I'm therefore asking around for advice on how -and how much - to clean up the brasswork, and indeed the woodwork.
My instinct is to give the wood a gentle wash and dry, then just oil it - (Danish? Teak? Linseed?), leaving the old varnish and deeply ingrained crud/patina in place, and to give the brasswork a gentle ketchupping, but recent sales suggest that "going for gleam" might be more saleable at this end of the market.
Here she is:
That centre screw has a reverse thread, so you can't unscrew it accidentally while backing-off the drag wing-nut. Also, the outer threaded end of the spindle has a flat filed into it , to retain the "D"-hole in the metal washer of the drag system. Neat.
Looking inside, there's the pin-and-slot system that all the vendors proudly proclaim as the hallmark of Smith and Wall (is it?).
On the back, to stop the spindle ever working loose, they've drilled, tapped and put a screw in so it cannot turn!
The bit that confused me was those tapered handles; they made me think it was meant as a freshwater reel, but the sheer bulk of it makes me think it must have been a sea reel - or for HUGE salmon and pike!
So, wossfink, gentlemen?
