New Member 1st Rebuild Penn 12/0 Parts To Order & Chrome Refinishing

[rakempe]

I am new to the board and I will be rebuilding my first reel soon. I am rebuilding an older penn 6/0 and 12/0. I had a few questions relating to the build.

1. What parts are recommended to order/replace? From my research, I need to order bearings, main gear, drag washers, washer spacer under main gear, metal washer set, and possibly the dog/dog spring. Is this correct and is there anything I am missing? Are bearings essential and necessary?

2. My second questions deals with refinishing the chrome. What is better and more durable...re-chroming it or powder coating? And, should I also have the spool done? I am new to this, but I had concerns if I coated the spool that there would be some rubbing/clearance issues between the spool and side plates.

I appreciate the help in advance!

[Bryan Young]

Are you planning to use the reels or put it on the shelf to look at?

[Norcal Pescador]

I am new to the board and I will be rebuilding my first reel soon. I am rebuilding an older penn 6/0 and 12/0. I had a few questions relating to the build.

1. What parts are recommended to order/replace? From my research, I need to order bearings, main gear, drag washers, washer spacer under main gear, metal washer set, and possibly the dog/dog spring. Is this correct and is there anything I am missing? Are bearings essential and necessary?

2. My second questions deals with refinishing the chrome. What is better and more durable...re-chroming it or powder coating? And, should I also have the spool done? I am new to this, but I had concerns if I coated the spool that there would be some rubbing/clearance issues between the spool and side plates.

I appreciate the help in advance!

Welcome to the world of reel repair. Most of us find it entertaining, satisfying, and easier on the wallets than having a shop do it - sorry shop owners.

First off, if you haven't already, look at Alan's tutorial on the 114H. It's a good starting place. The next thing is to answer Bryan's question - working or display/collection.

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=208.0

The following applies to working reels:
If that hasn't scared you off (it shouldn't), the main things to replace are anything so corroded you can't make close to new-looking, drag washers if they aren't carbon fiber, and bearings if they are questionable. You didn't mention if you have a black sideplate 6/0 (114) or red sideplate (114H). The mechanics are really similar; the main differences are the bearings and the gears. However, not that many parts are interchangeable between the two. Go to a good parts supplier like www.mikesreelrepair.com or www.mysticparts.com and print out the schematics for the reels. Match up the parts you want to replace and place your order. As you will see, replacing enough parts to make the reels showroom fresh may end up costing more than a new reel. Replace gears only if they're chewed up, dog if it's rounded off. At least spring for new drag washers, bearings are recommended, and replace the washer under the main gear (part #4-xx) with a drag washer of a matching size. (See Alan's list of drag washers for sizes.) http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=21.0

I rebuilt a few corroded 114H's and replaced only the worst chrome parts - posts that were so corroded they wouldn't give up their screws without a fight, screws with chewed up heads, etc. The rest I took a brass brush, steel wool, and Brasso or chrome polish to. They both perform fine and that's what I was after.

Another place to get drag washers from is www.smoothdrag.com - Dawn has a BIG selection.

Dom "Broadway" on this forum has done a bunch of Senators in his collection and probably can help you a lot.

Hope this helps. We all like to share our experiences and tips, so good luck!
Rob

[Phinaddict]

...And to answer question number two, just replace the bad chrome parts; it's cheaper than getting the old ones stripped and re-chromed. Powder coating looks good for awhile then it gets chipped and the corrosion starts all over again.

As for the spool, again, it's cheaper to replace it than re-chrome it. Many opt for aluminum replacement spools rather than the chrome over brass on the 6/0 . Not sure what's available on the 12/0 but I'm sure someone will chime in.

Senators are the Chevy V8 of the reel world; so many upgrades, options and custom parts its mind boggling... have fun and welcome!

[rakempe]

Thanks for the info! The reels I intend on rebuilding will definitely be fishing reels rather than display items. I am an on-shore shark fisherman. On the 12/0, I recently bought it off EBay and it appears to have had a lot of corrosion which they removed before selling, leaving a lot of brass exposed. I was afraid to leave the brass exposed for fear of further corrosion. I received an estimate to rechrome one of my reels for $80. Does that price seem fair? The only reason I would consider doing it is my preference to use good looking equipment...not for show, just personal preference if that makes sense.

As I said, this is my first fishing real that I've completely stripped and rebuilt. I am definitely not afraid to attempt rebuilding my reels. I am fairly mechanically inclined and I recreationally rebuild older cars.

I really appreciate the input and look forward to being an active member, passing on any knowledge I learn from this site to beginners like myself.

[Norcal Pescador]

As long as you rinse and wipe down your reels after use you should be okay for the visible brass/chrome. If your spool has brass showing, give it a good coat of wax. Then wrap on a layer of tape, many recommendations/possibilities other than paper or cellophane, around the shaft to give the line something to grip. Rechroming the spool could cause issues with the shaft ends and the bearings.

A new set of sideplate rings really make the reels look nice. Gel Gloss or auto wax will put the sparkle in your sideplates. You're on the right track with your concerns and own ideas.

Have at it! 

[Tightlines667]

For the cost of rechromimg you can buy mostly all new parts (except base, clamp, and rod braces.   You can treat the chrome w/a weak rust remover made specifically for chrome, polish, and lightly wax.  Mothers makes quality products for restoring and protecting both chrome and the Bakelite plates, and I like the Loctite chrome corrosion removal product myself.  You can restore internal brass parts with a little elbow grease, and a soak in vinegar.  Be aware that the restored and protected sideplates will likely require renewal in 6-18mos, and new rings may not fit the older sideplates perfectly (if they don't you can use a quick oven heat prior to install to get a tight fit.  Some people like to replace the post screws w/SS as well, though after drag stack/under gear washer, an upgraded handle, and possibly gear sleeve (not avail yet for 12/0), would be good upgrades.  As far as the spool for the 12/0 goes, most would prefer the higher capacity, stronger (and much heavier) older chromed bronze spools over the newer lightweight aluminum spools.  Extra line capacity is significant.  I actually prefer the lightweight alum spools if fishing stock drag numbers standup size, especially on 9/0s.  You can always add Dacron or holocore backing to increase capacity.  The older steel spools are very sting and heavy, but are surprisingly more prone to the shaft warping.  It appears there were a few 12/0s produced that had a smaller capacity/stronger chromed bronze spool (same mold as alum), though they are also pretty heavy and not very common.  Unless your going to be fishing wire (deep trolling), or really pushing the reel hard with holocore, an alum spool from Scott's would work just fine, though spools are not cheap.