Need To Clean A Bunch Of Reels.

[kms399]

I have a bunch of old curado's and citica's to clean, lube and install new drags. I don't know where to start really.

what tools do I need

what grease/oil should I use

any tips you can offer

what drag would you reccomend.

can I repair the drags? I had heard you can rough it up and it will work again, it keeps slipping now on most of them.

I am broke and cant afford to send in 13 reels at $15 each it adds up!

[NCLifetimer]

Don't know much about cleaning reels, ill be interested in a detailed response.

One tip i can offer, is when you take the reel apart, lay out a pieces of duct tape on the table that is about 4 foot long(sticky side up obviously ). Lay the pieces as you take them off down the strip. Then when you put the reel back together you know which order you took things apart. You'd be amazed at how many parts are in a bait caster.

As for tools, screw driver should be all you need. Maybe a nylon/brass brush to clean up buildup. A solvent like WD-40 will also aid with cleanup. Make sure you reapply a grease afterwards thou.

[J Francho]

Click on the DVT link to the right.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Don't know much about cleaning reels, ill be interested in a detailed response.

As for tools, screw driver should be all you need. Maybe a nylon/brass brush to clean up buildup. A solvent like WD-40 will also aid with cleanup. Make sure you reapply a grease afterwards thou.

If you don't know what you're doing, the safe bet will be to send them into somebody and have them service the reels. You'll generally need more than just a screwdriver. Using wd40 is fine if you want to add an extra step to remove the residue that wd40 leaves behind. You'll never find that stuff near me when I service my reels.

Like Francho said, send them into DVT. Support the site sponsors. I doubt you'll find a bad review of them either.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You don't just need "A" screw driver. To do the job right You'll need: the right screw driver(s), handle nut wrench, c-clip removal tool of choice, forceps, bearing puller of some sort, spool pin removal pliers (on certain models), Simple Green, hot water, acetone, brake clean spray, small brush, swabs, craft brush, paper towels, tooth picks, work pad, lighting, schematics, Cal's Universal or equivalent Drag Grease, needle oiler, low viscosity bearing oil, anti corrosion oil, Smoooth Drag Carbontex Drag washers and for the inexperienced, 2 +/- hours per reel.

For about the cost of two new reels, you could have 13 better than new ones by sending them out either as a batch or piece-meal. If you decide to DIY contact me here or directly and I'll help you if I can.

[NCLifetimer]

I'm sorry, I guess i should have been more clear. I'm not a qualified reel expert, but I'm mechanically inclined. I've taken apart several reels and had them work better as a result. I guess my reels were different then most, all I needed was a screw driver to take them apart(and an adjustable wrench, forgot about that). By no means was this a full service, but it definately helped. Basic maintenance can be preformed by the owner. Just be careful with what your doing. WD-40 was just an example, worked for me, but I agree their are better products to use. Any suggestions?

Sending it to an expert is obvious the best choice, but at $15 or so a reel I see how it could be costly. Wish I had the open cash too. Hopefully someone can recommend a solvent/ grease and possible some tips for those that clean their own reels..? as I believe that is the intent of the original poster.

[J Francho]

I'm not a sponsor. I do similar work. I don't know Mike's secret to doing it so reasonably. I've sat with Mike at functions, talked at length about our work, pretty much everything but fish with the man. I wouldn't hesitate to let him clean my own reels. Maybe someday he'll come up my way to catch REAL fish.

[zip pow]

I use ardent reel keel kit it cost 30$ came with solvent and grease and a handy soaking container with screen insert for small parts it took me about half an hour to completely disassemble clean repair an assemble each of my reels. I also use quantum hot sauce reel oil 7$ but I cleaned and repaired. All my25 reels over a few rainy days for 45$ . Tip only disassemble one reel at a time my son knocked parts off bench an it took a few extra min on those two.

[NCLifetimer]

Found a couple of links that seem informative. The second is information from shimano, and they have a section addressing a drag issue.

http://www.tackletour.com/menumaintenance.html

http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/customer_service0/reel_maintenance_instructions.html

http://www.ichibantackle.com/reelmaintenance/baitcasting.html

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Any maintenance is better than none. Just don't underestimate what you're getting into is all. Every year I get a few bag-o-parts from casual DIYers that bit off more than they could chew and it often costs them more in the long run. Also, a pro service goes well beyond the basics. When we clean a reel it is stripped to the frame and every piece is closely inspected for wear or damage. If you have confidence and want to give it a try, here's a few tips:

NEVER open a reel without a schematic in front of you

Special drag grease must be used on drag washers Shimano or Cals (can be used on gears as well)

Grease: gear teeth

Oil: Bearings (light oil 1 drop)

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I'm not a sponsor. I do similar work. I don't know Mike's secret to doing it so reasonably. I've sat with Mike at functions, talked at length about our work, pretty much everything but fish with the man. I wouldn't hesitate to let him clean my own reels. Maybe someday he'll come up my way to catch REAL fish.

By REAL do you mean STEEL? Maybe we can do something after the holidays. Thanks for the vote of confidence and ditto!

[JigMe]

Doesn't meant to be off track here, but I want some of those STEEl action...one day I am going to drive up

[UBA]

This is what I use.

I use superlube grease on the gears, inside the frame bearings and the clutch parts, then I grease the drag washers with shimano drag grease.

I oil the spool bearings with either shimano oil or yellow rocket fuel. I also use shimano oil on the level wind.

The tools I use are a couple of different screw drivers, 10mm nut driver, small needle nose pliers, old tooth brush, and an ultrasonic cleaner.

Cleaner and solvents: simple green, Naphtha, and Acetone.

[A-Rob]

there is a picture/narrative thing for cleaning your reels on bassmaster.com

But probably unnecessary with DVT on bass resource!

[G_money]

www.proreelservice.com

His prices are reasonable and he really knows his stuff...plus he does supertuning of reels for just an $24 (clean and lubing included) and it makes a HUGE difference.

[kms399]

thanks for the replies I got a lot of good info and will tackle the project here pretty soon. expect questions when I start!

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Do yourself a favor and make sure you have a good schematic in front of when you start. Depending on the reel, you may even find a decent video floating around of how to disassemble and reassemble it. Having a camera handy isn't a bad idea either. Yu can take a picture during each step so you can see how it was originally put together.

[JIGFISHERMAN.]

Best recommendation I have is to start on a simple reel. That is how I learned and gained confidence.

I was pulling apart and cleaning Abu round reels when I was 12-13 years old.

The difference between the guys that do it themselves, and the ones that don't is confidence that it will go back together as necessary.