TIP OF THE DAY

[Keta]

Sal,

I too wonder what caused this chemical reaction?  Was it the mix of chrome, steel & aluminum parts??
My two years of chemistry in college in no way makes me a specalist in chemical reaction, but I will contact Simple Green & ask their R&D dept. for ideas.

Can you sort out the chrome, steel & AL parts for closer inspection photos??

The soaking basket looks to be aluminum, not stainless steel.  In fact, it looks like the colander my Mother used for drain pasta (or spagetti) as us Northern Italians called it!!!!

Back with some answers after speaking with SG.
Wayne

Probably electrolysis.

[Alto Mare]

Sal --

If you need some specific bail screws to complete some old 700 series spinners -- I have quite a few for 700 -- 716, and up through I believe 722s.

Just let me know.

Best,

Fred

Fred, you're amazing, always willing to help. I thank you, but for now I do not need them. If priced right, I usually grab discontinued parts whenever I get a chance. Thank you Fred.
Sal

Sal,

I too wonder what caused this chemical reaction?  Was it the mix of chrome, steel & aluminum parts??
My two years of chemistry in college in no way makes me a specalist in chemical reaction, but I will contact Simple Green & ask their R&D dept. for ideas.

Can you sort out the chrome, steel & AL parts for closer inspection photos??

The soaking basket looks to be aluminum, not stainless steel.  In fact, it looks like the colander my Mother used for drain pasta (or spagetti) as us Northern Italians called it!!!!

Back with some answers after speaking with SG.
Wayne

Wayne, I believe you hit the nail on the head, I've mentioned a while back that I do not mix brass with chrome when soaking for a day or two, I was getting black marks on the brass, I didn't think it would have mattered with the screws.
Again, if you soak the parts for 12 hours or so, as I did today, it won't matter mixing them. This batch came out nice and clean.
The problem isn't with Simple Green, I love that stuff, the problem was from me leaving the parts for almost two weeks, I'm sure I'll probably do it again . Maybe I'll install an alarm , I'm always soaking parts.
By the way, I do not add water to the Simple Green, I use it straight out of the gallon.
The screws were brass, aluminum and plastic. The thick screws got the most damage, those are from the early reels. The plastic screws couldn't give a reaction, but the chrome would. The flatter screws show no sign of damage .
Sal

[foakes]

Over the years, I have discovered that the aluminum will cause this reaction -- and the brass will also.  

Generally the chromed over brass will be OK.

SS is never a problem.

But here is what I do differently -- I use a good ultrasonic cleaner -- reservoir filled with water -- 2 wide mouthed plastic canisters -- one with Simple Green, one with Purple HD Degreaser -- both cut 50% with water.

I use a HD L&R ultrasonic cleaner with a good size reservoir, good electronics, all SS, professional grade for Dentists and Doctors.  These can be bought for around $100 to $250 -- regularly on eBay.  No Heater.

All brass, chromed over brass, SS, or steel -- goes in the purple.

All aluminum, plastic, pot metal, basically any other at risk metals goes in the Simple Green.

No heat, set timer for 6 minutes -- if really badly impacted with grease, go 12 minutes.

Pour all of the parts into a strainer like a pasta colander.  Recycle the solutions back into each original container.  I generally get 10-12 reels cleaned before needing to change out the solutions.  No use wasting $$$.

Soak and rinse in water all parts -- remove the parts to dry on a paper towel -- and you are done.

They come out shiny, clean, and every crevice is completely free of any debris.

Painted parts can be done this same way, in the Green -- but this is where care and experience come in.

Be careful, you might lose some paint.  If in doubt, just spray with Simple Green and use a brush on these painted parts.

After awhile, you will know which metals work with which cleaners.

I have done too many old Mitchell's with aluminum cranks, baffle plates, soft nuts and cross wind blocks.  

This is a quick, effective, and lazy way to clean reels.  And I can do an entire disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, grease, oil, torque, and adjustments to nearly any Penn, Mitchell, Quick, Daiwa, Shimano, Abu, or Cardinal in about an easy 45 to 50 minutes.  Internationals, Accurates, Avets, high tech spinners, and rear drag spinners take about twice the time for me.  But this is a complete strip down -- not a partial.  And this includes a cup of coffee, and a break while letting the parts clean.

I never mix up more than one reel in the same cleaning batch.  Just one at a time -- no mistakes or confusion that way -- at least for me.

Best,

Fred

[CaptainRMF]

Hey handi2, just got done soaking a Black Penn 6/0 spool yesterday in vinegar and baking soda. It works great but DON'T leave in for 24hrs. it'll ruin it. I just do 1-2hrs then I wash them with fresh water and Dawn dish soap and they look great. P.S. DON'T tell my wife I used the kitchen sink, she'll kill me.          Richy

[handi2]

It was someone else who left the parts in overnight. He be brought the main gear and crosswind gear in to me to order new parts. The crosswind gear was unrecognizable..!!

[El Pescador]

Simple Green's head of R&D Dept. just called me, answering my questions on the issue Sal brought up re: the AL parts corroding to the point of not being useful.

Here is her answer:


A Cut & Paste from the website: 
When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum.
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser, and Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years.

However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water.


The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process.


Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes.


Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green product residues.


Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.
Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green Aircraft & Precision Cleaner, Pro Series Simple Green Automotive Cleaner, and Simple Green Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances.

Simple Green Stainless Steel One Step Cleaner & Polish is another option for cleaning polished aluminum. This product is designed for light duty metal cleaning and polishing.



Her suggestion if we want to soak AL parts, use Simple Green PRO HD  -  It contains a corrosion inhibitor  -  Soak for as long as you want!!!!      Available at Home Depot.

And she reminded me to always clean up the parts in fresh water to rinse off any Simple Green.

IT's just that simple!!



Wayne

[Dominick]

Hey Wayne you left out the rest of the information...And to conclude your tip of the day I offer the following: 

Aluminum is a chemical element in the boron group with symbol Al and atomic number 13. It is a silvery white, soft, ductile metal. Aluminum is the third most abundant element, and the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust.
Symbol: Al

Atomic number: 13

Melting point: 1,221°F (660.3°C)

Electron configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p1

Atomic mass: 26.981539 ± 0.0000008 u

Discoverer: Hans Christian Ørsted

Chemical series: Metal, Post-transition metal, Period 3 element, Boron group, Metalloid, Heavy metal    Dominick

[El Pescador]

Hey Wayne you left out the rest of the information...And to conclude your tip of the day I offer the following: 

Aluminum is a chemical element in the boron group with symbol Al and atomic number 13. It is a silvery white, soft, ductile metal. Aluminum is the third most abundant element, and the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust.
Symbol: Al

Atomic number: 13

Melting point: 1,221°F (660.3°C)

Electron configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p1

Atomic mass: 26.981539 ± 0.0000008 u

Discoverer: Hans Christian Ørsted

Chemical series: Metal, Post-transition metal, Period 3 element, Boron group, Metalloid, Heavy metal    Dominick

To all you AT.com readers out there,

this is why I'll be at Dominick's tonight to supervise his use of a knife for pumpkin carving, while we enjoy Game 3 of the World Series!  Go Giants!

Wayne

[Alto Mare]

To all you AT.com readers out there,

this is why I'll be at Dominick's tonight to supervise his use of a knife for pumpkin carving, while we enjoy Game 3 of the World Series!  Go Giants!

Wayne

...I don't blame you Wayne.

Thanks for checking in on the Simple Green.
I believe that mine is the Simple Green Pro HD .

Sal

[Dominick]

Deres nuffin wrong wit Zin and carfing pumpkinsh.  Dombinink

[Keta]

Hey Wayne you left out the rest of the information...And to conclude your tip of the day I offer the following:  

Aluminum is a chemical element in the boron group with symbol Al and atomic number 13. It is a silvery white, soft, ductile metal. Aluminum is the third most abundant element, and the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust.
Symbol: Al

Atomic number: 13

Melting point: 1,221°F (660.3°C)

Electron configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p1

Atomic mass: 26.981539 ± 0.0000008 u

Discoverer: Hans Christian Ørsted

Chemical series: Metal, Post-transition metal, Period 3 element, Boron group, Metalloid, Heavy metal    Dominick

More important to our applications would be the Nobility Scale, notice that aluminum alloy is the 5th most
"active" and it tends to go away when exposed to a active environment.

[foakes]

Oh, that explains why I couldn't find my aluminum Mitchell parts after soaking them for a couple of weeks in a tub of purple degreaser!

😄😄😄

Fred

[bluefish69]

Fred

I have some left over parts for a Mitchell 306 if you need them. My 3 reels are in retirement in a tote. I cleaned my reels with WD-40 soak.

Mike

[the_reel_doc]

One trick I have learned is to rub chrome parts with aluminum foil.  Dip the foil in water then rub.

[foakes]

Thanks, Mike --

But I don't need them at this point -- got plenty.

Appreciate the offer -- at some point, I will need something -- for now I'm good...

Best,

Fred