Before attempting to remove any parts there are some basic requirements and essential tools needed.

Ensure you have a clear and level surface to work on. If possible you should have a parts schematic diagram which shows all the different parts of your reel and exactly where the fit in the scheme of things. If you don't have one then have a look through our excellent selection of older Daiwa schematics (click here). If your are unable to get hold of a schematic then make a simple drawing of each part in relation to the rest of the reel as you go through the disassembly process. Taking photographs with a digital camera also works well.

You will need a few basic tools including a selection of small screw drivers and spanners to suit the task, tweezers, small scissors, pointed bradawl, pair of

small long nosed pliers and a couple of old tooth brushes and two small bowls For lubrication you will need a bottle of high quality oil (TG's Rocket Fuel is excellent), reel grease (Quantum Hot Sauce is good), penetrating fluid (WD40), For cleaning you will need white spirit, good quality washing up liquid, paper towels, cotton towel and last but not least a sheet of very fine wet and dry abrasive paper.

Now we can start to remove the various parts. Be careful when removing any nuts and screws that you use the correct size of screw driver or spanner. If you come across any stubborn screws or nuts then spray with WD40 or similar and leave for a few hours before trying again. Never force a screw or nut as it will almost certainly snap off! Follow the sequence of photographs below when disassembling your reel and you shouldn't go far wrong. You may find that your particular reel has other parts not shown in the photographs and if this is the case then look at your schematic or as a last resort trial and error will eventually prevail!

Each of the images can be enlarged to show more detail by clicking on it.

1

Assuming you are now at photograph 23 and you have all the parts disassembled we can now move on to cleaning. If you have a lot of reels to clean then you may want to consider buying a small ultrasonic bath, this makes parts cleaning very easy. To clean your reel the old fashioned way start by wiping away as much of the old grease and oil as you can using some paper towels. Next fill a basin with hot water (not boiling) to a depth that will just cover the reel parts then add a generous amount of washing up liquid. Place the smaller unpainted metal parts such as the cogs, springs, screws, washers etc in a small screw top jar filled with white spirit then replace the lid and shake gently leaving to stand for 30 minutes (shake every 10 minutes or so). Do not place painted or plastic parts in the jar of white spirit.  The remaining parts should be placed in the basin of hot soapy water and left for 15 minutes or so to allow the grease and oil to soften.

Now the fun bit, using a firm bristle tooth brush start to clean the parts in the basin using plenty of the soapy water. For stubborn areas of grease use some neat washing up liquid on your toothbrush. When you are satisfied the parts are as clean as they are going to be, rinse in clean water and place on a sheet of paper towel to air dry. Using tweezers remove the unpainted parts from the jar of white spirit and place in the basin of soapy water, leave for half an hour then remove and empty the basin. Fill the basin with fresh cold water and place the parts back in, slosh the parts in the water using your hand then empty the basin and repeat Finally remove the parts and place on a sheet of paper towel to air dry.

The next stage is to decide what you want to do with the reel and there are a number of options:

1. Reassemble the reel as before using existing parts.

2. Reassemble the reel replacing damaged/missing parts.

3. Restore the reel to original factory condition.

Restoring a reel to original factory condition is a whole different ball game and one we will not go into in this article. Reassemble the reel as before using the existing parts is simply a case of applying grease and oil to the appropriate parts (click here for further details) then reversing the disassembly procedure we went through earlier. My preference is to replace damaged and missing parts then reassemble the reel so that it is in a clean and genuine working condition.

Deciding what parts to replace can be difficult. You could say that if the part is damaged in any way then replace it, but is that really necessary? The particular reel I am working on in this article is a Daiwa 750-R which was purchased to fill a gap in my collection and will hopefully be replaced when a mint version comes along so in the scheme of things I don't really want to spend my hard earned cash on new replacement parts! However I am fortunate in that I have a number of scrap reels which may be able to provide a few better parts for the reel I am working on. Obviously if there is a critical part missing say a handle or spool then perhaps you would consider replacing with new if an old one was not available.

One of the main reasons for cleaning a reel is to preserve it aesthetically as well as mechanically. To ensure this is achieved you may have to tackle some corrosion. This usually takes the form of blisters on the painted surfaces or perhaps flaking on chrome plated parts but whatever the particular issue it needs to be dealt with otherwise further deterioration will occur. If blistered paint is the problem then you should very carefully scrape away the paint from the affected area then very gently rub the exposed metal and surrounding paint edges with fine wet and dry paper. This job should not be rushed and extreme care should be taken not to damage the surrounding undamaged paintwork. Dry the treated area with a paper towel and leave as is. Flaking chrome should be treated in a similar manor to blistered paintwork.

Finally reassemble the reel as detailed above then give the whole reel a good wipe with some furniture polish and buff to a shine.

So there you have it, one thoroughly cleaned, lubricated and polished reel. For further advise drop me an email at enquiries@phantomfisher.com