What's best internally, oil or grease, or nothing? Grease can oxidize and become like peanut butter. What about oil? Would clean metal with nothing, lead to corrosion?
How about the exposed outside components?
Interested in what y'all do, and especially; WHY?
Some Queens I have, have never been used. Some older Shelfies have been well used back in the day. Two examples: a 1/0 NIB Senator and a pretty good for it's age(German Silver?) pre-War Silver Beach 97.
Morning "G". When I first started out years back, I left my reels dry. I couldn't bring myself to cover them with grease after all that work cleaning them. Not to mention that if I kept them any length of time, the grease would harden up anyway. Then when I took one apart after several years to check it over, I did not notice any corrosion or problems at all. However to spin them and have a smooth operation on your slightly lower end reels (high quality, well built reels don't seem to matter as much) a light oiling was best for a showing. So, usually a little oil on my queens.
Sup G- in a generally sense, where you are may come into play...when I lived a mile from the beach in a humid environment, my tools in drawers would rust. I'd maybe do a very light WD wipe on the MIB every so ofetn, not so much grease on the innards, cause you certainly dont wannna spot that one. If I had one that already had a little patina. chrome loss, I'd prolly oil it more. Now I'm 130 miles inland and I just wipe them off woth Penn cleaner now and agan.
My 0.02
I used to clean mine and lube them like I was going to fish them but after puddles of oil in bottom of my show cases I quit that. Now I clean them and just lightly oil or grease them with a light synthetic oil or grease very very sparingly !! John Taylor
(https://alantani.com/gallery/35/17471_03_11_21_2_19_53_357481745.jpeg)
I say grease them and if they are shelf queens grease them good .
Might as well share the joy ,to the future owners as you did when you received them !!!
We know it works , That`s why we have them now ...
I thought that today's synthetic lubricants would fare better over time than whatever the Penn Factory put in a reel 60 years ago - I may be wrong but I say grease them good.
3M Spray Silicone (Wet Type)
Has some of the same Propensities as Holy Water !
Since all I do is spinners and all I use is SuperLube and synthetic oil I lube them exactly the same as if fishing them, but with maybe a little less oil. SuperLube seems to stay flexible for an eternity. I have examples that have been in the case for close to 20 years and all the take is 3 or 4 spins forward and 8 or 10 spins backwards and they work free as can be. It seems like the backwards spins makes more difference than forward.
As far as outsides, after they're clean, I always give them a light coat of spray car wax and polish them before they go on the shelf so all that is ever needed is a microcloth wipe off after handling them later.