Best Quick Lube?

Started by CH, January 11, 2017, 05:29:59 AM

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CH

OK, yes I'm a newbie & finally getting serious about tweaking and maintaining my vintage fishing equipment. I've done minor repairs all along. Hit & miss maintenance, but not like I should have been doing. (shame on me)
I decided to finally go through all my rods & reels and clean and service them correctly. I use to use Lithium inside and 3in1 oil on handle, bail, drag & such.
But after reading much in this forum as of late I've come to find that the lithium is not a good idea & why.
So I'm now tasked to open all my reels clean and repack.
The Quick reels I own (so far) are 110 & 110N. And they are aluminum with bronzed gears if I'm not mistaken.

Getting ready to upgrade the drags to CF so I know the Cal's is the drag lube to go with.
What about the rest?
Opinions & why?

I'm considering Penn Precision Reel Grease to pack gears.
Also what's best for cleaning?
I'm considering using "Ardent Reel Kleen Cleaner".

Do I use the same on my old Mitchell's and Shimano's too or is it reel brand specific on the vintage stuff since they are made of different materials and such?

Thanks :)
L2F/F2L
DAM Quick Addicted

foakes

Penn grease is excellent, Chris --

I use Yamaha Marine grease on mine.

In fresh water, with spinners -- I generally go light grease on the gears, mixed with a bit of TSI321 to thin it out -- or just a good symthetic oil mixed in.

If the spinner was to be used primarily in the salt -- then it would get full grease on the gears, inside the casing, and all interior parts. 

However, some people do not like the way grease slows a spinner down -- but we need to remember, it is protection, and free spool is never a factor on spinners anyway -- like on a bait caster, or a conventional -- it just impresses the fisherman -- it does not affect the fish or performance in any way, shape, or form.

For me, cleaning is with a variety of cleaners, and an ultrasonic cleaner -- since I like to clean every part of a reel -- even the parts that no one ever sees (I guess just because I see it).

Cleaners I use are Simple Green, Mineral Spirits, Lacquer Thinner, Purple degreaser, Joy Dish Soap, Bon Ami soft cleanser, Dremel with brass brushes, brass wheel, burnisher, "0000" steel wool, Nevr-Dull.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

Tiddlerbasher

Ch - I've been using Mercury Quicksilver 2-4-C as a universal grease. I even using it on drags as it contains Teflon (PTFE).
For small spinners I thin the grease with TSI321. For regular spinners and overheads I use it neat.
There is only one oil for me TSI321. Where free spool is important (baitcaters/surf reels etc) I dilute the TSI321 with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) in a ratio of 2 parts TSI to 8 parts IPA.
This ratio imitates TSI301 which I've found often leaks during shipping.
If Yamaha marine and Cal's was easily obtainable in the UK I would use them - I use what I can get.
If your in the salt a marine grease of some kind is paramount in freshwater something is better than nothing.

This was the thread that started it all off for me:
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=50.0

El Pescador

Fred,

Curiosity has this cat, but why Joy dish soap vs. Dawn dish soap???

Thanks.

Wayne
Never let the skinny guys make the sandwiches!!  NEVER!!!!

foakes

Actually just checked -- it is Dawn, not Joy.

Wayne's mind misses nothing -- it like a steel trap thing.

Not sure if there is a difference -- but the Dawn and hot water works well for soaking parts that could be damaged, and are fragile or unreplaceable vintage.

Loosens things up gently.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

MarkT

Dawn eats grease like nobodies difference.  So far as I know, Joy doesn't have that ability. It's a 'normal' dish washing soap.
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

El Pescador

Quote from: foakes on January 11, 2017, 04:13:52 PM
Actually just checked -- it is Dawn, not Joy.

Wayne's mind misses nothing -- it like a steel trap thing.


Best,   Fred

Fred,

If you weren't doing everything so perfectly, I wouldn't be watch'n so carefully!!!! ;D

Wayne
Never let the skinny guys make the sandwiches!!  NEVER!!!!

foakes


If you weren't doing everything so perfectly, I wouldn't be watch'n so carefully!!!! ;D
Wayne
[/quote]

Obviously, you haven't been talking with my wife lately, Wayne...

😄😄😄

Best Always,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

SilverRidge

Dawn is a great degreaser, was told that auto brake cleaner is a really good cleaner and degreaser, anyone ever
Hear of this lubricant called "Hot Sauce" it's red in color ?

Paul

CH

Quote from: foakes on January 11, 2017, 04:13:52 PM
Actually just checked -- it is Dawn, not Joy.

Wayne's mind misses nothing -- it like a steel trap thing.

Not sure if there is a difference -- but the Dawn and hot water works well for soaking parts that could be damaged, and are fragile or unreplaceable vintage.

Loosens things up gently.

Best,

Fred


What about Palmolive? 
Remember Madge the manicurist always said "it softens hands while you do dishes" ........ nothing like soft and smooth hands after a hard day cleaning reels and fish!
;D
L2F/F2L
DAM Quick Addicted

foakes

#10
Many of us on here, have different preferences when it comes to cleaners and lubricants.

And they are all good -- some are better.

For me, it boils down to experience with what works, expense, availability -- and maybe most importantly, it needs to stay where I apply it for a few years -- then when time for another service -- it removes easily with mineral spirits and an ultrasonic cleaner.

We all find our comfort zone in what works -- and tend to stay there.

It is sort of like the engineers at Microsoft who found a dead skunk in their employee break yard -- after discussing what to do about it for hours -- they all voted to call in an expert on skunks -- the skunk expert they hired was from the Ozarks -- after getting his fee in advance -- he said: "You boys just need to bury that skunk"...

Everything works -- and everything is better than nothing.

No one needs to do it like anyone else -- but they need to do something effective.

Just my opinions -- plus a little fun sarcasm.

There are a lot of decent products out there today -- and we always need to be on the lookout for something better.  Hot Sauce is a good product -- and has been around for at least 15 or 20 years that I know of.

Be careful of some cleaners, as they may harm parts or finishes.  Nothing worse then soaking some parts -- only to find no parts in the beaker -- just liquid and goo.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

CH

Quote from: CH on January 11, 2017, 09:52:41 PM

What about Palmolive? 
Remember Madge the manicurist always said "it softens hands while you do dishes" ........ nothing like soft and smooth hands after a hard day cleaning reels and fish!
;D

OK... old guy attempt at joke ---
for those younger an explanation. --
L2F/F2L
DAM Quick Addicted

handyandy

Since I'm a big car guy and just general gear head engine junky. On top of my newly acquired reel addiction I also have an old tractor/garden tractor addiction, as well as car addiction. Also a waterfowl and small mouth bass/catfish junkie. Being that I'm into cars I already had a large shop at home with a lift and most hand tools, lubes, and cleaners for automotive/tractor applications. Most of which I've found works for reels except I only need most of my smaller tools for reels. For cleaning if it's unpainted metal parts and they really have old grease hardened on I let them soak in a basket in a pale of carburetor cleaner. It really dissolves that old hardened grease from gears and pieces that haven't been touched in decades. It is very harsh though don't put plastic, painted, or rubber components in it they will get partially dissolved. For more delicate pieces so painted items, plastics, and rubbers I'm with Fred I have a ultrasonic cleaner that I use with some kind of degreaser soap usually simple green, purple power, or whatever heavy duty degreaser I have on hand for cleaning things up in the garage that are greasy. I don't have as nice of a ultrasonic cleaner as Fred mine is the biggest one they sell at harbor freight. It works pretty well I have had for over a year now used it on lots of carburetor parts, gun parts, and reel parts now. I have used aerosol brake cleaner and carburetor cleaners to blow out gunked up old bearings it does a good job of that, then follow it with key board duster to blow all the residual out. Lubes I use the quicksilver grease that was mentioned before with the ptfe. I use this because I always have it around as it's the grease I have to use to lube the outboard jet on my boat. I use it on gears, bearings, and drags seems to work well. I figured if it works to keep the bearings and seals lubed and water out of them in my outboard jet turning 4500-5800rpms then it would work on reel components. It has the needed the ptfe for drag disc and isn't lithium based so far it works great on all my drag disk. For bearings I cut it with a little reel oil currently I've been using lucas reel oil as I got a bunch of little bottles of it for free. For components that are stuck and needs some penetrating oil I use wd40 usually does the job If something is really stuck a old trick I learned from a older friend that's into tractors as well is to make about a 50/50 mixture of acetone and ATF. It is a great if not the best penetrating oil. Be careful with it though it will ruin paint finishes. I have a old oil squirt can and reel oil bottle with the needle dispenser that I keep some in.