"Lubricants" from Jim Nomura

[alantani]

jim nomura and i have been working together for the last 2 months.  he's a retired engineer and brought in a new lube for me to try.  it looks very promising..........

Lubrication in high performance bearings
used in saltwater fishing reels

by Jim Nomura

Lubrication and protection of Bearings both ball and sleeve types are a critical issue in maintaining peak performance in fishing reels. It is needed not only for  reducing friction but also to protect the bearings from corrosion and to maximize a  bearings useful life.

Generalized overview:

Lubrication: Lubrication in a bearing is used to minimize sliding friction and to prevent galling of the bearings. Lubrication also reduces wear on sliding surfaces.
   Sleeve bearings: sleeve bearings are single piece bearings with a smooth contact surface. They are generally made of a soft material (bronze, brass, copper, zinc) that is sacrificial in that  the bearing will wear before the shaft. Many sleeve type bearings are also sintered (fused porus material) so that the bearing will absorb oil and provide continuous lubrication. Sleeve bearings are lubricated through a combination of the bearing material it'self and oil that provides a thin layer of lubricant between the bearing and the shaft. Automotive engines rely on sleeve type bearing with forced oil lubrication to replace the oil layer continuously.
   Pros: Long life, low maintenance, no moving parts to fail, operate with large tolerances, low radial friction, quite, low cost, reliable
   Cons: As they wear the tolerances increases, Corrode easily if not maintained, non flanged designs provide no axial load capability, rotational friction is higher than rolling type bearings,.
   Ball Bearing: Ball bearings consist of precision balls and races that the ball roll in. They reduce rotational friction by eliminating most sliding friction through the use of precision balls that roll instead of slide. For fishing reels the type most commonly used is the 'DEEP GROOVE" which has a single row of ball spaced apart. They ride in 'DEEP GROOVE' channels in the races that are not very deep  at all.  The reason for the 'shallow' grooves is to minimize any sliding friction.  The deeper a groove is the more likely the ball will contact the side of the grooves that is moving at a different rate than the surface of the balls. When the ball contact the sides of the groove there is sliding friction, wear, noise, and increased chances for damage to the bearing parts. Ideally the balls will have  2 single point contact points. One on the outer race and one on the inner race and these points would have a infinitesimally small contact area (like a ball on a flat surface). In the ideal case the friction of a idealized ball bearing would be zero. We will talk about that later. Ball bearing materials are generally hardened steels with precision surfaces. The materials are not optimized to reduce sliding friction or wear/damage from sliding friction. If a ball stops rolling a begins to slide the bearing will become damaged in very short time if there was no lubrication in the bearing. Along with this the bearing balls are spaced apart with cage that positions the balls around the races. These cages are metal or plastic and lightly contact the balls producing friction on the balls. These cages must be lubricated to prevent cage wear and reduce bearing friction.
   Pros: Very low friction, capable of high speeds, very high radial loads, provide some axial load capability, can be made of corrosion resistant materials, capable of maintaining high tolerances, long life.
   Cons: High cost, high maintenance, susceptible to contamination and corrosion, they make noise, tend to be application specific.

Lubrication of bearings:
Sleeve bearings:  oil and thin film lubricants.
Ball bearings: no lubrication (dry), oil, thin film, solid particle, grease.

Lubricants:

   Oil: There are 2 basic types – Petroleum based and synthetic.
Petroleum oils  is simply refined from crude oil and provide consistent robust viscosity and a ability to maintain a boundary layer under high pressure in bearings. This is partially due to the availability of long hydrocarbon chains that mesh with each other prevent the molecules from being pushed apart and allowing metal to metal contact. Being organic (carbon base) the chains are subject to oxidation by free radicals (Oxygen bearing compounds) and UV light. Oxidation breaks down the chains and reduces the ability of the oil to maintain a boundary layer . Petroleum also will outgas and thicken with time eventually forming sticky tar like substances or varnishes.
Synthetics oils are synthesized long chain molecules that are made to be stable non oxidizing and UV resistant. They tend not to outgas and maintain their properties over a long period of time. Synthetics tend not to perform as well in maintain boundary layers but can be engineered to meet very demanding specifications.
   Thin Film: Thin film lubricants are a special class of 'oil' in that the lubricant is designed to operate with a very thin layer (much thinner than oil)
that is only a molecule or so thick. It lubricates by adhering  to the surfaces  and preventing metal to metal contact.  Thin film lubricants are used today to protect and lubricate the heads and metal surfaces of disks in your every day disk drive in your computer. These lubricants have a high tech place in high performance bearings.
   Solid Particle: These types of lubricants are typically polymers or slippery  compounds such as PTFE, lithium, Disulfides, graphite that are coated on the surfaces. They provide 2 functions: One is to reduce sliding friction and two to smooth out the rolling surfaces and increase the contact area to make bearings appear smoother. They do this quite well for most general bearings. These are not typically used in very high tolerance bearings as the particles interfere with the rolling action of the balls. These particle are much thicker then thin film lubricants.
   Grease: Grease is basically a oil (petroleum or synthetic) that is thickened with a additive to give it body to hold in place. the additives  are used to enhance properties of the oil – Viscosity, corrosion protection, high pressure application, water resistance or water proofness,  tolerance to large temperature ranges, inertness with different metals. Greases are thicker than oil and produce stiffness in bearings and are typically used in low speed applications.



What is it we are looking for in our reels?

The quality of our fishing experience is directly related to the performance of our gear and our personal challenge to be smarter than the fish. It also seems that the experience is related to the experiences of our fishing buddies.  Exclusive of our buddies personalities and the mood of the fish the performance of our gear seems to be of great importance. For this article we will focus on the fishing reel.

What is it we need:
   Reliability
   Performance
Minimal Maintenance
   
Most of this can be produced through quality maintenance of our reels. At the heart of this is the maintenance of the drags and the bearings in our reels. This is where proper and judicious selection of lubrication of our reels is of upmost importance.

Reliability and Maintenance free (minimum maintenance): first of all there is no such thing as maintenance free for bearings intended to be used in harsh and demanding environments. There is only minimum maintenance.

For reliability we use grease on shielded/sealed bearings that are low speed and generally not connected with the ability of the spool to spin freely during casting. In the case of trolling spool bearings (never to be casted) the bearings are greased here also. We use a  quality medium viscosity marine grease (Yama Lube) that is pressure packed with the Tani bearing packer. the bearings are 100% packed (no air after packing).  By doing this the grease is forced to reticulate in the bearing maintaining a constant layer of corrosion protection  on all internal surfaces. It also reduces the chances that water will collect in the bearing as the grease rejects water and fills the bearing. Be aware that some grease will work it's way out of the seals/shields. This is necessary  to allow space for the grease to circulate in the bearing. The recirculation of the grease (the bearing becomes a pump of sorts) will also cause the bearing to become stiffer as you crank the handle of your reel. If you need a free spinning handle then treat your bearings like you would your spool bearings keeping in mind that the service life of your bearings will be shorter.
For performance we use open bearings (shieds and seals removed) to combat the tendency to collect moisture or more directly water in the bearings that are not 100% greased. Opening the bearings allows a open path for air to circulate in the areas enclosed by the bearings (specifically the inner bore of the spool) allow moisture to evaporate and escape.  Due to the passivation (anodizing, painting, coating etc.) of metal surfaces in today's high performance reels corrosion happens only when water (salt water) sits for long periods of time and there are dissimilar metals in contact. Normal operation of your reel will normally expel water from your spool bearings.
We like to use a quality liquid type lubricant with good anti corrosion, water expelling and long life in our open bearing. In this case we use a thin film penetrating synthetic lubricant called TSI301 and TSI321 and a blend of CorrosionX and TSI321. We choose this since it is a thin film type, synthetic, penetrates metal cracks and pores, forms a tenacious protective layer between metal and water and can be applied thin enough (if needed) so it will not attract or collect dirt. TSI was originally developed for the aerospace and camera industry  to provide long lasting controlled lubrication. It has since found it's way into the competition air rifle hobby as a quality lube and protection. TSI seems to provide a long lasting solution in spool bearing lube where the performance does not seem to degrade over weeks or months. The only draw back so far is that TSI321 with spread itself out very thin making the bearing appear dry. Inspection under a microscope shows a very small amount that collects at the ball and race contact points. We assume that this is also true at the cage and ball contact points also. Adhock testing by dipping bearing in salt water and letting them sit (worst case putting your reel up with salt water in it) has shown no corrosion with salt crystal s forming in the race groves. These crystals do  interfere with the bearing until they are dissolved in water (rinse in fresh water) or ground up and expelled thru use of the bearing. Further testing needs to be conducted before we can fully endorse this maintenance product. The CorrosionX blend is used in all non super free bearings. This is a result of CorrosionX not being a thin film lube and being fairly thick. It will stay put and still allow a fairly free turning bearing. It will also help keep standing water out of the bearings. Solid particle lubes such as Extreem Reel hold a place that is very specialized. It works very well (may be the best I've seen) at reducing ball bearing friction as well as sleeve type friction in pinions and sleeved level winds. . The draw back is that this solid particle lube only keeps it's properties while the liquid carrier is present to allow free movement and recirculation of the PTFE in the lube. Once the carrier evaporates things slow way down. So Extreem Reel works great but needs to be reapplied on a regular basis of once every few days to weeks depending on the application.
for this reason we do not use it for offshore reel use at this time and opt for the longer lasting solution with TSI.
For Optimum performance: Bearings need to be run practically dry with no lubricating liquids/solids that could reduce the rolling of the balls. If in doubt try cleaning out a new bearing (that your willing to sacrifice) with chemtool and compressed air. Do this 3 or 4 times and then check how free the bearing spins. Basically it is like taking one of the balls and rolling it on a sheet of glass. You will most likely eventually damage your cleaned bearing due to galling or damage to the cage. this is where a thin film lube shines at it's best. Take a bearing clean it out and lube with TSI301 or AVblend (linkite based petroleum thin film antigall). Let it sit for 15 min and then give a quick clean out with chem. tool and compressed air. this will leave a very thin layer of lubricant that you can't see or feel and dirt will not stick to it is so thin. Your bearing will run as good or better as compared to a dry bearing right after you clean it. I do this for my personal reels to test the procedure. What you will also notice is that your super freespool will now make noise, maybe even a lot but it will spin like mad. the noise your hearing is from every little bump, ditch, scratch on the ball and races. Because there is no cushioning  thick boundary layer the defect induces a high frequency pulse from the bearing that gets amplified by your reel side plate. You can reduce this noise by buying supper high precision bearings but will probably not get any better free spool. The other choice is to go to 100% ceramic bearings and use no lube at all. You will get great performance but they are even worse when it comes to noise. This is a direct result of the ceramic being much harder that steel.
Some analogies:
Roll a golf ball across a hardwood floor and then try linoleum floor (linoleum is the cushion)
Roll a rubber ball and then a queue ball across a wood floor. the Rubber is more elastic.

Final notes: Thick film oils and greases that have high pressure properties will provide a level of protection to bearings under heavy loads. An example would be the pinion bearing on a pull bar style lever drag or the push cam bearing on a push style lever drag (penn style). this is because the high pressure components will help fill irregularities and increase the effective contact area of the Balls to Races. Steel Balls and races will be elastic and have a contact footprint that is larger than the contact area for a ceramic bearing. A hybrid ceramic steel will be in-between. the larger the contact area the more load the bearing can support before permanent damage happens. this is why ceramic and hybrid  bearing have a load rerating of 10-20% over all steel bearings. further info on bearing failure modes in pinion and left spool bearings will be coming in the future.

http://www.tsi301.com/issynthetic.htm
http://www.tsi301.com/specifications.htm
http://www.amgas.com/prodpage.htm
http://www.tsi301.com/tsi321main.htm
http://hazard.com/msds/f2/cgy/cgysw.html
http://www.pilkguns.com/rifleaccessories.shtml
http://www.avblend.com/

[Pro Reel]

How about some more follow up discusions on the TSI 301 and 321? Are those of you that are using it still satisfied? From what I can tell, the 301 is solvent based. It seams that this is the thinner version of the two. The 321 is not solvent based and from what I have read, it seams that it is the pure form of the two and perhaps is a bit thicker or more concentrated? From the experience of those that have used it, which version works better for using in spool bearings? Which version works better for using in and on line guide components. I see that the manufacturer suggests that the 301 with solvent may not be apropriate for use with plastics and it can't be stored in plastic containers. Have you found that it can be used on plastic reel parts in small quantities?

[alantani]

the solvent appears to evaporate away fairly quickly, so contact with plastic does not appear to be a problem.  i have been dunking the bearing and then letting them drain on an old rag.  the stuff is pretty damned good!  i dumped some in an old baby food jar and have been dipping parts that way.  so far, so good. alan

[Pro Reel]

So are you just using the 301? Is there a use for the 321 without solvent or is that to thick to work good in bearings?

[alantani]

i had the thick stuff and decided to mix it with the thin stuff, so i never tried the thick stuff by itself.  i'll bet it would be fine, though.  alan

[franky]

Last month (October), I unshielded my bearings, cleaned them, and applied a drop of TSI 321 that Bryan Young sent me...thanks Bryan.

At first when I read about the two versions 301 and 321 I was concerned about the solvants because I use newell reels which are primarily graphite (plastic).  To be safe, I went with the 321.  I did not see or work with the 301, so I cannot comment on the difference of viscosity.  However, the 321 did appear rather light (kind of like speed-X).  Anyway, I was not sure if 321 alone had anti-corrosion properties and therefore I applied a drop of speed-X as well.  

I know that it had been mentioned before on this site about the problem of applying too much lube because it can cause a frontal wave infront of the bearings as it spins thus causing it to slow down.  However, I took the chance because anything is better than corroded bearings.  Also, since I left the bearings unshielded, I thought that at such high RPM's, any excess oils would splash out and the bearings would be left with only a light coating of lube.  Anyway, the results so far is as follows:

Test#1  (10/13/2010) Using a 13 foot surf casting rod with a newell 540 reel 40 lb test mainline with a 6 ounce lead...well exceeded 100 plus yards (unofficial measurement).

Test#2  (11/8/2010) Approximately 3.5 weeks later (reel just sitting because I am busy traveling for work) I went with the exact same set-up...same thing...cast exceeded 100 plus yards. (unofficial measurement)

I have yet to pay a visit to the football field with a tape measure because I know I will be passing from goal post to goal post.  Its just a matter of how much past the goal post is where I need the tape measure to get exact measurements.  I have to travel again next week and as soon as I get back, I will get the results officially on the football field.  Keep in mind, I still did not re-apply any drops of TSI321 and I will not for test#3 (the official measurement).  As Alan says...stay tuned for the results...  

In reference to the two tests listed above, the TSI321 held up considering the "time sitting on the shelf".  the reel casted the same and maintained performance.  I am mentioning this because I believe that Alan wrote about a testing that they did with the "Extreme Reel +" product.  He said that it worked the best, but the performance did not last.  You must re-apply the product constantly.  So far, TSI321 is holding up.

[Bryan Young]

You're welcome Franky. 

Hey, are they still having distant casting competitions in Waimanalo at the polo field?  Would be interesting to do a quick rebuild/lube between casts to do a comparison.

[franky]

I'm not sure if they are still hosting those competitions in Waimanalo.  However, I've been to a couple that were held at Kakaako Park and at Keehi Lagoon Park.  Wow, there are some guys that can really honk it out there!

A couple years ago, a friend of mine Don, who participates in some of the Texas casting events, took me to a big open field at the Kaneohe Marine Base to put in a few cast.  At that time, I casted a measured 130 yards with the Penn HLW113 using 60 lb test and a 9 ounce lead.  At that time, I was running speed-X in my bearings.

With the newell 540 and 40 lb test, the distance will be greater; I just need to get an actual measure.  I do believe that with proper reel maintanence and the use of proper oils, grease, and lubes in the appropriate areas and applications, the casting distance will be greatly impacted.

Alan and this site has been very instrumental in my knowledge of the different lubes, oils, greases, etc. 

Thanks to everyone on this site!  My casting distance is far from being the best.  There are lots of guys out there that can really launch some unreal distances!  For me, however, my personal growth has been greatly improved and the information on this site allowed me to better tune my reels and take me to the next level in casting. 

Gotta remember, technique is #1, but couple that with a finely tuned reel and....Wow!!!

Thanks guys!         

[Comedie]

Been trying TSI-301 for nearly 6 months now. I like it, but it does have issues around plastics. On my last LR trip, I loaded some into one of the plastic pen oilers I keep in my toolbag. During the trip I needed to tear open an Accurate where the right spool bearing was having issues. Found that the pen oiler had melted down . The same type oiler with Corrosion-X in it was fine.
So much as I like the 301, it certainly didn't travel well for me. With all the plastics inside and around reels, I'm going to give the 321 a shot now.

[Bryan Young]

You will not have any problems with TSI321 as it doesn't have any solvents and comes in a plastic bottle.  TSI301 is a solvent based lubricant that will affect plastic.  The solvent takes away remaining micro layer of oils then the TSI321 bonds to the metal.

[steelfish]

so, now that Im getting deeper in the world of reel service, is it lot better 301 to clean bearings than carb cleaner?

when is still good to clean deeply a really dirty and bearing with visual marks of corrosion instead of getting a new bearing ?

[ez2cdave]

Tight Lines !