Ever Had a Sticky Reel Seat?

Until today, I think I safely could have said "no." But that was before I decided to put a couple of BPS crankin' rods back into commission.

I last had used these particular rods about four years ago. From that time to the present, they've been resting in slots on my rod carousel that I keep in the den downstairs. When I plucked them from the carousel this afternoon, I "assumed" they were ready to be restored to service again. Imagine my surprise, though, when I picked up the first one by the reel seat and found it didn't want to let go as I started to lay it down again. Ditto for the second one.

Close inspection revealed that both reel seats were covered by what looked like the residue you see nearly every time you remove a sticker from something new. My first response was to grab a wet paper towel, but that was a waste of my time. I then tried some Goo Gone, which takes care of about 99 percent of the stickiness you get from product stickers. It was evident the Goo Gone was taking off some of the mess, but I soon realized I might as well find a work area where I could spread out because this evolution was going to take a while.

Grabbing both rods, the Goo Gone, some paper towels, and a piece of steel wool, I headed to the garage and on out its back door. I'm here to assure you that I subsequently used all those supplies in getting those reel seats back to normal.

I still don't have a clue what caused the mess to start with. I do know for certain, though, that others have had the same thing happen, because I found some cases online. And it seems that at least some of those folks resorted to the same tactic I used to clean up everything.

As luck would have it, in solving this problem, I created another one for myself. You see, the Goo Gone has a strong odor, which stirred up my wife's allergies from what time I was working in the house. While she was opening doors and windows and cranking up some fans, I was scurrying around, trying to remove all traces of the Goo Gone to a safe distance. Once my task was complete, it was off to the shower for me. Eventually, we got the odor under total control.

The rods I cleaned up, however, continue sitting in the garage, where they'll have to stay until the smell has dissipated enough to bring them back in the house.

In the meantime, I can't help wondering if any of the other rods on my carousel also require a cleaning. If so, they'll have to wait a spell because (1) I'm not in the mood to do any more at the moment, and (2) I have to get some more steel wool before I can do any more cleaning. Be assured if I do find any additional problems, I'll take care of 'em solely outdoors. I don't mind working out there, but I sure don't want to be forced to sleep out there.