Mud Covered Reel.

[travis23]

I found a Curado Bantam on the edge of a lake that has been drawn down 50 ft. The reel really isn't that bad. It's obviously cover in some mud, but not bad. It can definitely be restored. I just want to know exactly how to clean it without damaging anything. Should I soak it?

[fishballer06]

Sending it to a professional is probably your best bet. It's going to need completely gone over and cleaned.

[HoosierHawgs]

Depends on how dirty it is. I would send it to a professional as well. I normally would not recommend putting a reel in water, as moisture causes a lot of problems, but if it has sand and mud in the gears, and has already been sitting in the water, then it probably wouldn't hurt that much. You want to make sure it is dried very thoroughly as water in the gears and bearings will cause major problems. I clean my reels using rubbing alcohol (Because it dries fast), very selectively.

[Bluebasser86]

Send it here.

http://www.delawarevalleytackle.com/

 

Great reels and if you send it to DVT and get it professionally cleaned and relubed it could serve you well for a long time!

[travis23]

Yeah i have a guy i send them to. I was just wanting to get most of the mud off a nd out of some crevices. Thanks though. These are supposed to be decent reels too, right?

[Bluebasser86]

Is it the old green 200B? If so, they're for sure one of the best workhorse reels ever made. 

[HoosierHawgs]

The greenies excel at throwing lures over 3/8 oz due to its heavy spool. Not great for lighter lures though. I am a fan of the old Shimano Bantum line though. I have a Magnumlite and a Coriolis I still use.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The reel will need to be completely stripped and deep cleaned, the sooner the better. Now that it's exposed to the air the corrosion will accelerate. Rinsing the heavy stuff off the outside won't hurt at this point. 

[J Francho]

Here's my Chronarch that sat at the bottom of Port Bay for a few days.  Externally, it looked fine, but inside, it was a mess. 

 

 

 

Moral of the story, it needs a total break down and scrubbing, and reassembled with quality lube and oil.

[fishballer06]

These are supposed to be decent reels too, right?

 

Decent?! They're great reels. My grandfather, my father, and myself still have them in our arsenal today. I'm sure many members on here still use them as well.