ephemera, I just saw your pictures and the reel looks great.
Tom makes a good point, and I agree that you can inadvertently scratch or otherwise damage an aluminum fly reel through the aggressive use of coarse steel wool or metal tools. I apologize if my earlier comments caused any confusion. When cleaning a vintage reel I always start with the least aggressive method and move up from there. Sometimes a rinse in hot water, and a good wipe down with a soft rag will do the trick. I rarely get that lucky.
The diluted vinegar bath will do a good job loosening and softening the old grease, but it will not dissolve it. A soft rag, a nylon bristle brush (like an old tooth brush), and Q-tips will normally handle the bulk of the post soak cleanup. If those don't do the trick, I will move to the next step. I've had good results removing stubborn grease and discoloration/corrosion caused by decaying grease with careful use of 0000 steel wool wetted with WD40 or another gentle solvent. 0000 steel wool is a different tool than coarse grade 3 steel wool or the Brillo pad found in your kitchen. This super fine steel wool is used for polishing and buffing. I would not use it on painted or anodized surfaces, but I have used it on bare metal like that found on the underside of the head cap of the Bronson 380 and the outside surface of the spool that is covered by the head cap when the reel is assembled. Going slow and using gentle pressure are the keys to success.
I do not use a dental pick to "scrap" the metal surface, but instead use the fine point to gently "lift" old grease from tight spots that I can not easily reach with a rag, nylon brush or Q-tip. A wooden tooth pick can also be useful, but I find the fine point of the dental pick does a better job for me. Again, going slow and being gentle are the keys.
I hope this clarifies what I was talking about.
Although the takedown procedure isn't identical to the Bronson, other multipliers like the Martin MG-10 have a similar disassembly procedure.
The reels that follow the Hardy Perfect pattern like the Shakespeare 1899 and 1900, and the Stuart Single Action Trout Reel also have a somewhat similar dissassembly process.
Mike