Wheatley 'clip' boxes

[josko]

I was recently given about a dozen Wheatley aluminum 'clip' fly boxes. Are these intended for wet flies only? I mean, it seems they would flatten out dry fly hackle and any 3-D attribute of the flies stored in these clips. The flies in the boxes now appear to be for sdalmon - they are all essentially two-dimensional, although very colorful.

Are these special-purpose fly boxes, or can they be used to store 'generic' flies'?
There are also bits of rust where hooks contacted the clips and aluminum walls, and the boxes look like they could use a bit of polishing. What's the best way to clean them up?

[Bamboozle]

josko:

The clips are for wet flies, salmon flies, or streamers; whatever fits.

As far as cleaning them up; some folks like the patina the older Wheatley boxes get after years of use. But if you must clean them I'd go with a high quality cream polish like Wenol or Maas. Polish should also remove the rust stains. Put some on a Q-Tip and rub the small spots directly. DON'T use steel wool, you'll mess up the fine finish. Some Wheatley boxes had a clear coat on the outside so you may find that polishing won't do any good if your boxes are coated.

If I was you I'd clean up the rust, save the old flies and put some or all of the boxes on display. Their value as display items may exceed their value as fly boxes. Those clip will drive you nuts after awhile. I know, I have LOTS of Wheatley boxes.