Penn Wrecking Yard -- Laundry Day -- Clean & Sort

[Reel 224]

Everything that was said and more. The generosity that is displayed here is one to be cherished that is for sure. It truly renews my faith in my fellow human-being. For me that put Alan,Fred,and Keith at the top of the list...but not at all meant to leave out the many others here that are so helpful.   

[Bryan Young]

There was a lot for sale just as yours for $500 last week at the left side of the coast, the seller wasn't interested sending it to the right side.
The person that got it did very good. It wasn't easy to estimate, but I was thinking well over $1500 in parts from what I saw.

If that's the same one I'm thinking about, I saw that.  It was in the Los Angeles Area.  I had asked if I could come by to look at it personally before bidding because the pictures were not very good.  They declined and so did I in bidding.

[foakes]

If I did not have a good and powerful Ultrasonic Cleaner -- I would not work on reels -- I do not like to scrub greasy parts that much.

Disassembled all of the reels yesterday morning -- separated parts into groups that would go into either Purple Degreaser or Simple Green.

Then started to do 3 or 4 pounds at a time with double and triple separate vats all going at the same time.

Rinsed each group off afterwards with fresh water -- then just dropped them in water overnight until I could get to them today.

This was not that difficult -- as a matter of fact -- I was able to cut 1 and 1/2 acres of brush and weeds on our property in between switching out containers and parts every 30 minutes.  Used a DR Trimmer Mower plus a weed eater for the places the DR could not get into.  

So this morning I basically separated all of the parts into basic groups to dry -- then they will be put away with the other Penn parts I did last week.

Rings will be separated into the same part numbers -- then put into plastic ziplocks -- marked for use.

Sideplates are easy enough to recognize -- the rest of the parts will just be lumped together in Penn key number sequence -- but not separated by reel number.

Since everything has a place waiting -- it should only take 2 or 3 hours to sort these into their proper places.

A dirty job done -- and not that tough.

Was able to salvage quite a few parts out of just a bunch of old skeletons & loose pieces.

Best,

Fred

[fishhead69]

Wowee! That is a truck load of parts for sure. I thought I had a lot of Penn reel parts. Do you have any handles that you want to sell for the Penn Senator 10/0 to 16/0 reels? I wish I was that organized.

[foakes]

Sorry, FH69 --

Most of my stuff is 6/0 and down.

Check with Randy at Vintage Offshore -- on this site.

He may not be available for a few days, since he is fishing.

But you might catch him if you try now.

Best,

Fred

[Islandgypsy]

That is one big pile of plates and rings. Question, Fred...does your ultrasonic cleaner make ring removal easier? I've run into rings on some older plates (swollen?) where removing the rings as part of the cleaning process was nye impossible without damaging the plate,rings or both.

If the ultrasonic assists in stubborn ring removal that alone would justify shopping for one. I hate buggering up an old plate or ring and have been forced to just leave them be when they are really stubborn.

[foakes]

Hi IslandG --

No, it does not make the rings and posts easier to remove -- well, maybe a little.

The problem generally lies in the fact that the posts, plates, rings, and screws are either salt welded together --

Or, they have become so corroded, that the Verdigris (green crud that attacks brass, copper, and bronze) has been allowed to form when the chrome is eaten away.

If this is the case -- better off just parting it out, or replacing parts.

However, a vinegar bath overnight will generally loosen some of the stuck -- without ruining the plates -- ratio about 50/50 water and vinegar.  

I do reels as fast as possible, while not taking any shortcuts -- so the solutions I use 98% of the time are Purple Degreaser for the metals, and Simple Green for the more fragile materials like plates and aluminum.

I strip down a normal Penn reel 100% in about 3 or 4 minutes -- separate and clean the parts into 2 vats, for 8 minutes total in the US cleaner -- rinse, dry and inspect again, replace any parts, put in new CFs with Cal's and Yamaha Marine Grease on the internal parts, plate innards, etc..  Oil the external parts with synthetic oil, and the sleeve/axle/levelwind.  Tune, adjust, clean it off, then check it again the next day for all operations to be normal.  

If I run into an issue with stuck posts and screws -- I just force it off with padded vice grips on the post -- and a large handled hollow ground screwdriver.  Tighten slightly, before loosening -- then just take your time and plenty of down pressure to remove the screw.  Worst case, you might twist the screw off inside the post hole -- but at that point, it is free -- and I just replace it and move on.

So the short answer to my long-winded reply to you is -- yes, the US cleaner will make things quicker, cleaner, and easier for you -- but it will not perform magic on your reel.

That is why guys like Alan and Bryan recommend greasing all screws as they are inserted -- prevents these issues when servicing next time.

Everyone has a different approach to working on reels -- no two alike.

By taking a little bit of info from anyone you trust -- You will develop your own system, if you haven't already.

Best,

Fred

[Islandgypsy]

Guess there is no real silver bullet other than the vinegar soak and working around the ring until it comes free ( or doesn't ). Always appreciate your in-depth replies and know others do also...thanks , Greg.

[Shark Hunter]

Great Job on that Clean & Sort Fred. You do Good Work buddy.

[Rothmar2]

Great Job on that Clean & Sort Fred. You do Good Work buddy.

x2, could have a lot of fun with those parts!
I need to start looking for a U/S cleaner myself.

[Reel 224]

I use never seize on screws that I need to remove every now and then. I use it on my tractor implements where bolts need to be loosened for adjust Tillage and Cultivating, those parts are always exposed to heavy dirt and corrosive fertilizer and the only thing that has worked over the years is never seize. Yes I farm too! 

[retrofit]

This makes an old Maintenance Officer's heart sing. A place for everything and everything in its place. All the parts nice and clean and ready to go again.

[foakes]

Yes, RF --

When working on and restoring old Penns -- I have found it hard and clunky to need a part, have to go through multiple boxes to locate an old skeleton, disassemble to get at the part, take time to clean it -- then have an old partial reel still laying in a box.

Takes 2 or 3 times as long -- and is frustrating most times.

Better to make an investment in time and organization now -- and afterwards, jobs are smoother, quicker, less or no waiting for ordered parts -- and capably completed.

I save time, money, and frustration -- just by recycling these old soldiers -- piece by piece.

I have thousands of new parts -- but many clients can't afford the cost -- they just want a reel to work and be ready to go.

Since I generally do not charge much, if anything, when servicing an old Penn -- for used functional replacement parts -- it just keeps everything flowing smoothly.

No one wants their doctor to be fumbling around in a box looking for instruments when operating on you -- or your Attorney unprepared when defending you -- or an artillery gunner knowing he has another box of ammo "somewhere around here" ...

We probably all have old Penns laying around that we are intending to restore...someday.

Be brutally honest with yourself --

Whether you have 2 old reels -- or 200...it does not matter...

Figure out which ones you truly have the time and ambition to restore to full operation -- set these aside, and do them when you can.

On the others, just consider stripping down, cleaning and organizing the parts -- sometime you will use them -- or someone else will need them.

Just my opinions and operating style -- not perfect, always room for improvement -- but workable now.

Best,

Fred

[Reel 224]

That's what I loved about the military, keeping everything in it place&a place for everything!! Maintenance was a prime concern when I was in the Engineers. We kept our equipment in STRAC condition!

Only ting is I don't have the reel parts that Fred has Gun parts yes, to many as a mater of fact! Soon to be gone though.