No ball bearings?

[Alto Mare]

And here is what Carl used for those Fred:
https://www.mcmaster.com/#8578K416
They're a little costly, but should be a breeze for any machinist we have here to make us some.

Best,

Sal

[foakes]

Is this the same, Sal?

http://www.eplastics.com/Acetal_Delrin_Sheet

Best,

Fred

[bhale1]

Fred,
I think the one Sal is showing is the delrin that also contains 13% Teflon, making it "slipperier" than standard delrin....
But I'm just guessing...😀
Brett

[oc1]

Thank you very much for pointing us to that information Robert.  I learned a lot and need to get better acquainted with the SKF web site.  They have very sophisticated material and have moved way past just milling solid plastics (you gotta read it Sal).  Their plastic/metal composites would overcome the strength limitations of solid plastic (as discussed above) and opens up new avenues for dealing with lubrication and contamination.

A couple of other things hit me while shuffling through the SKF material.  We tend to focus on getting the smoothest possible bearing surface, especially in casting reels.  But, could a textured surface with lubricants trapped within the pockets actually work better?  Also, reel bearings are always straight and the focus is on rigidity and alignment.  But, could a spherical bearing that accommodates inherent lack of rigidity (flexing) and alignment be a better alternative?

-steve

[Robert Janssen]

...could a spherical bearing that accommodates inherent lack of rigidity (flexing) and alignment be a better alternative?

I have always thought so. The idea of putting super-duper precision bearings in a rell whose frame likely wouldn't be of equivalent precision seemed counterintuitive. Have looked around some for the spherical bearings ABU used to use. Hard to find. Talked about it with Ulf who used to run  UT Reel. He had a special frame aligning / straightening / rebrazing jig for the purpose and found it adequate. This is not as relevant  with one-piece frames of course.  Whatever. I ramble.

.

[Decker]

And here is what Carl used for those Fred:
https://www.mcmaster.com/#8578K416
They're a little costly, but should be a breeze for any machinist we have here to make us some.

...Hmmm dreaming of a Penn-bassadeur to throw light lures in saltwater.

[handi2]

never tried, but 13fishing seems to offer decent price:value & less obscene marketing ploys (albeit, I looked at rods more than reels)

They may work fine but we all know about marketing. Ive been inside plenty of 13C reels. Open the case next to a Pflueger reel and its the same molded casing.

yeah, but Pflueger is outsourcing to Korea, while 13fishing IS Korean -- probably Pflueger's OEM

Actually most all overseas made low profile reels look exactly the same in the frame molding.

[hafnor]

Interesting topic indeed. This SKF PDF file is greek to me and way above my paygrade....

However I truly hope that this New "CZB" bearing is more than any "old" plastic-bushing. They Call it Space age polymer so there should be something to it. I find it hard that a Company can promote and hype such a Product if it is something that has been done decades ago.

They say it is self-lubricating too? How does that work......?

[oc1]

As it cures, they impregnate the plastic with molybdenum disulfide.  Just call it moly.  Moly is a solid and feels like graphite.  It's very slippery.  The atoms are in layers that tend to slide against each and slip away (exfoliate).  

Moly has been used as an additive to grease for a long time.  It is particularly useful for high speed open gears that tend to fling off liquid lubricants.  One product I am familiar with dries and hardens on the gears and looks like the dried up old grease you might find in a reel.  But because it is moly it lubricates and protects very well even when hardened.

Putting the solid moly inside plastic is a relatively new thing.

-steve

[jurelometer]

First some jargon translation:

Space age
after the advent of space exploration.  I.e., after 1960

High tech
probably not made in somebody's basement and involving one or more persons with a degree in chemistry.

Polymer
a macro molecule.  Multiples of the  same molecule bond together, often in a chain arrangement.   Examples of polymers include wool, rubber, plastics.  In this case probably not wool.

copolymer 
two different types of molecules form the polymer chain.   Very common.   BTW,  delrin is a single polymer (AKA homoplolymer)

"Concept Zero"  
Dunno.  Taken literally :  conceived nothing?    Hey, don't blame me, blame the dictionary.

As Lee noted,  bushings and plain bearings are the same thing.   When used properly they can be plenty strong.  Big machinery, and  even your car engine run on plain bearings. 

Bearings are  rated for static/dynamic friction, pressure  (radial and axial) and velocity.  Metal solid bearings can do very well in all these categories with the aid of a lubricant.   Skipping past metal for now...

Some plastics make excellent bearing materials, especially for light loads with high RPMs,  and require little to no maintanence for the life of the bearing.  As  plastic bearing technology evolves, plastic is moving up into higher load applications traditionally reserved for solid metal or ball/roller bearings.  The king of plastic bearing material is fiber impregnated PTFE, with the most common trade name being Rulon. It is not cheap, but not horribly expensive.   

Looking at solid bearing materials - you should find a P rating ( max pressure per area, e.g, PSI), a V rating ( max velocity- e.g.,  surface feet per minute) and a PV rating (combo- less than the max of either).  It is pretty easy to calculate for a given application if a bearing material will work with one big caveat- alignment.  When the shaft is out of alignment with the bearing, the pressure will be applied  to a smaller surface area on the bearing, possibly exceeding its rating.

On the other hand,  ball bearings can be designed to tradeoff some amount of accuracy to help handle some misalignment.  Once a premium product, they are widely available, standardized, and can be quite inexpensive.

For a properly designed reel, the better plastic bearings such as rulon will probably have a  lower coefficient of friction than a lubricated bearing, and zero maintenance.   So starting with lighter reels, it makes sense that solid plastic bearings start showing up, and work their way up into heavier models, the same as with any other class of machinery.   Fiber filled PTFE would be a good candidate for mid tier on up in bass reels. 

The only problem now is overcoming decades of marketing ball bearing count as a measure of a reel's quality ("now with 96 ball bearings!!!" )

I am not passing  judgement on this particular reel.  I don't know my bass reels.  But quality solid plastic bearings is a good idea, if not exactly revolutionary.   You can't make an anti-reverse bearing out of plastic, so I would venture to guess that this reel uses a typical metal  anti-reverse bearing.

And hey,  the world has been waiting for a safety orange bass reel. Less likely to get stepped on, and will match your favorite hunting cap .