While cleaning your tackle you hear 'Sproiinggg!!'
That's the sound that little tiny spring makes as it
exits the reel you just opened up and it leaves no
clue as to the proper location of that spring within
the reel. All reels have them, and sometimes it
seems the makers put the reel together just so these
springs will jump out of place. And is it just
coincidence that the springs are close to impossible
to put back?
Cleaning reels can be a mistake for those who
have never opened a reel before, but reels must be
cleaned and oiled if you plan on making good use of
them over time. The trick to cleaning reels is to
have an internal diagram of the reel handy. Every
reel I buy comes with a diagram and parts list. I
make sure I save those items for when I first clean
the reel.
A complete teardown is not necessary unless the
reel has been neglected or submerged in saltwater. A
few simple rules, if you will follow them, will keep
your reels working for years without the need to get
inside.
First and foremost, make sure you wash them after
every trip. Washing does not mean spraying them with
a hose, it means washing them. Salt water adheres to
reels, and once it dries on, it takes soap and a
brush to break the salt layer off the reel. I use a
cup of Formula 409 or one of the like products in a
gallon of water. It's the same mix I use to clean my
boat. I use a soft bristle brush and that soap on
not only the reels, but also on the rod and rod
guides.
Washing tackle with soap, including any lures
that you used that day, can prevent saltwater
buildup and corrosion. In Part II, we'll do a six
month lube job on a reel.
An in-depth cleaning of a reel at six month
intervals can only mean one thing. That reel is
going to last a long time. But that only applies if
you are able to successfully navigate through the
disassembly and reassembly process.
As we said in Part I last week, all reels come
with a parts diagram. That diagram is your bible
when it comes to opening the reel and identifying
the proper location for each part. So step one here
will be to locate that parts diagram before you ever
begin.
You will need a small Phillips head and a small
slotted screw driver, a reel tool, if one came with
the reel, and a pair of long nose pliers. A clean
work surface, clean wipe rag, and reel lube will
also be necessary. Make sure you have plenty of
light and be prepared to work in the middle of the
work surface - not the edge. Working close to the
edge of the surface means that small screws and
parts will have a greater chance of hitting the
floor instead of the work surface! I have a small
lip on the edge of my work bench to prevent small
screws, nuts and washers from leaving the table.
Lighting is an important part of the equation.
Make sure you have plenty of it before you begin. I
have a large fluorescent light just above my work
bench that works very well.
Finally, for this part, make sure you have plenty
of time to finish the job. All too often I get
started cleaning reels, and about half way through,
my wife asks me to run an errand. When I return, it
seems as if went brain dead while I was away: let's
see, did that little screw go here, of over
there...?
