Reel Cleaning 101 : Grease, Corrosion, Salt.

[Danderson]

I'm fairly new to the Do-It-Yourself Reel Cleaning and maintenance program, Money is a little tight now a days and I just can't send them off to Alan and have no worries, Ive had scale back on the cash flow and have made attempts to do-it-myself.  I have had great success with my Shimano and Abu reels and have had a blast tearing them a-part and installing all new Carbonex Drag washers.  I have not ran into anything with heavy corrosion or old grease until tonight when I took a-part an Abu that my Dad has used for many years.  So my question is just little reel 101?  What is the most effective product to get mild corrosion off a reel and it's parts? What is your opinion on what product works best and cheapest on grease removal.  I have bought several new reels and I'm currently getting ready to break them a-part and upgrade the drag washers, do you clean the factory grease off like you would a reel that has 20 year old grease in it?

I'm just looking for a little 101 on cleaning side of the business, I want to also Thank Alan for the many reels he had maintained for me and also this great website to share his knowledge and the knowledge of many of it's members.  Thank you all very much for sharing and making this my go too website for Reel repair and maintenance.

Derek

[alantani]

an old toothbrush and some light oil might be the best place to start.  that's what i usually use. 

[Danderson]

Thanks Alan, That is pretty much what i'am doing now and it works great, Other than the fact the Old Toothbrush I grabbed was my wifes new one she just got from the dentist...OOps.  Ohh well the price you pay when you marry a fisherman.

Derek

[akfish]

Vinegar gets rid of corrosion very well. CLR, a household cleaner , does too but is toxic. I use Salt-X in the shop.

[Nessie Hunter]

I found the TSI 301 is most excellent for cleaning a de-greasing etc etc!!!!
Plus it is a very good lubricant,  (Thanks Alan)....
Even WD 40 is very good... 
I work inside the house so Low odor, non flammable and non toxic things are a big plus for me...

Be careful & test surfaces with CLR (even Vinegar) it will take off/ruin a lot of finishes !!!!   
Very acidic !!! 

[Danderson]

Thank for all the reply's, You guys are great.  I really do appreciate taking the time to share your knowledge.

Derek

[EccentricRuss]

I have been stalking the forums for a while picking up some excellent advice.  Thank-you all for your detailed tutorials.

I recently purchased off Ebay, a well used Penn 180 that looked like the previous owner snagged it off the bottom of the ocean while on a deep sea excursion.  Lots of green corrosion on the chromed brass and the eccentric lever won't switch from "on" to "off," stopping at about the halfway mark.  Moving the spool creates a grind like there is lots of salt and sand inside.  So I sprayed the whole piece heavily with Corrosion X and bagged it yesterday to soak.  Using an old toothbrush removed a fair amount of the corrosion, but there is still much left to do.

My question is will the Corrosion X soaking past the 24 hour mark continue to benefit the process or has it run its course?  Do I need to move on to metal brushes and other chemicals like vinegar, Simple Green or CLR?  I clearly would prefer to keep using the soft toothbrush and find another chemical to remedy the saltwater "verdi gris," but that may just be wishful thinking.





Cheers,
Russ

[bluefish69]

Russ

That reel has to be taken apart. Every piece has to be cleaned, oiled or Greased. Sounds like a nice little project.  Enjoy yourself it's fun.

Mike

[EccentricRuss]

Sorry, I should have been clearer.  I do plan to take it all apart, grease, oil and replace the drag washers.  But I am talking about cleaning the frame posts, stand and metal side plates right now.  I want to get rid of the green corrosion without taking off too much of the plating.  I picked at some of the corrosion with a dental pick, but its taking off the chrome plating.  Is there a "miracle" chemical I am not considering, or should I just pick and wire brush the corrosion away on the metal pieces, because Corrosion X and toothbrush has stopped working.

Russ

[bluefish69]

I know white vinegar helps on that green on the Chrome. The others on the site all have their ways with what you are doing. I try to clean thing but end up buying new posts, rings & such. For the posts I would contact fishingreels79 on EBay. His Posts are SS.

Mike

[foakes]

If you just want to bring it back up to fishable operation -- here is what I would do:

Completely disassemble, put all chromed parts into a vat of vinegar for at least 24 hours to cut the green.

All of the internals such as the eccentric, jack, yoke, bridge, main & pinion gear, etc. -- drop in a covered screw tight glass jar of mineral spirits for 24 hours to cut and soften the grease caked on.  Shake well before removing from the MS -- finish clean up with toothbrush -- rinse & inspect.

Sideplates and any Bakelite handle knobs, etc. -- just clean by hand with simple green, or similar.

You will need new cf drag washers greased with Cal's, maybe new SS drag discs, maybe the brass would be OK -- inspect for any burrs or score marks.

New under gear washer, delrin is nice, but any hard fiber type would work in this case.

Sounds likely there is an eccentric spring that has become distorted or broken -- likely needs replacement.

Reassemble, greasing all internals  (gears, yoke, jack eccentric, etc.) with a grease like Yamaha Marine -- oiling all moving parts such as spool ends, handle knobs, etc. -- with a synthetic oil.

When done, you will likely have a good, fishable reel -- with a minimum of expense.

The sideplates will be pitted and possibly slightly faded -- rings, posts, stand, handle, Eccentric lever, and side bearing adjusters are likely to be pitted.  But this reel will work well for many years to come.

Obviously there is at least a couple of screws needed, and maybe a spring, set of drags, under gear washer.

If that handle is an indicator, this is a nice old 180 likely from around the late 40s to 1950.

If you don't have the spare parts, either myself or someone else on the Board could help.

Of course, the sky is the limit on restoring this nice old reel -- but once started down a road of replacing everything pitted, it is tough to stop.

Let us know if we can help, and post some pics when you are completed with this neat project.

Best,

Fred

[handi2]

You won't believe how well just Kerosene mixed with Gunk Heavy Duty cleaner works. I mix it 4 to 1 Kerosene to Gunk. It and a soft brass brush will immediately remove all the green, grease, and old corrosion off any metal and chromed part. This is mixed in a 5 gallon parts cleaner. I just use a container in the parts cleaner to soak the parts if needed. Everything goes in and comes out clean. Stuck handle grips will spin.

No overnight concoctions..!

[Aiala]

For the posts I would contact fishingreels79 on eBay. His Posts are SS.

Mike, I'd be interested in SS posts as well, but I tried a seller search for "fishingreels79" on eBay and it said there ain't no such person.   

~A~

[Shark Hunter]

This is the Guy Aiala.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PENN-REEL-PART-100-146-4-POSTS-STAINLESS-STEEL-LIFETIME-WARRANTY-/121432455433?pt=US_Taxidermy&hash=item1c45f03909

[Aiala]

This is the guy, Aiala.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PENN-REEL-PART-100-146-4-POSTS-STAINLESS-STEEL-LIFETIME-WARRANTY-/121432455433?pt=US_Taxidermy&hash=item1c45f03909

Thanks, Mr. Shark! (Funny how one little additional 's' can gum up the search works.) Looks like he offers posts for many different reels, too... excellent.   

~A~