180 and 180/155 Frankenreel Project

[work2fish]

I want to try out some Penn 180s. I fish mostly in freshwater for catfish and carp, and take occasional trips to the ocean to fish in saltwater. I like the size of the Penn 100/180/Monofil 27 because they seem like they would be appropriate for catfish and carp and also for light surf or pier fishing.

I do have a nice 180 that I bought from Randy, but for this project I got 2 180s and a 155 cheap from the auction site. One of the 180s is missing some screws, has a broken spool, a seized handle knob, and is missing the spool end cap on the left side. The other one has an aluminum spool, but the reel is very dirty and corroded. The 155 is in decent condition, but it has some corrosion on the frame and bars and it has a chrome/brass spool.

My goal is to take these three reels, plus an extra spool Randy sent me with the 180 I bought from him, and make 2 nice 180-sized reels. I originally planned to just use the stand and bars from the broken 180 to narrow the 155, but I may try to keep the original side plates from the broken 180 because I like the etching and it would be nice if the right side plate says 180 instead of 155. I can take the screws and handle from the 155 and transfer them to the broken 180 and then buy another aluminum spool or use the plastic one from Randy.

I will be looking up old posts on restoring/shining bakelite side plates and removing green corrosion from frames and bars. Also need to order some carbontex drag washers.

[Keta]

:0)

I went from Surfmaster 100s to Monofil 27s years ago due to weight.  Good size reel for shallow rockfish and lingcod.

[MACflyer]

Look forward to seeing the transformation.

[work2fish]

I decided to start with the 180 that was complete, but a bit corroded. Below are the "before" pics. It is turning out to be more of a challenge than I expected, but it should be a good learning experience. Some of the frame screws were corroded and very difficult to remove, and it was even harder because the slots in a few of the screws were somewhat damaged from screwdriver slippage, and I didn't want to make them any worse.

When I got the reel apart I realized that there were 4 different lengths of frame screws: right side post, left side post, right stand, left stand. Since I am planning on harvesting the frame screws from the 155 for the other 180 I checked the schematic and learned that the 155 uses the same screws for the right and left bars, and that they are the same screws as the 180 uses for the right side plate bars. I hope that they are not too long to use on the left side plate bars of the 180.

I also found that the clicker tongue is very corroded. I can see on the schematic that the clicker button and tongue are separate parts, but mine is too corroded for me to be able to figure out how to get them apart and off the side plate. Does the tongue screw into the button?

The metal drag washers look good, and it already has carbon fiber drag washers in between the metal ones, so that saves me a step.

On the schematic the brass parts in the side plates that the spool bushings screw into are not listed as separate parts. Can those be removed from a side plate and replaced without causing damage? The other 180 is missing this part on the left side plate, and I was hoping to transfer one over from the 155 so that I can keep the side plate with the etching, rather than just using the full left side plate from the 155. Similar question for the metal sleeve in the right side plate that the gear sleeve goes through. The outside of it has some green corrosion. I could try to remove it to soak in vinegar, or just leave it on and try to wipe off the corrosion with some Near-dull or vinegar.

I soaked the spool in vinegar for around an hour and then used a toothbrush to try to remove the white corrosion. I still see some white, so I think I need to repeat this process. Can the vinegar hurt the aluminum spool if I soak it too long?

I don't think the clicker tongue is salvageable, so I will check the ones on the 155 and the other 180 to see if I can use one of those.

[work2fish]

I took the left side plates off the other 180 and the 155 and was surprised that all 3 are somewhat different. The click ring on the other 180 and the 155 look like they are NOT removable. I also still can't figure out how to remove the click button and click tongue, so I will probably need to just transfer the left side plate from the 155 to this 180. Luckily, I found that the other 180 was NOT missing the brass part that the spool bearing screws into. It was just missing the spool bearing (40-60) and bearing spring (41-60). So, I can either try to remove as much corrosion as possible from the 180 click tongue and just use it as is, or I can use the left side plate from the 155 in this first 180 and then use the left bearing from the 155 in the other 180. I should be OK on the screws. The left side plate from the 155 looks a bit thicker, and that is probably why it uses the 38-8 screws instead of the 39-4 screws the 180 uses. I can use the left screws from the 155 for this first 180 and the right screws from the 155 for the second 180, because it is missing some of the right side screws.

I'll be surprised if anyone actually followed all that   

[Keta]

You have to drill out the old tongue and peen the new one in place.

[MACflyer]

Always challenges when building a Frankenreel, but a lot of learning takes place. Not sure how long you could soak the aluminum spool in vinegar? The last time I tried to remove all the white corrosion from an aluminum spool, I ended up with a lot of pitting, so slow and easy is probably better.

[oldmanjoe]

  I use C L R {calcium , lime and rust remover } .  Soak a paper towel pieces and lay on top of the heavy corision parts .  Keep a watch on this process , it works fast !!    The sad part is some chrome is going to leave .   Paint can be your friend , I like Rust-oleum Metallic Paint & primer in one .

[Surfrat]

CLR is not recommended on aluminum and brass so be careful since most reel parts are made from these metals. When you use vinegar, you have to add some salt- any kitchen edible salt. I tried this vinegar+ table salt mixture on all the greenish corrosions.I soak the mixture with a small piece of paper towel onto the spool, posts, rings, and clamp. You can soak the screws and other brass parts but not too long. This mixture will remove the tarnish and sometimes turn the brass darker. You can use a pencil eraser to brighten the brass parts after this mix soaking. Of course, you can try this on a darken penny first to see how cheap and effective this vinegar+ table salt is.

[work2fish]

The last time I tried to remove all the white corrosion from an aluminum spool, I ended up with a lot of pitting, so slow and easy is probably better.

I will try to stop before I get to any significant pitting. Is there anything that can be put on an aluminum spool to discourage corrosion (that won't hurt monofilament line)?

I use C L R {calcium , lime and rust remover } .  Soak a paper towel pieces and lay on top of the heavy corision parts .  Keep a watch on this process , it works fast !!    The sad part is some chrome is going to leave .  Paint can be your friend , I like Rust-oleum Metallic Paint & primer in one .

I don't have any CLR yet, but may try it in the future. I have seen it mentioned by a few members.

I recently bought a Surfmaster 200 from the auction site that had the bars, foot, and rings painted gray. I don't know what paint they used, so I was just going to remove it with acetone and use whatever (possibly pitted) parts lay beneath. Was that reel from you?

When you use vinegar, you have to add some salt- any kitchen edible salt. I tried this vinegar+ table salt mixture on all the greenish corrosions.I soak the mixture with a small piece of paper towel onto the spool, posts, rings, and clamp. You can soak the screws and other brass parts but not too long.

What does the salt do? I have already soaked the chrome parts in vinegar for about an hour, and the brass internal parts for around 30 min. The chrome parts turned out very well! The brass parts are still stained, but I rubbed them with Nevr-dull and decided that as long as they are smooth I don't care about the discoloration.

I decided to just use the whole left sideplate from the 155, rather than trying to salvage that click tongue.

[Surfrat]

I tried getting the stained brass parts to look like new and vinegar by itself didn't work that good. If you add the vinegar+table salt to them, your wait time is very fast. You can try with a stained penny and you will see it start cleaning your penny in seconds.

Mixing salt and white vinegar creates a highly effective, natural acidic cleaner (sodium acetate) that removes rust, tarnish, and grime, especially on copper. Adding salt increases ionic strength of the solution - and that makes acetic acid slightly stronger.

Ionic strength is basically how much ions feel other ions in the solution.

Remember to wash the parts with water after and dry it. Use a pencil eraser to remove the residue if you want and your parts will look newer.

Have fun! I can't wait to see your frankenreel.

[Keta]

I nuterilise the vinegar with baking soda and water then rinse and dry.