I have 8 of these 285's. I liked seeing you use a Tani wrench, those things are fantastic. When I take them apart to clean them I use an old toothbrush and it does a fine job. I take everything off of the side plates. Sometimes the eccentric may have verdigris on it. All the screws and all the springs and any other metal should get greased. I use Quicksilver 2-4-C marine grease, it is teflon based. Any teflon based grease can be used on carbon fiber drag washers, it doesn't have to be Cals. I have Cals, but most people won't want to spend $32.00/LB for it. I would recommend changing out the drag stack to Penn HT 100 carbon fiber drag washers and ground flat steel washers from Smooth Drag. I would also recommend finding a 29M-60 stainless steel spool or a 29L-85 aluminum spool (from a Penn Seaboy 85) depending upon the line type that will be used on the reel. I have 400 yards of 20 LB dacron with a 50 yard top shot of 20 LB mono on 2 of my reels. Other reels have 300 yards of 30 LB dacron with a 50 yard top shot of 30 LB test mono. I think I may switch to braid as any of the 3 piece metal spools should do fine with braid since there is even less stretch than dacron and use a 50 yard top shot of mono. The 29L-85 is good for any type of line. Mono and 3 piece metal or plastic spools is not a good idea as they can and do split thereby turning them into junk. The 285 is rated for up to 30 LB test line. The Penn Longbeach 60 has a longer handle (24-66) than the Delmar 285 (24-155). You can use the 24-66 as a power handle on the Delmar 285 (its only slightly longer). Tool tip: Get a short pin punch set from Harbor Freight Tools to drive the gear sleeve pin out and you can use the flat spot on the handle to push the pin back in. Thanks for posting. Your video will help some people by giving them the confidence to take apart their reels and put them back together correctly. Most older Penn reels are simple on the inside, but sturdy enough to last for decades even if abused and not maintained. The steel gear (5-60) is the reason that Penn said that the 285 is a trolling reel. That is also why on the old boxes it says it has non strip gears.
I just picked up this reel and a 7’ rod at a yard sale for $5. With your fine video instruction I reconditioned the reel to near perfect condition and now I’m reconditioning the rod. I think I’ll have something good for summer fishing
Purchased a bunch of old Penn reels for our new boat. Looking forward to servicing and using them for years to come. Thanks for the videos, very nicely done.
Hi Dennis, Once again a great video with amazing detail and "Reel Competence" ! The speed in which you get in and out of a reel continues to amaze ! Cool to see the reel cleaner and new handle wrench from Mystic in action. Came across a Penn 85 and a Penn 309 level wind yesterday and 26 Rapala lures 3 days ago. Should be some fun ahead, too ! Best Regards, Cons
Thank you so much for all the helpful and interesting videos that you post on RUclips. I have been using this video as a guide to rebuild a Delmar 285 that I purchased along with a bunch of parts. The reel has a metal spool, so I assume it is a 285M. I have encountered a problem when trying to install the dog spring. In the channel where the spring goes, there's a small post-like protrusion that prevents me from placing the spring. Have you seen this before? I have seen some dog springs that have a loop on one side, but none intended for this reel. Any help would be appreciated. Attached is a photo of the inside of the side plate. Thank you for any help you can provide.
It sounds like you have the version that uses the flat spring and not the coil. Watch this video to learn how to set that one ruclips.net/video/qTb04jiHS0o/видео.html Dennis
Had a 285 and 6’ oak wooden handle rod given to me. The 285 I have has a stainless steel or chromed spool and the handle is the red Bakelite handle. Can’t really place the date on it given the spool. Wondering if someone swapped out the plastic spool for a metal one at some point? The handle is bent slightly but I think it could be carefully straightened.
The 285 came with either the plastic or the metal plated spool, so it is probably original to the reel. A bent handle can be reshaped or flattened. I normally place the handle knob side up on a piece of wood and center another wood block on the top, between the knob and the counterweight. Once in place, I hit the top block of wood with a hammer using a sharp blow. That is usually enough to straighten it out and restore it - FYI - Dennis
Dennis, can you give me some pointers on the reassembly of this 285 please? I’ve been fooling with these Penns for awhile and quite enjoy it. This 285 I have seems to have a “tight spot” in it while reeling it. I’ve torn it down, checked it and put it back together again multiple times each time tightening the screws in different patterns. First one I’ve had that has almost beat me. Please advise!
Check your gear sleeve. If you have not removed it, you probably should to clean out the old grease. If you have removed it, make sure that your drag stack sits firm in the main gear and that the earned washer is in the slots. Finally, what you are describing sounds like a wrapped spool. You may want to change out the spool with another to test if it is out of round. If it is, it would need to be replaced. Hope that helps Dennis
Awesome channel. Can you recommend a good place to purchase fishing reel size machine screws? I made a mistake with a junk pflueger 1375 rocket. The screws I'm talking about specifically are the medium ones that go into the frame bar and the upper line guide bar. (I switched them with the long ones in the part that slots on to the fishing rod.) Not realizing they were wider. I'm hoping I didn't mess up the threads in the bars too bad. It sucks because the problem could have been avoided if I had found your video on the rocket beforehand. Thanks.
hi Dennis, cleaned and serviced my 285. New drag washers, cleaned and greased. Replaced anti-reverse dog spring (lost). When reassembled there is an audible click when reeling in. Seems to be associated with the dog/spring as there is no noise when rotating without the dog in place. Could i have the wrong spring? any other suggestions on a fix? look forward to you thoughts on this. Thanks!
That click is part of normal operation. It is the A/R dog skipping over the ratchet. If it is louder that before, it is only because the new spring is stronger that the previous one. No worry - Dennis
Dennis, I’ve been stripping the paint off of a very beat up Sportfisher reel I recentlyI got for $4.00 in a reel lot. I got all the paint off (with difficulty) but need to polish off the rest of the oxidation and metal stains off the reel. If I can polish it up I’m going to simply clear coat it. I polished the side plate with steel wool and it looks nice but that doesn’t work on the rest of the reel. Our friend David in France uses a type of sandblaster but I’m not going to get in it that far. Too expensive. What would you recommend to polsh this reel. It works wonderfully - no bearings just bronze bushings and gears. It is quite big and quite old. I might just paint the reel but keep the polished side plate. This would be stunning particularly with a black or dark gray reel. Sending you photos of my finished 486. It is perfect! Enjoyed this video.---Chris Oh, I sent you some funny emails when RUclips crashed earlier tonight. It scared me. LOL
There are several metal polish bars in varying grits used to hone woodworking tools and the like. I think I might try those, but I probably would just repaint it - Dennis
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I have 8 of these 285's. I liked seeing you use a Tani wrench, those things are fantastic. When I take them apart to clean them I use an old toothbrush and it does a fine job. I take everything off of the side plates. Sometimes the eccentric may have verdigris on it. All the screws and all the springs and any other metal should get greased. I use Quicksilver 2-4-C marine grease, it is teflon based. Any teflon based grease can be used on carbon fiber drag washers, it doesn't have to be Cals. I have Cals, but most people won't want to spend $32.00/LB for it. I would recommend changing out the drag stack to Penn HT 100 carbon fiber drag washers and ground flat steel washers from Smooth Drag. I would also recommend finding a 29M-60 stainless steel spool or a 29L-85 aluminum spool (from a Penn Seaboy 85) depending upon the line type that will be used on the reel. I have 400 yards of 20 LB dacron with a 50 yard top shot of 20 LB mono on 2 of my reels. Other reels have 300 yards of 30 LB dacron with a 50 yard top shot of 30 LB test mono. I think I may switch to braid as any of the 3 piece metal spools should do fine with braid since there is even less stretch than dacron and use a 50 yard top shot of mono. The 29L-85 is good for any type of line. Mono and 3 piece metal or plastic spools is not a good idea as they can and do split thereby turning them into junk. The 285 is rated for up to 30 LB test line.
The Penn Longbeach 60 has a longer handle (24-66) than the Delmar 285 (24-155). You can use the 24-66 as a power handle on the Delmar 285 (its only slightly longer).
Tool tip: Get a short pin punch set from Harbor Freight Tools to drive the gear sleeve pin out and you can use the flat spot on the handle to push the pin back in.
Thanks for posting. Your video will help some people by giving them the confidence to take apart their reels and put them back together correctly. Most older Penn reels are simple on the inside, but sturdy enough to last for decades even if abused and not maintained.
The steel gear (5-60) is the reason that Penn said that the 285 is a trolling reel. That is also why on the old boxes it says it has non strip gears.
Thanks for the additional input Eddie - Best wishes for great fishing with those reels - Dennis
You're welcome. Tight lines.
I just picked up this reel and a 7’ rod at a yard sale for $5. With your fine video instruction I reconditioned the reel to near perfect condition and now I’m reconditioning the rod. I think I’ll have something good for summer fishing
You will certainly have something good for summer. Thanks for the note and for watching - Dennis
New again! Happy new year 2024 from sweden 🇦🇷🇸🇪
HNY and thanks for watching - Best wishes from the USA - Dennis
Hay Dennis great job on the video i still have my oenn 285 delmar reel just used it the other day thanks
That's awesome. Glad it helped - Dennis
Thank you 😎🇺🇸👍
Purchased a bunch of old Penn reels for our new boat. Looking forward to servicing and using them for years to come. Thanks for the videos, very nicely done.
Glad you like them! Best wishes for great fishing with them - Dennis
@@2ndChanceTackle Thank you Sir! Will be hitting up your videos to service them.
Fantastic, in depth video. Thanks for posting
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching - Dennis
Hi Dennis,
Once again a great video with amazing detail and "Reel Competence" ! The speed in which you get in and out of a reel continues to amaze ! Cool to see the reel cleaner and new handle wrench from Mystic in action.
Came across a Penn 85 and a Penn 309 level wind yesterday and 26 Rapala lures 3 days ago. Should be some fun ahead, too !
Best Regards,
Cons
Sounds like some great finds Cons. The 85 service will be near identical to the 285 shown in the video. Best wishes - Dennis
Thank you so much for all the helpful and interesting videos that you post on RUclips. I have been using this video as a guide to rebuild a Delmar 285 that I purchased along with a bunch of parts. The reel has a metal spool, so I assume it is a 285M. I have encountered a problem when trying to install the dog spring. In the channel where the spring goes, there's a small post-like protrusion that prevents me from placing the spring. Have you seen this before? I have seen some dog springs that have a loop on one side, but none intended for this reel. Any help would be appreciated. Attached is a photo of the inside of the side plate. Thank you for any help you can provide.
It sounds like you have the version that uses the flat spring and not the coil. Watch this video to learn how to set that one ruclips.net/video/qTb04jiHS0o/видео.html Dennis
@@2ndChanceTackleThank you for your prompt response.
Gracias gracias. Desde Argentina. Muchas bendiciones.
YW - thanks for the note and for watching - Dennis
Had a 285 and 6’ oak wooden handle rod given to me. The 285 I have has a stainless steel or chromed spool and the handle is the red Bakelite handle. Can’t really place the date on it given the spool. Wondering if someone swapped out the plastic spool for a metal one at some point? The handle is bent slightly but I think it could be carefully straightened.
The 285 came with either the plastic or the metal plated spool, so it is probably original to the reel.
A bent handle can be reshaped or flattened. I normally place the handle knob side up on a piece of wood and center another wood block on the top, between the knob and the counterweight. Once in place, I hit the top block of wood with a hammer using a sharp blow. That is usually enough to straighten it out and restore it - FYI - Dennis
@@2ndChanceTackle Thank you Dennis.
Dennis, can you give me some pointers on the reassembly of this 285 please? I’ve been fooling with these Penns for awhile and quite enjoy it. This 285 I have seems to have a “tight spot” in it while reeling it. I’ve torn it down, checked it and put it back together again multiple times each time tightening the screws in different patterns. First one I’ve had that has almost beat me. Please advise!
Check your gear sleeve. If you have not removed it, you probably should to clean out the old grease. If you have removed it, make sure that your drag stack sits firm in the main gear and that the earned washer is in the slots.
Finally, what you are describing sounds like a wrapped spool. You may want to change out the spool with another to test if it is out of round. If it is, it would need to be replaced.
Hope that helps
Dennis
@@2ndChanceTackle thanks so much, sir. I’ll dig into it this weekend and report! Do you have an email or website to communicate?
Awesome channel. Can you recommend a good place to purchase fishing reel size machine screws? I made a mistake with a junk pflueger 1375 rocket. The screws I'm talking about specifically are the medium ones that go into the frame bar and the upper line guide bar. (I switched them with the long ones in the part that slots on to the fishing rod.) Not realizing they were wider. I'm hoping I didn't mess up the threads in the bars too bad. It sucks because the problem could have been avoided if I had found your video on the rocket beforehand. Thanks.
I'm sorry, but I don't know a source for these other than parts reels. Thanks for watching - Dennis
hi Dennis, cleaned and serviced my 285. New drag washers, cleaned and greased. Replaced anti-reverse dog spring (lost). When reassembled there is an audible click when reeling in. Seems to be associated with the dog/spring as there is no noise when rotating without the dog in place. Could i have the wrong spring? any other suggestions on a fix? look forward to you thoughts on this. Thanks!
That click is part of normal operation. It is the A/R dog skipping over the ratchet. If it is louder that before, it is only because the new spring is stronger that the previous one. No worry - Dennis
@@2ndChanceTackle Thanks! You're videos are great.
Dennis, I’ve been stripping the paint off of a very beat up Sportfisher reel I recentlyI got for $4.00 in a reel lot. I got all the paint off (with difficulty) but need to polish off the rest of the oxidation and metal stains off the reel. If I can polish it up I’m going to simply clear coat it. I polished the side plate with steel wool and it looks nice but that doesn’t work on the rest of the reel. Our friend David in France uses a type of sandblaster but I’m not going to get in it that far. Too expensive. What would you recommend to polsh this reel. It works wonderfully - no bearings just bronze bushings and gears. It is quite big and quite old. I might just paint the reel but keep the polished side plate. This would be stunning particularly with a black or dark gray reel. Sending you photos of my finished 486. It is perfect! Enjoyed this video.---Chris
Oh, I sent you some funny emails when RUclips crashed earlier tonight. It scared me. LOL
There are several metal polish bars in varying grits used to hone woodworking tools and the like. I think I might try those, but I probably would just repaint it - Dennis
I have the same exact reel. Is there any way to make this specific reel retrieve line faster?
No. These do not have a gear change out option. Lots of torque, but no line speed on retrieve. Thanks the way they were made - Dennis
@@2ndChanceTackle Do you know if a Penn 209 has a gear change out option?
I have a pair of 109s and 209s I use for FW trolling...but wish I could improve the retrieve speed.