Joys of Rolling in the surf

[JohnMckroidJr]

Cleaning sand out of reels caused by a roll in the surf is never fun.





Any thoughts on efficient restoration?

[Mahigeer]

How long was in the water?

It is hard to believe that much sand got in just in few minutes.

Start with WD40. If you invest in a sonic cleaner, it will shake a lot of sand off.
Change water frequently.

A battery operated tooth brush can also be helpful. After removing the loose parts, blasts of compressed air is useful.

Good luck.

[iethinker]

As I'm sure you will agree, this process is necessary and educational for any kayak angler. (Both rolling and rebuilding a reel) You will enjoy learning about your gear and saving money!

Remove the spool and set aside.

Take a small plastic tub (like from deli-meat) with about 1-inch of gasoline.

Fully disassemble the reel throwing all mechanical parts into the gasoline. Just go for it.

Gently shake or agitate the tub with all the parts and the gasoline dissolves the grease that holds the debris. After agitation there should be a layer of grease and sand at the bottom of the tub.

Remove parts one by one and set on towel to dry.

I rinse my parts-free frame in a sink then use a brush with some more gasoline over a tub to remove any remaining grease and sand. Let it dry.

Download the reel schematic from manufacturer or parts vendor.

Inspect parts and as minimum order new OEM bearings. Check spool for bearings too. Have reel grease and reel oil....nothing fancy required.

Be double certain any level-wind worm-gear is totally free of sand and debris.

Receive replacement parts.

Before re-installing the spool pull some line off as deep as necessary to remove the amount that's packed with sand.

Re-assemble

Go fishing

[BenCantrell]

I was astounded at how much sand made it into these two reels.



I do same as above (full disassemble, clean with toothbrush, oil and grease, reassemble), but I didn't know about using gasoline as a solvent. Probably good to do out on the driveway I imagine.

Is there a story to go with the roll?

[Mahigeer]

Many a houses have caught on fire when occupant/mechanic has used gasoline to clean auto parts.

Dish soap Dawn has been used to clean birds soaked in crude oil.

I have had good results using on reels.

I also use lighter fluid in very small amounts in well ventilated area and in a sealed container.

As a retired ASE certified auto mechanic, etc.,etc. etc., I do not recommend use of gasoline.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

How long was in the water?

It is hard to believe that much sand got in just in few minutes.

Start with WD40. If you invest in a sonic cleaner, it will shake a lot of sand off.
Change water frequently.

A battery operated tooth brush can also be helpful. After removing the loose parts, blasts of compressed air is useful.

Good luck.

Amazingly just a few minutes made for over an hour of reels cleanup. This was an old photo posted for conversation's sake. Thanks for the advice. I did use WD, a toothbrush, and compressed air as parts of the cleaning process.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by iethinker

As I'm sure you will agree, this process is necessary and educational for any kayak angler. (Both rolling and rebuilding a reel) You will enjoy learning about your gear and saving money!

Remove the spool and set aside.

Take a small plastic tub (like from deli-meat) with about 1-inch of gasoline.

Fully disassemble the reel throwing all mechanical parts into the gasoline. Just go for it.

Gently shake or agitate the tub with all the parts and the gasoline dissolves the grease that holds the debris. After agitation there should be a layer of grease and sand at the bottom of the tub.

Remove parts one by one and set on towel to dry.

I rinse my parts-free frame in a sink then use a brush with some more gasoline over a tub to remove any remaining grease and sand. Let it dry.

Download the reel schematic from manufacturer or parts vendor.

Inspect parts and as minimum order new OEM bearings. Check spool for bearings too. Have reel grease and reel oil....nothing fancy required.

Be double certain any level-wind worm-gear is totally free of sand and debris.

Receive replacement parts.

Before re-installing the spool pull some line off as deep as necessary to remove the amount that's packed with sand.

Re-assemble

Go fishing

Sounds like you have done this rodeo before. I have never tried gasoline. The engineers on the ships I work on use diesel all the time as a solvent for removing grime. They also like marvel mystery oil. Thanks for your comments.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by BenCantrell

I was astounded at how much sand made it into these two reels.



I do same as above (full disassemble, clean with toothbrush, oil and grease, reassemble), but I didn't know about using gasoline as a solvent. Probably good to do out on the driveway I imagine.

Is there a story to go with the roll?

The sand in Florida can be like glue..... dam stuff gets everywhere and increases the value of peddling a little farther to land at a boat ramp. Rolled in the surf not because it was rough, but because I was not paying attention.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

Many a houses have caught on fire when occupant/mechanic has used gasoline to clean auto parts.

Dish soap Dawn has been used to clean birds soaked in crude oil.

I have had good results using on reels.

I also use lighter fluid in very small amounts in well ventilated area and in a sealed container.

As a retired ASE certified auto mechanic, etc.,etc. etc., I do not recommend use of gasoline.

Warning noted. Having worked on gasoline tankers if the gauger's sample bottles break, the stuff is usually evaporated by the time a sailer comes back from the focsle with a broom and dustpan to sweep up the glass. The evaporative properties are worth noting. Thanks for your insight.

[Mahigeer]

What I have learned is that the fumes of gasoline are the most dangerous.

Much more than the liquid form.

Thus, the principal of carburetors for the internal combustion engines. It atomizes the liquid to a form of a mist so it can be ignited inside of the cylinder.

Fuel injectors do the similar job.

[MITCHELL]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

Cleaning sand out of reels caused by a roll in the surf is never fun.





Any thoughts on efficient restoration?

One time that little round spring with the 2 dog legs in that top plate shot across the room and I did not find it to like a couple of years later I ordered another one from Mike's reel repair

[YakDout]

I hate wearing gloves, for anything. Back in the day when I would work on bikes or trucks, gasoline hand wash was a common occurrence. Very good de greasing properties. And even at today’s prices $4.30 a gallon. Cheap as far as using it for a degreaser.


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[MITCHELL]

Is safe for o rings.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

One time that little round spring with the 2 dog legs in that top plate shot across the room and I did not find it to like a couple of years later I ordered another one from Mike's reel repair

I hate that when a reel is opened and a random spring goes flying across the room never to be found again -- been there done that.

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

Is safe for o rings.

Good to know.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by YakDout

I hate wearing gloves, for anything. Back in the day when I would work on bikes or trucks, gasoline hand wash was a common occurrence. Very good de greasing properties. And even at today’s prices $4.30 a gallon. Cheap as far as using it for a degreaser.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dang! Some of the first tankers I worked on were open ullage(no inert gas). After working a 3-month tour, the petroleum smell was pretty well absorbed -- taking about a week of vacation to dissipate. I also hated wearing gloves and like GoJo for clean-up. Today gloves, benzene masks and a Benzene-free test are required.