I know it's not rod related...

but what do you guys use to strip the existing grease and oil off your reels? I want something that will strip it clean but not damage the plastic parts.

I thought about using some gun scrubber, but I didn't know if it was a good idea on plastic. I know that stuff strips everything off my shotguns.

Also, which parts should be greased and which should be oiled on a baitcaster?

Thanks!

Alex,

Sorry, I can't help with the removal of the gunk, but I can help with the lubrication. Gears should always be greased, and bearings oiled.

Hope this helps!!

Bill in WV

You tried looking at the reel repair tutorials at www.tackletour.com? There are others on other sites also. Lots of them on how to improve the performance of Abus for instance.

HERE IS A LINK THAT YOU WILL FIND QUITE INFORMATIVE AND THOROUGH. [p099.ezboard.com]

Alex,

I clean and repair lots of reels every year. Birchwood Casey markets a product called Reel Scrubber that work well for cleaning grease. I have also found that warm water with liquid dish washing soap works very well for cleaning. I use a colander to hold parts and scrub with a tooth brush. Rinse the parts in warm water and dry before assembly. Use a good quality reel oil and grease to lubricate the parts during assembly. Two of the best are Quantum Hot Sauce oil and grease. Also is can be important to have a good schematic of the reel when you start putting it back together.

J. Roper

Thanks for the info. I got some hot sauce last night (grease and oil). Ready to start cleaning and relubing.

Do you know if the reel scrubber is the same as gun scrubber?

I don't know about the specific formula of each product. Reel Scrubber says that it is safe for plastic. I use reel scrubber on reels and gun scrubber on guns. It is possible that some of the solvents in gun scrubber might attack the plastics on reels. Gun Scrubber does advertise to be synthetic safe however.

J. Roper

i use brake parts cleaner. disolves any type of grease in no time flat, it doesn't leave a residue on the parts and it's 1/4 the price of reels parts cleaner. just becareful of reel handles on penn reels made before 80's. i use it on all my penn diawa and shimano reels and never had a problem with any of the plastic parts except for the older penn handles

Simple Green is used by alot of reel repair folks.

Ditto. I use a solution of Simple Green and water. I soak metal parts in it overnight. It will affect plastic but only if you soak the plastic for a long time (hours). When I need to clean something like a reel handle, I will put a coating of Vaseline on the plastic knobs before I soak it. This totally protects it.