Hi,
My name is Michael and I just want to say hello to everybody... I'm new here. The reason why I start looking for pages which help me to restore and clean reels was a huge frustration few weeks ago. My son is 4 or better as he always says he is 4,5 years old and he started fishing with me 1,5 years ago. So as a proud father I wanted to clean his first reel and give the reel a special place. I was very confident it can't be that complicated and so I started to take everything apart. It went smooth.... and as usual in live when sth goes to smooth a big hammer is hanging over your head. So according my school chemistry science knowledge or at least what I can remember was the fact that vinegar acid removes rust. So after I took the reel apart I put most of the peaces in the vinegar acid and was very confident that the rust will disappear.... Unfortunately Murphy's law.... Some of the parts had been dissolved in the vinegar especially the center shaft assembly ( never seen that vinegar can dissolve sth that quickly with that much bubbles) and from some parts the nickel dissolved too and only the cooper is left and the spinner head assembly is black now. At least it is now safe from corrosion.... And at the end the day my son came over and asked if everything is now clean cus he loves his baby reel..... So after that I start to research and found this forum. I read a lot and many questions could be answerd besides the material of the center shaft assembly. I'm still waiting for an answer from Zebco ( meanwhile 2 weeks).
Anyways I'm happy to be here ;D
Welcome Michael,
Bula! from Fiji
Welcome, Michael —
What kind of Zebco is your son's reel?
And what is damaged?
Post some pics, if possible.
We might be able to help.
Best,
Fred
Hi
Welcome Michael. Much of the discoloration on the metal can be buffed off with steel wool, including the copper that plated itself on top of the nickel. The junk metal parts that dissolved my need to be replaced.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal)
-steve
Hello Michael, nice job getting your boy started early.Someone on here can help I'm sure
Welcome aboard Michael! Glad to have you here.
..............Lou from Ct.
Welcome Michael, enjoy your stay with us.
Sal
Hi Michael and welcome from the UK
Welcome from Salem Virginia ;D
Thanks a lot for the nice welcome!
The reel from my son was in the Zebco RT combo so nothing "special" and I can buy a new combo or just maybe only the parts but its just the fact that was my sons first and I should pay more attention... On the other hand I learn the most from mistakes.
I don't exactly know how the parts are called in English so I used some links from ebay ( This are not my auction and I have no relation to the seller it's just to describe what happened, when links are not allowed than please delete them )
This parts totally dissolved in the vinegar acid:
The Pinion Gear
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ZEBCO-SPINNING-REEL-PART-JZ-11-1-Pinion-Gear/301887890901?hash=item4649eba5d5:g:0HUAAOSwUuFW2HoG
and this part
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ZEBCO-QUANTUM-BAITCASTING-REEL-PART-NX4651-1310MG-GD1310-Drive-Gear/291697701118?hash=item43ea89b0fe:g:9RwAAOSwPc9W1cNc
from the https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zebco-EE308-Main-Drive-Gear-Spincast-Reel-Part-New-Old-Stock/372172632635?epid=1839239959&hash=item56a737b23b:g:wiIAAOSwFb5aPD7p
From the other parts I try to show some photos. Can I attach them directly to my posts or do I have to use a special program?
welcome! no problem with the posts. i'm surprised that vinegar had that effect.
Welcome !!
Hello mike. This is a very friendly place to visit. You are very welcome 🙏 and lucky 🍀. Fishing is what makes the days go by so much better.🐟. Enjoy your son, he will remember you always.👍
Thank you all for the help and kind words!!
I attached a few photos which show what happened. The first one shows the rest from the gear. I assume it was just a mixture from zinc and graphit which dissolved very quickly in vinegar.
Thx for the tip @oc1 it is exactly who you explained I can brush the cooper alloy away.
So far I haven't seen a child sleeping with one hand holding his tacklebox ;)
Michael,
Welcome aboard, and welcome to my world! I've learned the hard way that you have to be very careful about which metals you can place in a cleaning solution ???...but thanks to friends here everything worked out okay.
Let us know the reel and model, and someone here will probably be able to help....gotta keep the kids fishing more!!😎
Brett
Welcome, from snowy Minnesota.
Frank
Welcome Michael,
Quote from: happyhooker on April 10, 2018, 02:40:43 AM
Welcome, from snowy Minnesota.
Frank
Frank,
Are you guys ever going to thaw out? You may have to bore holes for the "OPENER". ;D
Welcome Michael! You've come to a great place to learn a lot. :)
Hello Michael. Bad luck, man. Looks like it might be one a those Zebco Rhino spincasters. If I's on the mainland I have one that I could send you the parts from. Suggestion: a vintage Zebco 33 from e-bay, if you need to replace it. Lots of them and relatively inexpensive.
Thx a lot for your suggestions.
I have no idea which model it is I tried to find out more about the Zebco RT Series combo especially the material but no luck. It's not a big problem to get a new reel in the combo it's just the fact that it is his first reel and I tried to do a good job and this is what happened. But after that I shouldn't wonder because today it's more about the price and the quantity and not quality...
I teach my son how to use and get familiar with the spincast reel. For him its the best to use and very easy to handle and safer for me ;D. He is tiny bit too young for the spinning reel... I don't like to have the hook in my face or resolve the birds nest ;)
I was thinking about an old zebco 33 or a Johnson century 100B.
We live in Windsor/Ontario now.
Quote from: Midway Tommy on April 10, 2018, 03:10:26 AM
Quote from: happyhooker on April 10, 2018, 02:40:43 AM
Welcome, from snowy Minnesota.
Frank
Frank,
Are you guys ever going to thaw out? You may have to bore holes for the "OPENER".
Snowed hard most of Sunday; got 'er cleaned up to be ready for a possible storm this Sat. There are no lakes in Minn. that are officially free of ice yet (last year, most were open before the end of March). Many even in the southern part of the state still have 2+ feet of ice yet. Only open water is at a few rivers downstream of dams, altho I would guess the Mississippi is open at a lot of places.
Frank
Quote from: Acetylcholin99 on April 10, 2018, 07:04:42 AM
Thx a lot for your suggestions.
I was thinking about an old zebco 33 or a Johnson century 100B.
You could do at lot worse than a 33 or a 100B. Get a good unit of the old-style US-made 33 if you go that route, although I have a newer China Classic 33 that ain't too terrible. The 100B has a fiddly drag (works OK when you figure out how to use it), but you can reel it with either hand and it truly is a historic reel.
Frank
The reel should be in first line for my son. So it has to be sturdy because at the age of four things fall down from the tiny hands and easy to use. My son doesn't care much about drags it's more the cast which should work in a easy way. In the second line I like to collect old or historical staff just to show how fishing looked like years ago.
The 100B has a metal bell (cone) and body; durability is it's middle name; I'm not as familiar with the 33, but believe the older ones had a metal bell & possibly body as well. The 100B is smaller sized & might very well appeal to a youngster or person with smaller hands.
Frank