Pitting/corrosion on penn reels

[SC204]

I recently picked up a couple of Penn Senators cheap. They have your standard pitting on the spool. Are there any tricks to removing this and cleaning them up?

[Fr. Frank]

You can smooth out the pitting with emory cloth or tripoli, followed by Nevr Dull, but short of replacing the spindle/spool and pins some pitting will remain. The spindle/spool on older Penn reels was chrome-plated brass, newer ones use a phenolic resin. I would have the pins replaced to save your line, but the spindle should clean up well enough.
I recovered a Long Beach 65 from the ocean floor in 1983, and I replaced the pins. It was built in the mid 1960's according to Herb of Herb's Bait & Tackle in Lake Worth.
I have abused this reel ever since, including burning up the bearings twice trying to catch marlin and sharks with it.
I just keep buying new rod blanks to replace the ones I slam in the car door or in the hatch on my Jeep [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Pins are cheap if you repair it yourself. Less than $15 for all of them on a 113H. Pins and bearings for my 113H cost me $27 including shipping a couple of years ago.

Go for it.

[NoBones]

Watch out for sticker shock, [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img] Penn has tripled there prices
on parts over the last 6 months.
See ya, Ken

[John R]

I have purchased my last Penn Reel. I have a 975 Casting reel that corrodes when you brath on it.

The corresponance I've seen on line from some Penn management types is right up there with factory Seacraft guys - abysmal. Another company going down the tubes by offshoring and bad management...

[JohnB]

Penn is yet another US company that the product and service have tanked [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]. IMHO, they are the worst supported product in the world.
I am in the process of replacing all my personal and charter gear with shimano toriums and 4500-6500 baitrunners.
The Shimano products are great, and the service is even better. This is after 15 years of using nothing but Penns.
Some of their ultra high end Penn stuff is good, but the rest is useless (IMHO). I try to use US made goods, but I didn't feel I had a choice. I heard a rumor that most of the lower-mid level Penn stuff was made in China, and alot of the Shimano reels actually are made in Indonesia, go figure...