobblySpindle · Post by **WobblySpindle** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 11:54 am

Another place to check is the old tools bunch, http://swingleydev.com/archive/index.php
Many of the members there collect planes and other wooden tools dating back well before the main era of wooden reels. A generalized approach involves cleaning (turpentine, or turpentine/oil mix), oiling if the wood is really dry, then waxing. Oil choices are pretty personal. BLO is traditional but will darken the wood, among its other faults. Pure tung oil doesn't change the appearance as much, but needs some help (a bit of BLO or japan drier) to cure in a reasonable amount of time. Catalyzed tung oil (TruOil or others) works nicely. Beeswax is the traditional wax, but something like Butcher's or even a synthetic like Renaissance will work very well. As you might guess, everybody has one or more favorite combinations of turps, oil, and wax for just about any maintenance chore, and several are commercially available. You can certainly use a combination for one-step cleaning/protection, but it won't be quite as effective. The last few years, I've been using a lot of Boeshield T-9 on my woodies after cleaning them with turpentine or mineral spirits - it's an oil/wax combination that is often all you need unless the wood is in very bad shape.

Post by **john elder** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:09 pm

Oh, Right...genius...jeeez, Brian...at any rate, what he said...wobblyspindle has hit all the highlights, I think. I prefer tung oil for about everything, followed by a coat of good wax...Johnson's finishing wax puts on a really tough finish. I used to use linseed oil, but it tends to leach and I think tung oil is the call.

ozzie · Post by **ozzie** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:14 am

Thanks for swift response.

I have joined club and devouring the info in the Club Magazines.

I have used turpentine and mineral spirits but it often dissolves the shellac finish. My concern is the frequency of cleaning and "conditioning" needed as I do not want to "restore" them to their original only clean and dress for display and have preservation. I realise when they were first made they would not have come with written maintenance instructions but does anyone know how historically they were maintained to prolong their life during their use. Sorry but I do not want to cause any inconvenience. I will also visit the site suggested by wobblyspindle. I just love the wood and hate to see it deteriorate

Thanks

Reel Geezer · Post by **Reel Geezer** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:58 am

I can't speak for other makers, but the 1890s-1920 Meisselbach Good Luck wooden reels did not come with instructions for maintaining the wood. They had instructions for maintaining the ball bearings in their high priced models, which sold for only $2.75. The standard model was around $1.00.

WobblySpindle · Post by **WobblySpindle** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:59 am

Old shellac finishes don't offer many options, especially if they're to the point of looking like alligator hide. There's always the Formby's approach, but if you're interested in preserving patina, you need to try gentler things. Search for "patina" on the old tools board and you'll get lots of opinions, some of them actually worth reading. If you're really serious and willing to do a little Googling, some of the finest museums in the world have made available articles on cleaning and preservation of fine furniture and bronzes (I'd post the links if I weren't in a rush this morning, but they're easy to find).
One tip: don't confuse filth with patina. Old tools, and old reels, gather an amazing amount of crud, which adds no value at all. Personally, I always keep open the option of refinishing with the same finish - just as a prideful workman might have done when he owned the same piece a century ago. Unless you've got a true rarity, or a priceless piece, it's a decent option and you'll find there weren't all that many different finishes in common use way back then. There are, of course, lots of books on the subject.

ozzie · Post by **ozzie** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:31 am

Thanks all for your comments/info. Have googled museums etc previously so sought out this forum as you never know there is always someone somewhere that knows more practical ways than the so called "experts". Certainly know all about need to preserve patina and gentle cleaning. Thanks again for all your advice