Hi Polyp... thanks... the decals are really steller. Little to no chipping in the japan either. Just a lot of dirt and old grease.
The bed looks like the oil will clean off and the decals be fine. I'll need to go slow and careful... one swipe cotton balls and q-tips for sure. There is one spot on the bed where they might be a tad silvered. The section "N" on the back, that's worn... and I can't tell why. There's no pin rash. Who knows.
I do have a 15-91 from 1942, but that's got a totally different molding to the face plate. I checked. Interesting. I've got my eye out on ebay for some old timey scrolly 15 plates....
Meanwhile, I guess I'll try using the dremal for polishing up the metal bits, then 000 steel wool. I'm not sure what attachment to use on the dremal though... I'd think the brushy sanders are too harsh, and the sanding drums I have will also cut grooves into soft metal, I should think.
What dremal attachments/sanders/belts/brushes do you recommend???