Thanks. Just rebuilt my friends delmar 285 with your video.

Thanks Dennis - another enjoyable and informative video! A wonderful recollection for me too. When I was a kid, and wanted to pick up a first reel for surf fishing, -- I got the Delmar 285M - metal spool, and had great luck casting it. Luckily, I stumbled onto a heavy-action 9-footer built on a cut-down bamboo snapper pole. Surf casting a heavy chrome metal spool is almost a guaranteed back-lash/over-run --- UNLESS you have a STIFF rod that can punch out a sinker at a speed which will match the speed of the revolving spool.Even good thumbing skills may fail. This was a kid's great discovery - thumbing experience and the right rod has served me well to this day casting conventional reels.

I had both the penn 60 that I used and the penn 285 that my son used. Both are great reels. We caught monster blue fish off the Jersey shore. Congratulations to you for posting this video to help people showing them what to do either to repair or lubricating there reels.

I just picked one up from some body at work I brought it home cleaned up and Grease it so far works great

Your videos are on point. I am just getting into reel servicing after doing 4 of my Abu`s. Friends found out that I was doing it on my own & started bringing their reels to me. It gives me something to do when I am not fishing. Thanks for the great videos.Ed

Thanks Bud! I know the 285 inside and out now after watching your video at least 5 times. Quick story OK? Luckily the dog spring was secured by heavy grease when I took it apart (before watching your video BTW). I put it on an old corkscrew on my bench and started cleaning other "stuff". You guessed it - my neighbor dropped off a bottle of wine at my front door for helping him last week with his riding mower. Losing all memory of the spring on the corkscrew I opened the bottle. Screw is forever lost - had to order a new one.

Dennis ,you have a Dream job . 👍great content always.

Dennis, I stumbled upon your channel about a week ago. I don’t remember how or why. I only watched it for a few hours, but I was mesmerized by your knowledge and skill. It prompted me to pull out an old Daiwa SMF 170H that I don’t even remember ever using. Apparently it had been used as there were grains of sand inside it along with some dried grease. Although I didn’t see one of your videos on this particular reel, I picked up on enough insight to take a gamble and pull it apart. I even got a parts tray as you suggested. Having no reel oil or grease I went and bought small quantities of each to try my hand at reel refurbishment. By day two, I had it cleaned and put back together; lo and behold it worked as advertized. The drag washers were pretty much shot, a rubber “O” ring had dried out and cracked and a spool bearing washer was crushed. Still, it operated. I tried ordering some parts online, but they were not available due to the age of the reel. With my new confidence, and your videos, I pulled apart two Diawa AG 700x reels that I use semi-annually at the Outer Banks, but don’t remember ever doing preventative maintenance on. How they were still functioning is a testament to Daiwa quality equipment. They look like Hogan’s Goat, but now feel like new again. Yesterday, 9 November, 2018, I decided to root through my storage shed for an old Penn reel that I thought may have been chucked a couple of decades ago. As I didn’t find it I concluded it was long gone. Today, 10 November, 2018 I thought I’d take one more look. The last thing uncovered was old ammo can. The lid was almost rusted shut and I thought it was too narrow to hold a fishing reel. When I finally got it open, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Inside was a Penn 209 level wind, a Model 85 and a Model 285. After four hours of preventive maintenance and numerous trips back into the house to review this particular video as I couldn’t figure out how to put it back together, the 285 now functions perfectly. Like the first reel, I don’t ever remember using them and perhaps never will, but if I decide to, I know they will work. The Model 209 and 85 will have to wait for another day as I’m celebrating the Marine Corps Birthday and partaking of some frosty malts. As I type this at 1730, the mail lady just delivered a bottle of Reel X that I ordered on your recommendation. Like many other subscribers to your channel, THANK YOU! You are a reel wizard. Semper Fi!

I was never big into the older gear until this channel. Now I can't stop buying old Penn reels and getting them going. I love the size of the Delmar 285. Slow as heck, but I'm a fan of narrow reels. That darned AR spring is the devil though on this one. The one on the reel when I got it had lost its tension so I bought another. Then I lost that one so I bought 4 more. Now I have 1 in the reel and one left over. I certainly wish they'd just stuck with the JigMaster AR system in all the reels. So much easier than having to set the dog and spring and then rotate the plate!

Thank you so much. Big help on my rebuild. Tad

Great video thanks 🐟

Awesome !

Wow i bought one the exact same but with plastic spool i went to spool it like a innocent youngerster and put the line to tight a it broke i had a older one laying around with a metal spool boom i put it on my delmar 285 and works like a charm

Thanks for this video:)

I still use my 85 Sea boy. Classic

I have 2 of these reels that were my dad's and my grandpa's I'd definitely love to get them cleaned up and put them into service (on special occasions) the side plates have a white film on them. How do you suggest I go about polishing those back up?

Also. Are these reels okay to store with monofilament loaded on the spool and is 30# line too heavy for it?

Dennis! Thanks so much for the video! I had taken my reel apart a few months ago and got pushed in other directions and it looked like I was putting together a jigsaw puzzle of a foreign language. I did a little research and I think I have the old version of the 285 where the dog doesn’t have the notch and the dog spring isn’t a coil but just a small strip of metal. Any ideas what I’m looking at or how to get it back together? The dog cavity looks different than what’s in the video, I’m pretty sure I have it in the right spot.

I too have a 285 and the spool won't come off. I guess it could be corroded inside. Any thoughts. I'm pulling pretty vigorously but don't want to break anything. The spool does turn fine, not frozen.

I just got one what type of line and test lbs would you recommend? Thanks for sharing 🙏

Can you point me in the right direction to where I can get that small spring?Mine is bent pretty bad.

Hi dennis the spool of the penn 85 is similar to penn 285??

what is the max drag for this reel? Also what is the ideal use for this reel

Hi Dennis Great video on the 285. I used this reel in Oct on my first fishing trip on a party boat in over 20 years, There awesome reels. Found two 285 on eBay for $25 each. One in rough shape, the other in decent shape almond st the same condition as the one your servicing in the video. Will try my hand on the tougher one first. Question. Looks like insides are brass.. can you clean with ultrasonic cleaner..?. Use that on clock parts.. with it clean spool and outsides... Last as in another viewer if I completely mess up can I send it to you to service for a fee... Many thanks sir.. I’m on my 10th viewing of your video and each time it becomes more clear. Ready to try my hand.

I have a delmar 285. I do not the wrench or lube. Would you be interested in cleaning mine for me for a fee? I also have a Abu G. That’s at least 40 yrs I could send