I just purchased a 1960 Bowtie RB-250. It's in excellent shape (it actually belonged to a very famous bluegrass musician who recently passed away). I was thinking about disassembling it & polishing all the metal parts. My question is, should I go ahead & put a good shine on it or should I leave it alone? Thanks.
If the history is as u say , I would think u would leave it as is .
Sure, "polish" it up if you hate the plating. All polishes are abrasive and will remove plating. You might get a few polishes before you blow through it.
Plating is a lot easier to take off than put back on.
If the metal parts are chrome plated, I would not have a problem polishing them. Chrome plating provides a very durable surface finish. If the metal parts are nickel, I would be very careful; nickel plating is much less durable than chrome plating.
True "polishing" of hazy nickel plate is difficult. Also you'll discover (probably) a lot of pitting and perhaps even minor corrosion on the inner face of the tension hoop that will be frustrating, although mostly invisible when you're playing
You proably "want" to take it apart I bet. Satisfy yourself with "cleaning". Windex and a soft cloth is all you need for this. Get rid of sweat, beer, skin oil, drool, dust, food crumbs, etc. Maybe a bit of brushing with a plastic bristle brush. Don't use steel wool anywhere.
A 64 year old banjo deserves to show its age.
Take care. Good luck.
I have learned over my years to never take a banjo apart if you like the sound. Only disassemble to make a needed repair. It may or may not sound the same afterward, and if so, may take months to settle back close. Clean externally with Windex as mentioned until there is a need to disassemble, unless you are unhappy with the current sound.
Show us a pic or two.
It's probably chrome plated, but could be nickel.
Unless the metal is in REALLY bad shape (you seem not to think so), probably best to leave it "as it is". With both patina... and... provenance intact...
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