Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Fishing - Reel Cleaning?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Fishing - Reel Cleaning?

    I have a few older reels that are in desperate need of a good cleaning. I plan to strip each reel down and remove all the old grease, oil, etc. Is there a somewhat inexpensive product I can soak the parts in, something that will not degrade parts? If not, whats the best way to remove all the old grease? Also, what is your go to grease/oil/lude for reels?

    Reels are used in freshwater, if that makes a difference.

    #2
    I'm in for this info as well.

    Comment


      #3
      Ardent reel butter is what I use

      Comment


        #4
        I use plain alcohol but the parts dont soak that long.

        Parts meaning bearing, springs and other metal. Drag washers I just wipe down.

        I use some grease the fella at dads ole tackle gave me

        Comment


          #5
          Reel Magic

          Comment


            #6
            Years ago I cleaned reels for the general public at our shop and cleaned hundreds of reels a year. I used a Varsol parts cleaner for the heavy grease and gunk on reel frames, side plates and gears. I also used some stuff called Super Clean that you mix with water. It use to be made by Castrol but I don't think it is anymore but you can still get it at parts houses and Wal Mart. I had a bucket with a fine strainer that I'd put parts in and drop them in the Super Clean to soak. I used gun cleaning brushes with the nylon bristles, the regular handled scrub brushes not the bore brushes, and would use that to break up the dried on, caked on gunk. Once they were clean I'd blow the parts dry with compressed air to get all the Super Clean or varsol out. For just cleaning a few reels I'd recommend just getting a gallon of Super Clean at Wal Mart for $8 and skip the varsol. It's enough to clean a whole bunch of reels.

            Bearings were cleaned separately. I usually used acetone to clean the bearings out but you have to be careful with it. You can also use brake cleaner. It just needs to cut the oil and grease quickly and evaporate quickly and fully. I am sure there are other solvents you can use. I just used a little acetone in a small glass jar with a lid to clean bearings in.

            The thing you have to be careful of with reels is that many different solvents will eat the decals off of them and in the worst cases can melt some plastic parts. The Super Clean and varsol never hurt any real I ever used them on.

            For oil and grease my current favorites are Penn's blue colored reel grease which was originally X-1R grease years ago. Penn bought it and renamed it. For reel oil I prefer Corrosion X's Reel X. If you want thinner and faster than Reel X you can try their Speed X but you'll have to apply it more frequently. For Shimano drags I use the Shimano drag grease. For Penn drags I use Cal's drag grease.

            Just remember in most cases less is more on the grease and oil.
            Last edited by Capt Glenn; 04-30-2021, 07:01 PM.

            Comment


              #7
              Good info... Tagged.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Capt Glenn View Post
                Years ago I cleaned reels for the general public at our shop and cleaned hundreds of reels a year. I used a Varsol parts cleaner for the heavy grease and gunk on reel frames, side plates and gears. I also used some stuff called Super Clean that you mix with water. It use to be made by Castrol but I don't think it is anymore but you can still get it at parts houses and Wal Mart. I had a bucket with a fine strainer that I'd put parts in and drop them in the Super Clean to soak. I used gun cleaning brushes with the nylon bristles, the regular handled scrub brushes not the bore brushes, and would use that to break up the dried on, caked on gunk. Once they were clean I'd blow the parts dry with compressed air to get all the Super Clean or varsol out. For just cleaning a few reels I'd recommend just getting a gallon of Super Clean at Wal Mart for $8 and skip the varsol. It's enough to clean a whole bunch of reels.

                Bearings were cleaned separately. I usually used acetone to clean the bearings out but you have to be careful with it. You can also use brake cleaner. It just needs to cut the oil and grease quickly and evaporate quickly and fully. I am sure there are other solvents you can use. I just used a little acetone in a small glass jar with a lid to clean bearings in.

                The thing you have to be careful of with reels is that many different solvents will eat the decals off of them and in the worst cases can melt some plastic parts. The Super Clean and varsol never hurt any real I ever used them on.

                For oil and grease my current favorites are Penn's blue colored reel grease which was originally X-1R grease years ago. Penn bought it and renamed it. For reel oil I prefer Corrosion X's Reel X. If you want thinner and faster than Reel X you can try their Speed X but you'll have to apply it more frequently. For Shimano drags I use the Shimano drag grease. For Penn drags I use Cal's drag grease.

                Just remember in most cases less is more on the grease and oil.
                Good info Capt

                Comment


                  #9


                  This guy is a wizard. I’ve been following his cleaning and mods for 15 years.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Blue yamalube grease is excellent for gears and corrosion resistance on all surfaces, but I don’t use it on bearings.
                    Cals is excellent for drag washers as Capt has stated.
                    Last edited by Button; 04-30-2021, 07:27 PM.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I'll give you a little more info on why I like those oils and greases. I have used almost every reel oil and grease that has come down the pike and many oils and greases that are not made for reels. What you plan to do with the reel determines what oil is best for you.

                      I like Reel X because it is low enough viscosity that the bearings are still pretty fast and you get excellent distance but it's the best thing I have ever used to keep bearings from corroding. If you dunk a reel in saltwater you are going to have to pull it apart and clean it, flush the bearings and re-oil them if it's going to have a chance. The Reel X will keep your bearings from rusting in just regular use basically forever, as long as you keep it in the bearings. If you dunk it and can't tear it down immediately when you get home it might buy you a day or so. I have pulled reels that were oiled with Reel X apart that got totally dunked and filled with saltwater that were still fine 2 or 3 days later. I was able to clean them up and not have any bearings ruined. I have used many of the high performance reel oils that will give you faster spool speed but they usually won't stay in the bearings well and many offer nearly no corrosion protection. Corrosion X is legit and their reel oil is good stuff.

                      I have used Penn's blue reel grease or under it's previous name of X-1R for many years now. The thing with grease is many greases are goopy and goop up and sling off your gear teeth. You end up with all your grease on the reel frame and sideplates and not much on the gear teeth where you need it. Also many greases are too thick and make the reel feel sluggish when you reel them. Penn's blue grease is pretty thin and your reel will feel smoother and looser when you reel it. The best part of it is the blue Penn grease sticks to the gears really well and doesn't just get flung off the gear teeth. That was the main thing I liked about it. Put it on your main gear and pinion gear teeth and spin the reel, see for yourself. It coats and stays where you put it much better than most any other reel grease. Before x-1R I use to mix a certain reel grease and reel oil together to get the same effect and viscosity. The X-1R is better. And it is cheap. A little tub of it will last you for years and it does not go bad.

                      Cal's drag grease is probably the best drag grease going. It works on lots of different drag washers. I use it on Penn HT-100 washers and a few other reels too. Most of my smaller baitcasters I just run the drags dry. Except for Shimano and I use their drag grease on their washers and it all just works well together. A small tub of Shimano drag grease will last for years. If I had to pick one to do everything I'd buy the Cal's. It's good stuff, very sticky and stays where you put it. You don't need but a very thin coat. Rub it into the drag washers and wipe the excess off.

                      There are many oils that are for getting the most casting distance out of baitcasters. I use to use Rocket Fuel Tournament years ago, X-1R oil, Rem Oil and several others. You can make 'em sing and get the spool speed way up there. The down side is that you need to re-apply those oils to the bearings just about every time you fish. They are so thin they get slung out of the bearings really easily. And like I said, many of them offer no corrosion resistance. I just prefer the total package of the Reel X. Its thin enough to get decent spool speed and casting distance while offering great protection and it stays in the bearings better.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        soak in vinegar
                        corrosion X

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X