Hi Everyone,

 

After shelling out the money to get my reels cleaned professionally I decided to learn to do it my self.  1)Save some cash and 2)Fight off the winter blues.  I have an array of reels Abu, Shimano, BPS etc.  I went out and the Penn Cleaning kit, it contains just grease and oil.  I have some of the old boxes for the reels that contain the oil, some others I dont.  Are these fine for all purpose cleaning or are the specific cleaners needed to do the job effectively?

 

Thanks

I have used little more than warm water, a toothbrush, and dawn dish washing soap to clean parts for years. Make sure to use one of those stainless steel screen mesh drain covers in case you drop a part in the sink.

 

If dawn can not get it clean enough you can always use some solvent to dissolve various greases, but dawn usually does a great job. ***I do not ever put a stainless steel ball bearing into water. Some do. I don't. I handle bearings differently.

 

The lubricants you use can be hotly debated for years to come! But basically I use a Yamaha marine grease, lightweight machine oil, a heavier oil, and corrosion X on AR bearings. Being in Florida I have to worry about rust and corrosion more so than people in say Kansas do. Even the well known reel repair tech Alan Tani has recommended corrosion X for AR bearings.

This is the best stuff: http://alpsforecast.com/products/supplies/dyna-tek-products-rod-reel-performance-kit/

 

You can clean and coat!! It also works on your rod and line too!! 

It's not rocket science and don't let anyone lead you to believe it is either. You don't need special oils and greases. Everything you need can be had at walmart. There will be a little start up cost but you'll have enough for a long time. The only thing you can't get there would be drag grease. Some reels run a wet drag and need a very thin film of grease on the drag washers. Regular grease can't be used in place of it. Has to be drag specific. I use Cal's drag grease. You can also use it on the gears if you wanted to.

Marine grease - gears

140wt gear oil - sliding parts - worm gear - non spool bearings.

Remington oil - spool bearings

Purple power - cleaning parts - soaking bearings

Denatured alcohol - drop bearings in it after cleaning to remove any moisture.

i use REM oil on my bearings and a waterproof grease on the gears the drag stays dry.

 

 tight lines 

 

    Andrew