sand in fixed spool

A couple of threads here so bear with me if you will :
Following on from an earlier thread about swimmers & anglers - was fishing on at least 1/2 mile of empty beach when a family turned up and decided to wade out right beside my line . Worse still they started throwing rocks for somebody else's dogs to swim after . Never mind the totally inconsiderate behaviour , I wonder who would have had to take the dogs to the vet if they'd got hooked up . Not much I could say tho' because there was a large bundle of heavy mono , probably c/w hooks , tangled up in seaweed at our feet .
Anyway , new fixed spool reel fell into the surf ( nothing to do with the above ) and got full of sand which stuck to the grease on/in every moving part . Won't wash off . DT5 ( similar to WD40 I think ) doesn't seem to do much good . Am thinking of sloshing it around in petrol . Any reason I shouldn't ? More importantly , would it make much difference if I re-grease with something fairly thick , like marine two-stroke grease ?
Cheers
nick

I reckon if you take off all the grease thats in your real with a cloth or something then give a rinse with luke warm water and regrease your real it should be ok.

nige

Cheers Nige ,
The problem I've got is that the sand is EVERYWHERE . Really fine dark coloured stuff . Behind the cogs , in the bale-arm pivots , inside the rear drag knob . Can't get at most of it with cloth . Don't particularly want to totally dismantle everything because last time I did that I couldn't get it right again - little spring in bale arm was a real so-and-so .
Reckon I'll try petrol and risk it messing up any plastic parts . Won't put the spool with line on it in there of course .

More generally , this could be a worthwhile lesson for anyone setting up on a budget or without this experience . The reel cost a bit less than 60 yoyo I think . Looks very space-age and the action is very smooth when brand new .
BUT the nice shiny gold covers don't sit really flush so they trap grit and let it feed into the mechanisms underneath . And there is quite a wide gap between the spool housing ( the bit which turns round ) and the main body of the unit . So this could be a nice reel for clean conditions but definitely not for beach . The flaws are obvious as soon as you compare this reel with some of the other ( older and still cheap ) ones I've got . You simply don't want any cosmetic bolt-ons or gaps .
Oh , and there are no diagrams/parts lists with it . I'll get it apart OK but may soon be advertising a bag of mixed bits & bobs going v cheap !
Cheers
nick

blowin
if youve got sand in a fixed spool reel the only thing to do is strip it down and clean each part by hand.the sand will never be truly away from the reel if you dont do it.once you have done that you dont have to worry again about damage from residual contaminants.believe me.the petrol idea is not a good one.the new plastics used in reels would not respond too well to it.tell us what make it is

same thing happened to me. nothing would work. one day indesperation i brought it with me to the car wash. take on side off, lob it in a bucket and hit it with the jet wash. got almost all of the sand out. it was unusable before that, almost a year later i'm still catching fish with it.

Paint thinners should help take the sand off. Problem is it will also remove all oil and grease so meke sure you re-grease ofter you are finished. I clean jam jar is great here as you can put the part in, close the lid and give in a hard shake, this can help removing dirt and sand. Only use enough to cover the part. Then empty the jar and start on the next part. I think the only to do is as mentioned... take it apart... be very careful here. A digital camera can work wonders here if you are unsure. Take a photo of each stage of the dissasembly. I normally take a part off and put it furthest away from the rell and as I take more parts off I move inwards. Then when it somes to putting the thing back together I work my way outwards. 8)

Good luck,

Kev

Be carefull of which solvent you use if there are are plastic parts! Try and get acess to a garage parts cleaner, failing that, a dry paintbrush and parrafin is pretty stable. Remember to dry and pack with grease.
When reassembling use loctite instant gasket on side plates to prevent further sand getting in.

Hey Guys , many thanks - there are some really useful tips in there .

To answer "Reel Fixer's" question , it is a DAMN reel ( sorry - D.A.M ) . No doubt they're perfectly good if used for the intended purpose and not abused too much .

I'll let you know how I get on .
Tight Lines
nick