From ugly duckling to........

[cdaline]

....less ugly duckling. Penn 49.

Found yesterday at an estate sale... I gave $10. Frozen, would not crank, obvious
salt water corrosion . Guy in front of me took a pass. Rather than force anything I started
with removing the side plate, spool , discarded all the wire line (broken at 3 different
locations coming off the spool...with severe coil memory, brittle). Cleaned , lubed, oiled, soaked
the spool in white vinegar ... heavy oxidation removed with 0000 steel wool and buffer
pad... appears to have lost some chrome exposing brass. , but salvageable. reassembled,
put through all options... works fine. Not much free spool time as the DYI crank handle is
inherently out of balance.... but i can imagine the owner really wanted it to be able to really
get after it with a mitt full of handle. A fun resuscitation...kind of a rare find out here in the
desert. Want to find out if it is necessary to change out drags before I do. Everything seems
to work as designed.... quality bones. Not sure which era this reel is from... just glad to see
the side plates weren't cracked. Probably go with some 50 lb. test.

So, no beauty contest winner, but, totally functional. Glad I picked it up. 

Charles
https://imgur.com/a/tno36xg

[Crow]

Good save !

[cdaline]

Thanks Crow... a fun way to spend Sunday afternoon. Will probably get
put to use chasing big Catfish in the canals of Southern California.... or
Sea Bass in the Sea of Cortez. 

Charles

[Donnyboat]

Hi charles, great find, for that price, make sure you get all that corrosion & patarna out of it, or it will keep traveling under the chrome, if your going to fish it, then I would, try to get some beveled & eared washers, to up grade it to carbon fibre, enjoy cheers Don.

[mo65]

Great job bringing that one back.

[Swami805]

Came out nice, good one at ten beans.  Replace the drag washers if you plan to fish it, and maybe a handle upgrade?  Haha

[cdaline]

Thank you all for the input.

Don- should I try Marine Jelly to chase the remaining oxidation / corrosion ?
Leaning toward going the full Monty.... will look into carbon fiber.

Mo65- I really think these reels having good bones is what leads us to be willing
to be willing to attempt resuscitation. As soon as the previous gentleman in line
passed on taking it, I knew I was taking it. 

Swami- ha! Ha ha! the handle is growing on me. The prior owner obviously believed
function was more important than form. 

I like rescuing these "beaters"...should get another decade at least. 

Charles

[sabaman1]

Looks great! Get a new knob or handle and shes worthy to be put back into use again.

[cdaline]

Thanks Saba...taken under advisement.

Man, the anti - reverse on this reel sure is stout. I like it.

Charles

[Donnyboat]

Thanks Charles, I would use vinegar & water 50/50. let it soak for 30 to 40 minutes, then brush it hard, if that dont remove it all, then place it back in for a bit longer, just be careful you dont over do it, but you have to get it all, or it will keep travelling under the chrome, good luck, wont to see some pics of the fish you catch with it, cheers Don.

[Mandelstam]

Looks amazing! Man I love seeing reels being brought back to life like that!

[cdaline]

Thanks Don... I'll give the chrome another pass today.

Mandlestam.... I'm getting better at assessing reel potential at
the purchase point. But, still make occasional errors. My own
personal guidelines.... missing multiple screws, cracked faceplates,
obvious abuse. There are so many of these reels out there I see
no reason to torture myself. I read on line where some compare
(favorably) this line (49 series) to the Senator 6-0.

Ha ! I just noticed the faceplate doesn't say Mariner. Must be a reel
from late in the 49 series life cycle.

Charles

[Bill B]

Charles, good save.  The 49 is an unsung hero in my book. A lot of people pass them up, but don't know what they're capable of. I'm kinda likin' the diy handle. Looks like his version of the rockcod handles used here on the west coast. 

[cdaline]

Bill .
Thanks for sharing. those handles look like they're ready for business.
I've decided to keep the handle on this reel. It is functional and gives
the reel character. Cod fishing seems appropriate for my reel .... lingcod
is my favorite eating fish I've ever tried !.

Just wanted to share..I've read (here) that these spools have a problem
with "warping" ...fortunately , this one seems warp free. The reel operates
smoothly, and quietly without any snags, burrs, hook-ups detected. It would
appear I landed one of the good ones...seems to deserve carbon fiber drag
washers.

Charles