General
Products: Mothers 6108 Back-To-Black 3M Rubbing Compound Happich Simichrome (german) Flitz Polish Dremel / Rotary Tools (wear eye protection): Q-tips with wooden center, cut in half to make two pieces. I also use cotton swabs and twist the swab onto the q-tip as it wears. You can cut a small slit in the wood and put in small sandpaper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chemicals and Metals That "Do Not Mix" Many different cleaning agents can be used to clean bearings. Some examples include: Degreasing agents like Simple Green; citrus based cleaners; and industrial solvents. Here are some important things to remember: · Never clean bearings in bleach based products, since it can damage many metals. · Never clean yellow metals (copper-nickel, nickel-copper, light bronzes and brasses) in ammonia based products, since they can crack these metals. · Do not get solvents on plastic or painted reel parts. Some solvents can melt, discolor and crack reel plastics, and blemish paint. Also do not clean rubber or poly sealed bearings, or plastic roller bearing races in solvents, unless you are absolutely sure the solvent will not affect them. · Avoid the use of solvents that contain perfumes or other similar additives. For example, the fragrances in beauty shop acetone will leave a deposit that will affect the adherence of grease, and can even blemish yellow metals and certain magnesium or aluminum alloys. Use acetone to clean bearings (and other bare metal parts) that are removed from a reel; acetone completely breaks down the components and additives in oils and greases. Acetone does not leave any harmful residue after drying therefore rinsing is not required. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: I used to sand and polish the gears from older Ambassadeur reels, starting with 1000 grit sandpaper, then 1500, then 2000 or 3M Rubbing Compound then move to Simichrome Polish. Simon brought to my attention that these gears were made with Cadmium (like NiCAD batteries) which is very bad to breath. I no longer sand these gears unless absolutely necessary and I do so outside and with a breathing filter. You can research online what Cadmium will do to your body if enough is accumulated, it is a very painful disease. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleaning Agents Mineral Spirits: Cleans thick deposits of old grease (hardened or soft). Vinegar: To remove verdigris, the green deposit often found on salt-water reels, especially on spools, sonicate (or soak) in vinegar until the powder is soft enough to rub off with a cloth. Usually,the verdigris forms within chips in the nickel plating over brass parts. Acetone: Use acetone to clean bearings (and other bare metal parts) that are removed from a reel; acetone completely breaks down the components and additives in oils and greases. Denatured Alcohol: ? Other: o Never use bleach, it can damage many metals. o Never clean yellow metals (copper-nickel, nickel-copper, light bronzes and brasses) in ammonia based products, since they can crack these metals. o Simple Green and Fantastic work well with a brush. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fishing Reel Restoration of Specific Parts Working with Aged and UV Degraded Handles In order to restore the black color on the knobs, use "Mothers Back-To-Black". This product is for restoring plastics on UV damaged automotive exteriors but can be hard to find in automotive stores, I would recommend buying it online. The process of restoring the handle back to black is to simply apply the product liberally to the knob with a rag or paper towel, rub the product into the plastic and wait a few minutes and apply again. Wait another few minutes or even an hour then apply again. Let the handle sit for a day and then re-apply again. I have tried letting the handle sit in the substance soaking but this was less effective than rubbing the platic restorer into the knob by hand. Restoring The Older Abu 90mm Smooth Round Knob Handles Use the Back-To-Black if only UV damage is present. If the knob has some rough parts, you can use 3M rubbing compount along with a wooden "q-tip" in a dremel or "rotary tool". The 3M Rubbing Compound is designed to be used after 1500-grit sandpaper so I would estimate the compound to be near 2000-grit. Once finished smoothing with Rubbing Compound, use "Flitz Polish" Restoring Chrome on Ambassadeur Frames I use a product called "Simichrome Polish" by Happich. This polish can be very hard to find locally so I would suggest you purchase online or maybe eBay but try and be sure the vendor is selling a fresh product. I was able to locate the product at a local custom motorcycle shop. Flitz also works on metals but I prefer to use Simichrome on metal surfaces and use Flitz on hard plastics and on painted surfaces. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fishing Reel Storage Protectants When the reel is to be stored for an extended period of time we suggest paste wax or apply a small amount or medium weight oil with a small cloth and then polish to a smooth hard dry finish. For longer storage periods take the reel off the rod and wipe it down with Reel-X. A small brush can be used to ensure the protective spray is worked into tight corners of the reel. This will also help prevent oxidation built up on the reel seat or foot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleaning an Antique Fishing Reel 1. Disassemble reel completely and soak parts in mineral spirits for 30 min. to remove grease. 2. Soak or sonicate parts (as needed) in vinegar to remove verdigris, found mostly on the foot and spool. 3. Rinse with water, then sonicate parts for 30 min. in non-ammoniated watch-cleaning solution, followed by a brief sonication in the appropriate non-ammoniated rinse. 4. Rinse with water and dry parts. 5. Using a fine polish, such as Wenol, lightly polish the metal parts by hand. 6. Apply a few drops of silicone reel oil to the hard rubber parts, spread by hand, and allow to soak into the rubber for an hour or two. The oil tends to darken the rubber. Polishing the hard rubber may obliterate any light stampings or will make deeper stampings less "crisp." Wipe off the excess oil with a soft cloth. 7. Apply silicone grease or oil to the moving parts as needed and reassemble the reel. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Antique Fishing Reel Cleaning Some collectors advise against cleaning older reels, especially if the "patina" might be removed. I've always felt that most of the "patina" on tools like fishing reels usually consists mostly of dirt and grease, rather than an oxidation product of the metal. Therefore, I prefer cleaning the reels and letting a new patina "grow" from scratch. Before cleaning an old reel, one must determine the materials of construction and decide how they can be shown to best advantage. For example, old nickel silver can tarnish to a dark brown, making it indistinguishable from brass. Most collectors would prefer to remove such a patina, while many collectors prefer to leave the patina on brass. Nickel-plated reels almost always look better after cleaning, unless the plating is badly pitted. Hard rubber presents its own problems. The degree of cleaning and polishing is a matter of taste, but the processes should be carried out to ensure that the character of the reel is not destroyed. Whatever you do, don't emulate the dealers who use sandpaper or steel wool to uncover a name stamped on a headcap. The following types of materials require special care and should not be subjected to some of the cleaning solvents mentioned below: o ivory or bone o wood, painted wood o some later plastics o aluminum o some painted metal surfaces o blued metals Hard rubber and Bakelite should hold up well in the solvents, but if they are cracked, they should not be sonicated. My favorite method of cleaning an old reel begins with its complete disassembly. But I can not overstress the importance of using tools that do not mar the reel itself, especially when it comes to screwdrivers. Always be sure that the screwdriver blade fits the screw slot as closely as possible. If a screw won't turn, apply penetrating oil according to directions and try again. Don't break screwheads off; if you can't disassemble without endangering the screws or pillars, don't disassemble. Keep track of where each part fits; screws and other parts of old reels often are not interchangeable. To remove verdigris, the green deposit often found on salt-water reels, especially on spools, sonicate (or soak) in vinegar until the powder is soft enough to rub off with a cloth. Usually,the verdigris forms within chips in the nickel plating over brass parts. If the reel contains thick deposits of old grease, hardened or not, a short sonication (or soaking) in mineral spirits should remove most of it. The final cleaning consists of sonication in a non-ammoniated watch-cleaning solution followed by a rinse with a non-ammoniated rinsing solution. If you wish to polish the reel, polish the parts before they are reassembled. Use a fine polish and do it by hand, not with a buffing wheel. Most collectors immediately distrust a gleaming old reel, as they wonder what other "improvements" might have been made to it. Check stampings in the metal for sharp edges; rounded edges on a shiny reel suggest that signs of wear may have been masked. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UltraSonic Cleaners: L&R Homepage: http://www.lrultrasonics.com/ L&R CLPC3 http://www.kassoy.com/a-z.htm L & R Ultrasonics - L&R PC3 - CLPC3 (ultrasonic cleaner) 18 ounce capacity. Ideal for the counter or home use. Makes a great resale item. Inner tank dimensions 4¾" x 3⅜" x 2⅝" Outer tank dimensions 5⅜" x 4⅛" x 4¾" L & R Ultrasonics - L&R PC3 - CLPC3B (Optional Basket for the CLPC3)