My dads Penn 85

[Kolbein]

Hi. I Just joined this forum today,  because of an abu i own..

Hope i post in the correct forum

While looking around the forum, i rememberd that i also inhertited a Penn reel.  I dug it up, and took some pictures.. are there any way to find an production year?

I wil give this one som TLC,  When finished with the abu.. the Penn looks really sollid 

K

[foakes]

Appears to have no part numbers, which would put it pre 1950?

First 85 was around 1934 —- but those had wood crank knobs.

This is later (of course, handles are easily switched).

I still have a bunch of these.

Easy to work on and restore.

There are others on here who are better at knowing ages —- they will be along shortly.

Best, Fred

[Flat Top]

Cant help you with the date of production...thats best left for the pro's on here. I have used nothing but old style Penn conventional reels for going on 70 years and they have never let me down...take a licking and keep on ticking. In honor of your dad get it all cleaned and lubed, spool it up and go fishing....its all you need to land fish.

[Crab Pot]

K,

Here is my Penn No 85.

I thought it was much older than it actually is because of the marbling in the Bakelite side plates.

I believe it's a late 1960's early 1970's version based on the handle.

It also has 30-85 part numbers on it.

Welcome aboard,

Steve 

[Cuttyhunker]

The 85 is real reel, not a toy.  I like to get them set up on smaller rods for those little kids hands to learn how to use them as to the thumb level wind technique, managing the drags etc.  When they get bigger they will have already have mastered the basic skill set to move up to the Senators, Internationals or even an old school Squidder as with the easily externally lubed  bushings the 85's are capable little casters.  Go fish it!

[Surfrat]

I would go online to find and print out the reel schematic/diagram. Take the 85 apart and put it into a plastic takeout container or a cut in half milk container. Soak the corroded parts in vinegar/salt solution in a the container for an hour or so. Remove and drain the solution and finish with baking soda and a water wash to neutralize the vinegar/salt solution. Wipe the metal parts with napkins then let them dry for a day. While the metal parts are soaking, I would wipe the bakelite with baby wipes or some mild wipes. Put all back together with marine grease to moving parts, oil the bushings, the handle knob,maybe add new drags if you need to fish it,and have fun.

[Shellbelly]

You have one of the most popular and prolific models.  You should have no problem finding any parts you may need.  If you plan to use it, check the entire spool carefully for cracks.  Also, once the line is off, the way the spool is made may give someone (smarter than I am) a clue as to the time frame when it was made.

Cuttyhunker is right.  The 85 has probably put more fish in the skillet than any other Penn model.

Careful.  I think your reel has a collector bug in it.

[Kolbein]

Thanks for the feedback and tips 🙂🙂 i Will for sure restore and use it.

@shellbelly . Funny you should mention collector bug. Last night i found a ok looking Penn 49 super mariner on a norwegian site. The seller wanted aproxemently 30$ for it... i kind of bought it...And so it begins 🙈🙈

K

[Crab Pot]

Here is my collection.

And this is nothing compared to some of the others on here!

[Gfish]

I got a pair of 85's a couple of months ago. Probably the same era as crab pot-Steve's, with the marbled side-plates, spool and that same handle/knob. One went to Maui and I'm itching to fish the other(torn rotator cuff that the Doctor keeps delaying the operation for. Truly a form of spiritual death—-several months of being a no fishing-land lubber.)
I like the thick side-plates and the simple Penn construction. Shouldn't be to hard to strip down and rebuild. Arranging the pinion/yolk/eccentric jack and the bridge plate, while getting the AR dog back in is tricky. Some of the Penn tutorials in this site will help.

[Kolbein]

Where would i find the serialnumber if it has one? Opened my now, cant find it 🙂

But the inside is looking bettere than feared

[foakes]

No serial numbers on these.

Best, Fred

[Kolbein]

Took the line off, just posting the pictures too see if anyone can give a timeframe for the reel.

Did they make the spool in metall from the start?  Or bakelit? This one has a metal spool.

[Surfrat]

@Kolbein, the 1940s models began with plastic spool then changed to 29M-85 Chrome plated brass spool that provided strength and better line capacity. 1990s models used black aluminum spool 29L-85. I can see with the sideplates, gears and aluminum spool in the pictures, you have a 1990s model. 

[Kolbein]

@Kolbein, the 1940s models began with plastic spool then changed to 29M-85 Chrome plated brass spool that provided strength and better line capacity. 1990s models used black aluminum spool 29L-85. I can see with the sideplates, gears and aluminum spool in the pictures, you have a 1990s model. 

Thanks 🙂🙂🙂 1990 makes much more sense to me, than older 🙂🙂