Gear corrosion

Started by bhale1, March 26, 2018, 06:34:06 PM

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bhale1

Has anyone else had this problem? Opened up a Mitchell 300 (yard sale find), that was very stiff to crank. The old grease was hard and almost crystalized. Easy fix after all I've learned here...... disassemble,soak in diluted Simple Green, and the old toothbrush scrub😁.....
Well apparently whatever material this one gear( I think it's called a transfer gear) is made of doesn't take kindly to being encrusted in nasty tar like grease for decades, because it eroded some of the material off the teeth ???
....and of course I didn't notice it till after reassembly. I don't think it was the SG...or was it, maybe one of the experts will know.
Sort of hard to see, but teeth worn away on left side in pic....



Brett

thorhammer

i think that's aluminum and if it was already a bit compromised, yes SG will get it. i stopped putting any aluminum in SG after i turned a Daiwa 50 purple.

oc1

I agree with John.  Simple Green (whatever it is) can do some weird stuff.  Don't ever leave anything in it overnight.
-steve

bhale1

Thanks guys. Yeah I learned that lesson the hard way with "Purple Power" degreaser on some of my first attempts at cleaning😁  Now I use SG , 50/50 with warm water. Thought I had learned my lesson! I will say though, that these parts were in there 15-20 minutes max. I dropped them in after scraping 90% of the crud off with wooden skewer pieces and dental pics. It was a very short soak as I scrubbed with a toothbrush and a soft brass brush. Don't know if I did it, the cleaner did it, or if it was like that already. I didn't even notice it until after assembly.
The reel before.....


Always learning....sometimes the hard way :o
Brett

Midway Tommy

Things like that are the exact reason why I wouldn't even consider using SG. I used it once to try to clean a stain on the utility room concrete floor and it peeled the paint up next to the stain. I decided I'd never again use it on anything except bare exterior concrete. Lacquer thinner & acetone may smell but at least they don't deteriorate bare metals.
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

bhale1

Yep, Tommy.....
And I haven't gallon of laquer thinner sitting right next to the Simple Green.....doh!!!!!!!!
Brett

foakes

#6
Yeah, Brett — I learned early on that Mitchell or Daiwa alloy parts do not do well with Simple Green or Purple HD degreaser.  

If left in long enough, material becomes weak and actually becomes useless.

At the best, the parts will blacken and need to be cleaned with steel wool and a wire wheel brush.

Surprisingly, straight lacquer thinner is very effective on the greases and crud — the parts come out sparkling with no degradation.  

I use LT for any bare metals.  A lid is kept on it between cleanings —and it is extremely flammable.

But I go through a gallon to a gallon and a half a month.  Get possibly 6 or 9 cleanings out of each batch.  If it gets too oily or dark, I just filter it with a used fine metal coffee gold filter.

Never use LT on any painted, anodized, plastic, or graphite parts.

The other great solution is DAWN dish soap & hot water for all plastic, painted, anodized, and graphite parts.

Ultrasonic cleaner works well with these cleaners also.

Again, just use caution — and do not leave unattended for long.

If you need a new transfer gear 81032? — I can send it out N/C.

I have your address in Tucson.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

bhale1

Fred,
Thank you sir, I would appreciate that....PM coming your way in a few.
Brett

handi2

Ive seen modern reels in worse shape than these. I rebuilt 5 Penn Battle 5000's and a couple SSV reels lately that needed everything. The same corrosion. Darn Kayak Fisherman..!!
OCD Reel Service & Repair
Gulf Breeze, FL

handi2

They kept using them until they got so hard to turn it bent the spool shaft.
OCD Reel Service & Repair
Gulf Breeze, FL

bhale1

I guess it takes all types to make this world go round!  I cant for the life of me understand how the poor performance they must be getting from those reels wouldnt drive them crazy. Not to mention the possibility of losing fish! 🐟🐟
Brett

foakes

My sister's first car was a 74 Ford Mustang V6 that was a year old when she got it.

I asked her how she was doing with her service and oil changes a year later.

She sez "it has the neatest feature — this little red light comes on to let me know I need to add some oil..."

Best,

Fred

The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

grekim

It is not a good feeling reading this thread and knowing that I treated over a dozen reels with some combination of SG and vinegar, although in all cases I diluted them, but more often than not they were left overnight....for effectiveness, not laziness.  I have not seen any discoloration immediately following treatment.  But, when I open up a Mitchell I will see the greese on an Al gear sometimes darkened, but it does not appear to be the metal itself.  Perhaps a top layer is being rubbed off. 

According to the MSDS, the pH of Simple Green is 9.5, which of course is a base.  Strange to think that SG and vinegar might neutralize each other to some extent if you got the proportions just right.  But, then they might lose their individual effeciveness.   It is all a mystery.
Educating fish on every trip

sdlehr

#13
Quote from: grekim on March 28, 2018, 10:56:05 AMStrange to think that SG and vinegar might neutralize each other to some extent if you got the proportions just right.  But, then they might lose their individual effeciveness.   It is all a mystery.
The only reason vinegar is useful is because it is a dilute solution of acetic acid. If you neutralize that it's as effective as water. There's no mystery, it's all science.

Simple Green didn't do that to that gear. How can you explain that only a small portion of a large gear was affected? That gear was damaged by something else.

I degrease with either mineral spirits or lacquer thinner and use vinegar straight up with no problems. If I need more cleaning power I use Dawn Dish Soap. I routinely soak overnight, but not in Simple Green. I wouldn't advise leaving metal in SG for more than a few minutes. It's fine on chrome and brass, not good for Aluminum.
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

Gfish

What's the Simple Green gonna be doing to ya once it's vapors are breathed in, or possibly absorbed through the skin? Ph 9.5 sounds pretty -alkaline- caustic. Wonder what else is in there.
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!