Do I need to RESTRING?

[Glenn]

Hello All.

I have been presented with a project from a local piano store.  This guy
picked up a couple of Yamaha's from an outfit in Florida.  One of them (a
6.5 footer) was manufactured in 1967.  It has two pedals.  I am sure it
originally came from somewhere in Asia.  I have two questions:

The bass strings are to be replaced.  When I got there he already had them
shipped out to Mapes.  The wire has some minor corrosion.  I tried 0000 wool
on it and it gets clean but the corrosion stays in places.  The strings seem
fine in sound and feel.  None of them have threatened to break yet!  The
store owner and I felt it would be a good idea to restring since it will
have shiny new bass strings and these unsightly treble wire otherwise.
Should I try a different method of cleaning (that green block thingy) or
just go ahead and restring?  Are these scales readily available or should I
just duplicate the wire size?

The other question is the soundboard.  It is solid in every respect except
the finish.  The finish underneath is smooth but on top it is very rough.
It is the wood equivalent to a plate in your basic Kimball upright.  Rough
to the touch.  Again, I think it is aesthetics.  He wants me to try to wool
it or somehow to get it to look and feel smoother.  Was this finish
intentional or is there a connection between the minor string corrosion and
this rough soundboard finish (exposure to high humidity, etc.)?

Thanks,

Glenn.