Thank you for all your kind comments, as to the method used;
1. copper plating of the spindle was done using the brush technique. Basically I wrapped a small piece of kitchen roll round a piece of copper pipe then dipped it in copper sulphate solution, connect the pipe to the positive terminal of a 3 volt supply (can be a battery) and the negative terminal to the spindle. Then just brush the spindle up and down the spindle and plating will appear. Note the spindle must be very clean or the plating won't work, also this way you don't have to remove the spindle from the starback.
2. Whilst copper isn't very hard, when hard and soft metal rub it is normally the hard metal that wears first but as this reel will not see much use it doesnt really matter to me.
3. Wally Roy if you pm me your address I will post 1 to you, just make a donation to the forum funds after you have seen it.
4. The soft brake is just a pad of leather on a sprung arm which presses into the side of the spool when engaged, unfortunately the leather pad came of (probably when I was fighting a large gudgeon) and will be replaced. A redesign of the arm is required as I fear this will happen again, hence the current one is epoxied on, the final arm will be soldered. Even without the pad it worked well and whilst the gudgeon didn't take any line a small bream of about 4 ounces did.
Apologies for not cleaning the reel before photographing
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/vpDmXLk.jpg)
JW