Restoration advice, please?

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Vole
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Restoration advice, please?

Post by Vole »

Somebody mentioned that wooden reels had dropped in price, (I can't find out who, "wooden reels" doesn't turn it up, but many thanks!) so I had a little look and ended up buying this: Image

I'm very taken with the shallow drum and the Slater-style release. It won't spin more than about 15 seconds, but that's fine; it's a keeper and a user.
The vendor had "packed" it in a layer of bubble-wrap and a wrap of corrugated cardboard; whether causal or not, I don't know, but there was a slight, persistent rub.
It took a bit of Mrs Voles eyebrow pencil on the rim of the drum to locate the point inside the back, and a bit of sanding to remove it, and a couple of flushes through with lighter fuel to de-crud the works, but now it spins as freely as it's ever likely to, and I think it's a bit of a sweetie.
It was cheap enough for me to remove the latch for a look-see, as I've mentioned elsewhere, but here are all the pics:
The back, showing varnish loss:
Image

The front, with the latch removed:
Image

And the innards, in case anyone can suggest a maker:
Image

The insides are unvarnished, except for the hollowing out of the back (another Sheffield-type!).
Get a load of the balancing system hammered into the hollow at about seven o'clock! It looks as though someone's driven a lead rivet in, and nibbled bits off the head with a chisel till it felt right.

Oh, and once again , the innards of the latch, all held safely by those two rivets:
Image

So I'm left with one answer (That's what's inside a copy of a Slater) but loads of questions, and I'd really appreciate any help:

Why no varnish on the inside of the back, and the chamfered edge of the spool's back? Cost-cutting, or to let the wood "breathe"?
Should I leave the unvarnished bits untreated, or is this a cut corner that needs sorting out?

Any idea of the Maker? (I'm sure the coppery-bronze(?) spring is trying to tell me something, but I've no idea what!) It bears "Made in England" in an elliptical cartouche stamped into the shoulder of the mount, but no other markings.

Should I strip it and re-varnish, or just rub it with linseed oil until it seems full?

Is there anything I can do to upgrade the handle receivers? (ebay-acquired term, I'm afraid - I mean the eye-shaped brass plates that hold the handles on,) There are potential line-eating gaps between the handles and the plates, and between the plates and the woodwork, an' Ah jes' knows what's a-gonna happen...

I'll start another thread about what to do with the silk line that was on it...

Any input gratefully received!
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The Tuesday Swim
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Re: Restoration advice, please?

Post by The Tuesday Swim »

Vole, you seem to be running two threads side by side but covering the same subject?

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