staff meeting

[alantani]

i want to put together a list of things that you guys are using and what is working for you.  we have a bunch of guys that service reels on a regular basis.  this includes greases, oils, cleaners, who does what with drags, bearings, and screws.  i'm using cals, yamaha marine (now a lighter blue color   ), tsi 301, corrosion x and carb cleaner (the o'reily house brand seems to have the best pressure).  i've tried inox red grease and it's ok.  i think we got burned on xtreme reel +.  how about the rest of you guys.  i'd like to get a consensus.  alan

[Nessie Hunter]

I usually follow what you post & or suggest.. 
Or what Dawn has in stock.  I live out in the boondocks (near Dawn).
Makes it hard to get stuff.....

Grease ;  ~ " LubriMatic " brand Automotive "Marine Wheel Bearing Grease". (get at any Auto parts store)
Seems to work excellent,  6 yrs in a heavily used Saltist 40 and no salt Deposits what so ever!!

Oils ;  Oust  Met-ol ~ Bearings...  (several Years now).

ReelX ~ other oil spots, level winds etc.. (its cheaper then Oust)!!

TSI 301 ~  Bearings, and also for some clean up & De-greasing...
(im testing it against Oust for longevity). Excellent cleaner De-Greaser...

Cals Drag grease ~ all drag washers... Upgraded or stock...




.

[Norcal Pescador]

ReelX for light oiling - bushings, spool bearings, levelwinds  //  Switching to CorrosionX when ReelX runs out
Cal's tan for all drag washers and general spinning reel
Yamaha Marine Grease for general lubrication, corrosion protection, gears and non-spool bearings
SuperTech (WalMart) Brake Cleaner for general pressure cleaning (Good pressure, cheap)
Acetone for dip cleaning/degreasing
Canned 'computer' air (Costco) for blow-drying
Gel-Gloss to polish side plates and chrome.  Brass-o to polish chrome/brass spools

Drags greased using acid brush, screw holes greased from end of toothpick, gears and general lube using acid brush, spool bearings using ReelX dropper bottle, other bearings with Alan's bearing packers

Haven't tried Oust (just got some) or TSI products.  Ordering Cal's purple for a lighter weight grease.

[ReelSpeed]

Since I have worked a long time with many different chemicals in the metals industry, I am always giving new stuff a shot to see if there is a place for improvement.  But I do have some standards..

Reel Cleaning..especially old plastic sideplates - Mother's Back to Black (works great and seems to be very mild!)

Drags - Cal's

Bearing cleanup - stock O'Reiley brand Engine Degreaser & Carb Cleaner

Grease - I am giving a tube of LPS ThermaPlex Aqua a try right now.  I am lining up every major marine grease available for a VERY extensive test, but a small one I did a couple months back with some blue (not yamalube) grease vs. this stuff.. Bearings sat in a glass jar full of water for two weeks and shaken twice a day..water was full of rust at the end..The LPS aqua grease had turned a dark color but the bearing was like new when cleaned out.. the other bearings grease was still the same color, but was rough when cleaned..so corrosion must have begun.  Plus when I spread it on a piece of aluminum, and run it under a faucet, the water runs off of and doesn't stick to this grease better than any grease I have seen.  So.. testing it right now.

Spool Bearings - Normally TSI 301, Corrosion X, CRC 3-36 lite & LPS Magnum.. Depends on how much freespool vs protection the customer wants.  I do have something in the works that is spinning REALLY fast... need to see how long it lasts now.     

Levelwinds - This is the fun one... I am currently testing a coating, where when I service a reel I remove and completely clean off the worm gear and then coat it with this stuff and then install dry.  Speeds the reel up quite a bit and also protects the metal underneath.  This is VERY interesting and the bass guys are REALLY loving it.  Again, watching here to see how long it lasts. 

I think that about sums me up.. 

Oh and lots of rags & Q-tips!!!

[Keith K]

I've found that when you don't know what the heck you're doing, try following directions.  You all know the drill:

Drags--Cals with acid brush
Non spool bearings--Yamaha Marine Grease.  I still open, clean, pack and reseal by hand
Spool Bearings--so far Reel X applied with dropper to opened bearings, but TSI-301 is on order
Cleaner--Chemtool B-12
screw holes and non exposed metal parts--smear some blue grease in with the acid brush

[Alto Mare]

I have been using Penn x-1R for gears and other parts and Cal's for drags. I also did a little test for myself, I greased two washers, one with Penn X-1R and the other with Cal's, I tied them on a string and placed them in the toilet tank for a few weeks. The washer with Penn x-1R turned grayish and stiffer, I now use Cal's for all parts. For the bearings I use WD-40 for cleaning, I know that most of you guys don't prefer to use this product, but I do. I do not like to use a product that will break down grease only to add more grease on top of it. For the bearings, after cleaning them with WD-40, I use a product called CLP Break Free, a friend recommended this product to me and I have been using it for over five months now with good results.

[akfish]

I clean corroded parts by soaking them in Salt-X. For old grease, I soak parts in straight Simple Green. I lubricate spool bearings with Corrosion-X, grease drags with Cal's, and grease gears with Penn X-1R. When I get in baitcasters or conventional reels that need better free spool, I lubricate spool bearings with Speed-X. But up here in Alaska the main concern is fighting corrosion so I use a toothbrush to brush all internal metal surfaces and screw holes with Penn X-1R. If the design of the reel is such that I'm afraid the Penn grease will get into the drag system, I grease everything with Cal's.

[broadway]

Hey Alan- Cool topic, you gettin' the store ready for a one-stop shop... A.T.B.T. ??

Drags and every part in the reel except bearings (sideplates included)- Cal's tan
Bearings- Right now- Penn X-1R, switching to Yamaha Marine and just got 301
Chromed over spools- Alcohol to clean, Boeshield to Protect
Aluminum Spools- 409 to clean, Alumagard to protect
Screw Holes- Cal's or Penn X-1R
409 to clean Side plates, Side plates to shine- Gel Gloss (thanks Rob)
Don't clean my spool bearings anymore- Can you say, "Bearing Packer, Baby!"
Brass Parts- Distilled white vinegar (leave about an hour)
Stainless, aluminum, or steel- Alcohol (not knob creek!;)
Handle joints- Corrosion X
PB Blaster for stuck on parts (Careful, this stuff is TOXIC!)
409 to clean ALL vintage reels- for EVERY part!
AutoZone Carb Cleaner for cleaning drags (TOXIC!)
Dom

[wallacewt]

lots of products are not available in australia,so i stay with whats easy.
drags=inox,mx6 grease,i cant tell the difference between inox and cals except the price.
frames=inox,mx6 grease
spool bearings=inox,mx5 spray
cleaning=white spirits and vinegar
i dont use water on any reels,no hose showers,we are trying to keep water out,right!
i spray inox mx3 before and after fishing.
im the same as keith k,i just follow the good advice

[Roger]

Some great information here. I use a lot of the same things. I think most everbody does after following our mentor for a few years. 

Reel Cleaning: Simple Green, Parts Cleaner from Auto Zone and tooth brushes

Drag Washers: Cals on all cf

Cleaning Bearings: Walmarts Carb Cleaner

Grease: I've been using Pennzoils Marine Grease for the last couple of years. It seems to be doing a pretty fair job. Pick it up at Walmart. I can get the Yamaha up in Thibadeaux but I never think about when I'm up there and It's a 30mi drive roundtrip and Walley World is only a mile down the road. Brian sent me some of the Corrosion X grease and have put it in a couple reels. I'm sure it will work out pretty good but boy is that stuff expensive.

Bearing Oil & Grease: I've been using Quantum Hot Sauce for quite a while and haven't had any problems with it other than cost. Finally broke down and bought a can of TSI 301. Pennzoil Marine Grease for nonspool bearings.

Reels W/Levelwinds: If the reel has a disengaging line guide I'll use a light coat of grease. For reels where lineguides do not disengage(ABU), I'll use a little bit of Hot Sauce.

 



!

[Fishermans Paradise]

I use many of the same products already mentioned, corrosion x, cals, for grease i use the evinrude triple guard, but the one product i use not mentioned here is for general cleaning and degreasing and works very well on bearings is a product from a.w. chesterton call 292 precision degreaser.  and I agree to the use of gel gloss for sideplates, very badly discolored sideplates, i brush on a light coat of superlube clear grease and buff it in by hand, really brings alot of color back as well as offering some protection

[Bryan Young]

Few mentioned, but also evinrude triple guard with corrosion X to thin it down a bit.  also trying corrosion x grease.

[kamuwela]

yamalube mixed with a little corrosion x for side plates, yamalube on all the bearing's. cal's for the drag and wd-40 as a solvent. carb or brake clean no prefrence. gonna start using corrosion x hd on the side plates as a trial.

[Pro Reel]

Safety clean parts cleaning solvent in my recric tank.
Simple green in my US cleaning tanks.
Found that the saftey clean solvent is a great first clean for greasy bearings, then I use acetone to rinse. I clean bearings in a glass jar in a US tank.
I use cals drag grease for drags, I use Super lube teflon grease for all othe grease needs. It's affordable in bulk cans and works great.
I use a multitude of lubes, such as 3 versions of TG's Rocket Fuel oils, TSI 301, and now, tungsten disulfide powder.
I will be posting a big article about some testing I'm having done now, on these lubes. Coming soon.

[franky]

I use simple green or other liquid degreasers for cleaning out the sideplate, gears, yoke, eccentric, etc.  For bearings, I give them a bath in lighter fluid with the shields removed then blown out with the compressed air.  I then put a small drop of TSI321 or Speed-X.  I regrease the gears and other parts, holes, and screws with corrosion block blue grease.  If I am greasing the drag washers, I use the Shimano drag grease.