PENN 704- To paint or polish?

[ExcessiveAngler]

A quick recap!
Member jgp12000 was nice enough, to share some of his Penn spinner bearings, with other members of the Ohana!
Thanks again, by the way, James!
So, after refreshing on a couple videos, I went to disassembling the 704.
As soon as I grabbed it, I quickly noticed, that the old paint was flaking off, and the aluminum was getting quite oxidized!
After getting the 704 disassembled, boy, that was a job, getting that pinion bearing out!
I actually, had to make my own little hack, to get that sucker out of there!
I wound up letting my ocd, get the better of me and grabbed some fine sandpaper lol!
I figured, I could, lightly sand off the oxidation, and then was going to clear coat it, to keep the battle scars!
Well, you know how that goes lol!
Just a little more, won't hurt lol!
So now, I have to figure out what color, I'm going to paint it, or do I paint it?
Should I, sand all the way down to bare metal,  then clearcoat the reel?
Figured I'd look for some ideas, from the Ohana first!
I'll throw up a couple pics!
Thanks everyone!

[ExcessiveAngler]

One of the pics did not show!
And I'm not messing with the original post lol
Adding the pic of the side plate!

[JasonGotaProblem]

I say polish it. It'll be harder than you think but easier than this one was.

Citristrip removes the paint very easily so you dont need to spend as much time on the non-corroded areas.

[ExcessiveAngler]

[oldmanjoe]

  That`s a working reel ...  Clean it up and spay it with clear just as is .  It has earned it`s battle scars ...

[ExcessiveAngler]

I say polish it. It'll be harder than you think but easier than this one was.

Citristrip removes the paint very easily so you dont need to spend as much time on the non-corroded areas.

Pretty sure, I've seen that pretty SS, in another one of your threads!
I think, I'll take a pass, on polishing all those darn angles, but does look good lol!
Haven't played with the spool cup or rotor yet, wasn't supposed to turn into this lol!
Honestly, forgot just how sloppy, this 704 actually feels!  It makes me wonder, if I might be missing something in there?
Guess I won't know, until I get her all back together and all greased up nicely!

[ExcessiveAngler]

  That`s a working reel ...  Clean it up and spay it with clear just as is .  It has earned it`s battle scars ...

Thought about doing that, but also worried about the corrosion, affecting the aluminum!

[oldmanjoe]

Clean up means a little vinegar bath , wire brush ,sanding if needed . Clear coat for protection , followed up by more clear coats in the future , no color blend required !

[Midway Tommy]

Oh my! How out of balance is that mangled rotor?     I would be afraid that if I bumped it it would shatter into multiple pieces.   

[Swami805]

They sure look nice polished but it is a labor of love. Leave the scars and clear coat it, enjoy the patina

[ExcessiveAngler]

So here's a question?
How long, do you think it would take the reel to get oxidized, if I just use it as is?
I'm not sure, what I want to do yet, but know, I want to use it lol!
Kinda want to get it back into the rotation!
I'll only be using it for the next month, or so, if I get that lucky, then go from there!
The rotor cup, cleaned up beautifully, with a little light sanding!

[Surfrat]

What color will you paint it?  I see you are turning it into a Pennstaal. 

[ExcessiveAngler]

Welp, I just had to sand down the rotor cup!
And, just a little bit, more of the body lol!
And then, lol!  I just couldn't take it anymore, lubed it up and threw it back together, to see how it felt!
Nice and smooth, feels like a completely different reel, except for one small hick up!
It got really tight, when I took it outside and used it in cold weather!
So when I got back home, I popped it open, and added a little oil.
It loosened it right up lol!
Just don't remember it, having this much play before I cleaned everything lol!