These bobbins were destined for the bin. Rescued despite being seen as past their best and of no further use. Their only crime was that they carried the marks and dust of abandonment and old age. Worn smooth by decades of making bobbin lace, their loveliness was hidden by the dust and grime of many years of neglect. Such is the nature of abandoned things, to be lost in a forgotten box, thrown in an attic, shoved to the back of a cupboard.
Today, some of them enjoyed a treatment at the 'bobbin spa', and now look willing to jump back into action.
I used what I had to hand. These are not prized possessions, rare collectables or prime examples of a famous wood turner's art, they are tools so I only intended to make them useable again, despite their damage and neglect.
All of them were dull and dusty, looking shabby and dry, well past their best. I can understand why someone would see them as having no further use, but, if new lacemakers are prepared to learn bobbin lace using clothes pegs, pens, and even barbeque skewers in place of bobbins, why not let these 'old dears' have a new life?
The main issue is the heads. Many of the heads are chipped, leaving an incomplete top head (on a double headed bobbin). This is not necessarily a problem, I tested many of these by winding thread on and seeing if the hitch would hold as it was unwound during work. Maybe there is a teeny bit of an uneveness in the unwinding, but the top head is worn so smooth it doesn't catch or rub the thread so, unless it wouldn't hold a hitch, I left the tops on. If the top wouldn't hold a hitch, I removed the top and sanded and buffed smooth the bulb of the head so that the hitch would simply move down and be made at the top of the thread like most single headed bobbins (Honiton or bolster bobbins only have one head).
If the top was only chipped a bit, but rough, I sanded then buffed the area using 400 grit sandpaper followed by 3,000 grit sandpaper, you can use a fine nail file followed by a nail buffer which is incredibly fine and gives a good result.
To clean the body, I made use of my husband's fretboard cleaner which is a special lemon oil designed to clean the fancy wood on a guitar neck. There will be specialist cleaners and resoratives for this sort of job, but I used what was to hand. I poured a little of the cleaner onto a tissue and used a stencil brush to work into the grooves to flick away the accumulated dust and grime. I quickly wiped the bobbin to remove dirt or excess oil and left on tissue to air off for a few hours. This commercial preparation of lemon oil does evaporate in time, but it can be drying so I didn't want to leave the bobbins coated with it for longer than necessary. Worth reading the instructions!
Sometimes older bobbins have bands of pewter, sometimes with extra bits of design along the length of the body. The quality of the pewter makes a big difference to it's longevity and many pewter decorations are long gone, leaving the deep grooves empty. Many different combinations of metals are used, and the combination can dictate which decorations will last, and which will crumble away. Lead is also used in pewter, so sand and buff with care A rather good article on pewter decoration on lace bobbins is available here
https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/webdocs/lb_plbbn.pdf
The bobbins look lovely with their sheen and colour restored but I wanted to take them a step further. I used a specialist antique and craft wax made by Liberon to give them a quick wipe over, rested for 20 minutes, then buffed to a sheen. This helps to seal the wood and give it a little nourishment. The wax is said to be fingerprint resistant! The neutral option does not add colour, and only a satin sheen. The clear option does intensify the colour and gives a glossier finish. I didn't want to use any of the coloured options, not going to risk any getting on the thread. Always check the safety information when using the oil or the wax.
To remove heads or tails which have been damaged beyond saving, I use a small, fine tooth, hacksaw. I rest my bobbin on a piece of ethafoam which the bobbin can snuggle into as it is sawed. Maybe there are special clamps but I wasn't prepared to squeeze a bobbin into a bench vice! Some will just snap off, showing that they wouldn't have lasted long anyway.
I made some little videos on some of the bobbins here
https://www.youtube.com/@LesleysLace
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