Bearing Lube

Started by swoffer, November 15, 2017, 11:52:50 PM

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swoffer

Hi all .

I wasn't going to share this for fear of being stoned for blasphemy , but now I reckon the jury is in (for me anyway) so here it is .

Just as a disclaimer , I haven't used this on any customer reels , only my own so far .

Some months ago , Feb this year in fact , I had a small stack of what I considered slightly dubious bearings sitting on my bench awaiting opening up and US cleaning etc. Anyway got distracted and knocked them off with the brush . When they fell a couple went into a jar of 2 stroke engine oil I had sitting on a lower shelf . Not wanting to dive my fingers or anything else for that matter into the oil I left them there . Few days later having yet another clen up I decided to fish them out . wiped them off , drained them and put each on a bearing spinner . That's when I had the light bulb moment . The feel of these previously dubious bearings was like new .
Now being a naturally skeptical type I thought , Nah bullshit , but couldn't help my curiosity . I opened up a few more replaced bearings , put them thru the US then a soak in this particular 2 stroke engine oil . Drain and spin and yep good again . Dont get me wrong here , I'm not talking completely toasted bearings , I'm talking about ones that are just to boarder line to put back in . there is something about this 2 stroke oil that makes it cling to the bearing surfaces like S... to a blanket . I took the bearing out of a 10 year old Spheros and gave them the 2st treatment and they have been fine in this often used reel for about 6 months now .
I've had a couple of bearings, 2st treated , on a bit of fishing line hanging off a local jetty for about 8 weeks now to see what would happen to the lube after prolonged contact with salt water , nothing , just looks like oil still .
I hasten to point out (again) that I HAVENT used this treatment on any customer reels , only my own , but I would not hesitate to do it again to save a bit of cash and recycle some bearings .
So I know that 2 stroke oil is designed to cling to metal but I dont know what is going on chemically in there but I'm now positive that it brings some bearings back to life at a very reasonable price .
Anyway there you have it , my opinion for what its worth .
Let then stoning begin  ;D ;D ;D ;D

Bryan Young

What is US and what is your bearing spinner?  This inquiring mind wants to know.
:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

swoffer

Quote from: Bryan Young on November 16, 2017, 12:47:01 AM
What is US and what is your bearing spinner?  This inquiring mind wants to know.

Yeh no problem Bryan US is just ultra sonic cleaner .

Bearing spinner is a tech term I apply to some plastic surgical tweezers , slide on bearing and and spin away on the side of a finger  ;D ;D

bhale1

I'm really to new to this to give an experienced opinion, but if it's working out for you...why not!  Maybe some of the more experienced reel guys will chime in! This is how we learn, thanks for the post!
Brett

jamesbay

this makes sense to me. oil is basically lubrication for a engine instead of a bearing. i also know car oil has detergents and other cleaners in it so that could explain the cleaning factors. and yes its also designed to cling and lubricate metal. the thing that confuses me is how well your says it holds up to saltwater. is this marine 2 stoke oil because i'm guessing that might make a difference. no expert just stating what I've read and heard

oc1

When cleaning up my old corroded squidder I mentioned here that I planned to get a new set of bearings because they felt sort of crunchy.  Sal recommended just soaking them in reel oil for a day or so before ordering anything.



They felt like new after that.  Sal did not have an explanation either; just said it works.
-steve

swoffer

Quote from: jamesbay on December 08, 2017, 07:28:39 PM
the thing that confuses me is how well your says it holds up to saltwater. is this marine 2 stoke oil because i'm guessing that might make a difference.


Yep , cant explain it , not going to attempt to . I've now brought the test bearings home and have them hanging in the back yard to let the oil/water drip out and let a bit of O2 , see what happens .
I had a fella bring me an AJIKING Projigger yesterday that for financial reasons (and manufacturing shortcomings :-)  ) is not worth repairing because for a start it needs a full set of bearings . So I'm going to apply the 2stroke method and see if it can be resurected for a reasonable price , otherwise its just a bin job .

swoffer

Quote from: oc1 on December 08, 2017, 08:20:19 PM



Sal did not have an explanation either; just said it works.
-steve

Bloody hell , they look well past their best eh .

Yeh , what ever works I suppose .

I had a bearing wholesaler tell me to use hot oil , just in a saucepan on a stovetop to soak them in . (Havent tried this )

I mean lets be realistic , no amount of soaking in any type of liquid is going to repair the pitted surface of a well corroded bearing ball ,what I'm hoping for is getting a bit of extra life out of a 50/50 bearing . Time will tel and its not an expensive exersize to do the test , so we'll see.

handi2

And I throw away hundreds of bearings a year...

If they are iffy i don't use them.
OCD Reel Service & Repair
Gulf Breeze, FL

Chuck750ss

Quote from: oc1 on December 08, 2017, 08:20:19 PM
When cleaning up my old corroded squidder I mentioned here that I planned to get a new set of bearings because they felt sort of crunchy.  Sal recommended just soaking them in reel oil for a day or so before ordering anything.



They felt like new after that.  Sal did not have an explanation either; just said it works.
-steve
I work as a millwright at a paper mill. We sometimes are forced to "resurrect " a bearing. I would think that at the slow speeds involved on a fishing reel that it would work pretty good. That said, once a bearing gets any type of rust,pitting,galling,etc., it is all downhill from there.

happyhooker

Got 1/2 a qt. of old 2-stroke Castrol sitting in the garage & no 2 st. engines around to use it in; maybe I can put it to use.

Frank

swoffer

Give it a go Frank , nothing to lose .

Captain64-200

I'll try dipping those bearings directly in the oil tank of my '66 Vespa ,   a dozen miles on the back-country bumpy roads and that 'll do the trick ... ;D

More seriously ,  2 stroke oil is a very particular one , designed to mix perfectly & quick with gas and totally burn in the engine . And lubing the top-end at the same time , with those moderns synthetic oils ,even after a bunch of miles ,the engine is still clean (if the carburetor/injection is well tuned of course )

No more scrapping of the carbon deposit "provided" by the old mineral oils 
Fred from Biarritz ,

SoCalAngler

Quote from: Captain64-200 on December 09, 2017, 11:01:54 AM
I'll try dipping those bearings directly in the oil tank of my '66 Vespa , 

Now we are talking, old bikes, trikes and scooters are cool. Maybe even cooler than old fishing reels.