Finally finished the reels

[OnthePotomac]

January is reel cleaning time and I will never know why I drive myself to finish them by the end of the month.  No fishing here until maybe March.  This year reminded me that I have the greatest respect for DVT, who does this for a living.  It took me 10 days to do 19 reels and I was a nervous wreck even though I have been doing them for over 15 years.  The good news is no lost screws, springs, clips, etc.  The wife's response was what else would I do being retired and not fishing LOL,  I do them on my fishing bench in the basement, so at least it kept me out of her way for 10 days

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Sometimes you can bang them out then you’ll get that one with the stripped screw or corroded or with 20yr old grease and dirt gummed up. 

[Bruce424]

yeah taking my time this year... about 4 more to do out of 11. i set a foldable table up in front of the tv downstairs and go to it. just somthing to do when i get a day off and stuck inside.

[FishTank]

8 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

I used to enjoy cleaning reels when I just had a few.  but when you have 16 in current operational rotation, its not so much fun and alot of work.  Doesn't help my eyes are getting old and have to wear cheaters to work on them these days (now where the hell did that e-clip boomerang off to)   

Me too.  I have 15 of my own and double that I work on for friends.  I have started to use a light box and a magnifying glass sleeve.  I can see better, it keeps the reel parts in check and I can control what goes where easier. 

[SuperDuty]

A man has got to always have something to tinker on and anything to keep ya out of the wifey's hair is always a good thing. I've got a massive welding table in my shop that is my favorite work bench. It's got a 4' LED hanging low over it for great lighting. One of my most valuable tools is a large magnifying lamp that clamps to the table ( Linked here ). My eyes really took a dump once I reached my 40's and this really helps. Another thing I use when working on small stuff is I take the lid that goes to those large plastic storage containers, and cut one side of the lip off for where my arms will be, and lay it down on the table and make it my work platform. Since it's flat with lips that comes up on the sides, it keeps things from rolling off into oblivion. Also gives you a clean work space and you don't have to worry about getting grease on your bench or cutting/gouging it with a screwdriver. You can buy those lids at lowes for like $1

[FordsnFishin]

19 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Sometimes you can bang them out then you’ll get that one with the stripped screw or corroded or with 20yr old grease and dirt gummed up. 

Yep, usually I can run through mine for the most part. This year I've had to order parts for 3 different reels, from 3 different manufacturers. 

 

Really slows the process. 

18 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

I used to enjoy cleaning reels when I just had a few.  but when you have 16 in current operational rotation, its not so much fun and alot of work.  Doesn't help my eyes are getting old and have to wear cheaters to work on them these days (now where the hell did that e-clip boomerang off to)   

I've been tempted for years to get a refrigerator box to work in. That way when that clip or spring flies I can actually find it. Hahaha

 

@Delaware Valley Tackle do you have your own refrigerator box you work out of? 

[Falkus]

Thank you for this reminder. I shall make time to clean/polish/lube my reels in upcoming month. I have to have them ready before the bassmaster classic. Those get me pumped up for the season. 

[Basseditor]

11 hours ago, FordsnFishin said:

Yep, usually I can run through mine for the most part. This year I've had to order parts for 3 different reels, from 3 different manufacturers. 

 

Really slows the process. 

I've been tempted for years to get a refrigerator box to work in. That way when that clip or spring flies I can actually find it. Hahaha

 

@Delaware Valley Tackle do you have your own refrigerator box you work out of? 

I use a 1-gallon zip lock bag and take apart those clips, etc. inside it. When that clip goes flying, at least it is still in the bag.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

11 hours ago, FordsnFishin said:

Yep, usually I can run through mine for the most part. This year I've had to order parts for 3 different reels, from 3 different manufacturers. 

 

Really slows the process. 

I've been tempted for years to get a refrigerator box to work in. That way when that clip or spring flies I can actually find it. Hahaha

 

@Delaware Valley Tackle do you have your own refrigerator box you work out of? 

lol, no fortunately(?) I’ve seen a lot of the gotchas and developed practices to avoid these problems......kinda...sorta...mostly 

[GreenPig]

I limit myself to cleaning/servicing 3 reels a day. I have 50+ reels and 3 reels worth of my ultrasonic cleaner running on the kitchen counter is about all my wife can stand. Doesn't bother me at all cause I'm listening music with my ear buds.? My eyes ain't what they used to be either. 

[OnthePotomac]

On 1/25/2020 at 3:53 PM, Frog Turds said:

I used to enjoy cleaning reels when I just had a few.  but when you have 16 in current operational rotation, its not so much fun and alot of work.  Doesn't help my eyes are getting old and have to wear cheaters to work on them these days (now where the hell did that e-clip boomerang off to)   

Amen on the eyes.  I only have one left and it really makes it interesting trying to hit the tiny hole for the tiny screw.

[MassYak85]

I've still got 2 out of 6 to clean. Just out of curiosity how long does it take you guys to do one reel (assuming you're tearing it down to a bear frame)? 

[OnthePotomac]

With all the interuptions at least two hours.  Down to the nub, cleaning, lubing reassembly.I would starve if I did it for a living.

[FordsnFishin]

10 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I've still got 2 out of 6 to clean. Just out of curiosity how long does it take you guys to do one reel (assuming you're tearing it down to a bear frame)? 

Depends on the reel for me. 

 

Most shimano reels I spend about an hour. That's stripping down to bare frame, sonic cleaning any metal parts, and degreasing plastic parts with a brush. 

 

Daiwa reels are the worst for me. They seem to be more complicated. If you don't do the correct procedure you can't get something back on. I often find myself having to back track removing parts to get the next on haha. I might spend 2 hours on them. If im having a bad day, possibly longer hahaha. 

[GreenPig]

1.5 -2 hours per reel for an annual deep clean 

[redmeansdistortion]

On 1/25/2020 at 2:55 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Sometimes you can bang them out then you’ll get that one with the stripped screw or corroded or with 20yr old grease and dirt gummed up. 

The worst for me are those that have seen extensive saltwater use.  If you ever encounter one, a good soaking in vinegar will remove most of the salt residue and leave decals intact.  It isn't often I encounter saltwater reels due to where I live, but I do get them from time to time as some of my charter customers buy used reels on eBay and send them my way.