Yard Sailing For Old Penn Reels

Lets talk about the five to twenty dollar yard sale finds. Pictured here is the Penn 704 greenie. One of the first Penn surf fishing spinning reels. These were the most popular and the most abused reels. The 704 reels are over fifty years old. With a few new parts, such as bail springs and drag washers, the 704 can work like new.

The next two pictures are before and after servicing. Do a complete tear down of the reel. Remove the drag stack in the spool and remember the order of those washers. Very important if you want the drag to work. Once you have all the parts out, clean the grease up with rags. Then I put all the parts in a 50/50 white vinegar bath overnight. Remove, dry, and polish with four aught (#0000) steel wool.

Now you can start to reassemble your reel. I grease all of the internal parts with super lube and a small cheap brush. Apply liberally but no need to over grease. If you find a broken part don’t worry. Most parts are still available on eBay or online.

If you decide to paint the reel, do it when it is cleaned and empty of parts. Spray cans (bombs) work fine just give it plenty of time to cure . Patience and a little mechanical know how is all it takes. (Do not paint the interior of the reel housing).

Hope to see you on the beach. Happy fishing.

Bill McGee

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Servicing A Penn 7500 SS Series Reel

Cleaning A Penn 722 Greenie Fishing Reel

Greenie

The history of PENN