Need Advice On Drag Grease

[handi2]

I too use Inox products. I use MX8 on conventional reels. It's an excellent product.



Keith

[Lunker Larry]

Super Lube is also rated for incidental food contact, so it is nice to have a not so toxic grease to use around the house.

Always a plus when you can eat cookies or a sandwich working on reels   

[alantani]

Super Lube is also rated for incidental food contact, so it is nice to have a not so toxic grease to use around the house.

Always a plus when you can eat cookies or a sandwich working on reels   

maybe a little closer to the truth than you might think.   

[Walleye Guy]

I bought a 3 ounce tube of Super Lube yesterday from the local hardware store.  It was $13 but I had to get a few more items which pushed me over the $20 limit so I could FINALLY use that $5 coupon in my wallet that I've been carrying around for the last month.  Whoohoo!

If The Spirit moves me, I'll first try assembling the reel with the red Amsoil grease just for kicks and will see if it feels jerky. 

The company I work for makes bottling equipment for the beverage industry.  The best food grade grease we can get is not that great because, as we were taught by the owner, it's "like mayonnaise".  Sort of lubricating and somewhat safe if it accidentally gets mixed into product and consumed.  Thus it's a compromise and not as good as other non-food grade greases but we have to use it per FDA regulations.

[jurelometer]

The company I work for makes bottling equipment for the beverage industry.  The best food grade grease we can get is not that great because, as we were taught by the owner, it's "like mayonnaise".  Sort of lubricating and somewhat safe if it accidentally gets mixed into product and consumed.  Thus it's a compromise and not as good as other non-food grade greases but we have to use it per FDA regulations.

This makes sense.  Fewer choices for ingredients for food safe grease.

But reels don't have the pressure/velocity combo requirements of industrial machinery. Reels turn very slowly under relatively light loads compared to "real" machinery.  Spool bearings on conventionals can hit a reasonably high velocity for a short length of time when casting, but the pressure/load during the cast is negligible.

What matters more is stuff like how long the lubricant can handle being exposed to air in a reel that sits on a shelf for months at a time, and whether it will poison us if it gets on some cookies.

-J

[tincanary]

Another big fan of Super Lube.  I even use their ISO 10 oil for spool bearings and the stuff is pretty awesome (and cheap).  Worm gears and support bearings get the ISO 220 differential oil and that too works great on reels with a disengaging level wind.  The ISO 10 stuff seems thinner to me than Shimano BFS oil, almost spreads like a drop of water.

[PetesReelRepair]

A note on Cal's tan versus purple.  I service reels mainly for warm climates and yet I use purple at least up to but not including a 6000 size spinner, and also for smaller conventional reels, particularly those with casting action.  The tan is very thick and you have to be careful not to over apply it or it will result in a stiff reel.

As far as drags I grease them all and love the performance.  I didn't see anyone talk yet about "smoked" drags, meaning that a dry drag washer with high friction gets worn much faster in my experience than a greased one. 

[Walleye Guy]

I still haven't settled on a particular oil for spool bearings.  Sounds like tincanary is using Super Lube ISO 10.  What are the rest of you using?

[handi2]

A note on Cal's tan versus purple.  I service reels mainly for warm climates and yet I use purple at least up to but not including a 6000 size spinner, and also for smaller conventional reels, particularly those with casting action.  The tan is very thick and you have to be careful not to over apply it or it will result in a stiff reel.

As far as drags I grease them all and love the performance.  I didn't see anyone talk yet about "smoked" drags, meaning that a dry drag washer with high friction gets worn much faster in my experience than a greased one. 

Are you using it to Lube the reels?

[jurelometer]

I still haven't settled on a particular oil for spool bearings.  Sounds like tincanary is using Super Lube ISO 10.  What are the rest of you using?

You have two possible paths to go on spool bearings for casting reels:  thin film/dry film or oil.

The film stuff comes as a liquid or spray, but once applied, the solvents evaporate and leave a very thin dry film that allegedly penetrates a bit into the metal.  This will usually provide the least rolling resistance, but can be worn off by use, requiring more frequent reapplication.  TSI is the most popular thin film for spool bearings here, but there are others as well.

oil will generally protect a bit longer.  The thinner the oil, the less rolling resistance, and the less time it lasts.  My belief is that all those "magic"  "rocket charged" "super speed" oils are simply thinner oils,  No magic here.  Don't know if there is a most popular bearing oil here.

If you are fishing saltwater, the type of stainless used in ball bearings (440c) can corrode, so you are usually trading off casting distance for protection.  Freshwater is not an issue.

-J

[JasonGotaProblem]

Its not a hill I'd die on but I'd argue that the "dry film" label people slap on TSI isn't all that fitting. I think of stuff like rem oil, which is for sure a dry film. A puddle of rem oil will dry up. A puddle of TSI doesn't seem to ever evaporate.

[Walleye Guy]

The last few ball-bearing reels I've rebuilt I used 3:1 oil on the spool bearings.  Not very fancy but it's affordable, readily available and good quality.  However, it doesn't have that butter-smooth feel so I'm definitely open to other suggestions.

[alantani]

if it's rough, my first thought is that the bearing needs to be replaced.  new bearings can be cleaned out with carb cleaner and compressed air, then lubed with anything and they should be smooth.  it's just that hydrocarbon based lubes like 3:1 will eventually turn to varnish.  you can try cleaning out a rough bearing, but it almost never works completely. 

[jurelometer]

Its not a hill I'd die on but I'd argue that the "dry film" label people slap on TSI isn't all that fitting. I think of stuff like rem oil, which is for sure a dry film. A puddle of rem oil will dry up. A puddle of TSI doesn't seem to ever evaporate.

Yeah, thin films are not necessarily dry films.


I don't think it is described as a dry film by the manufacturer -  https://www.tsi301.com/issynthetic.htm

-J

[Midway Tommy]

I tried a newer type of spray lubricant a few years back that was supposed to be the cat's meow and it wasn't cheap, either. Supposedly it it would soak into the metal but also create some sort of coating or film on the surface. I thought it sounded like a fantastic idea. I tried it three or four times on some reels and absolutely hated that stuff! It slowed everything down and seemed to leave a gooey film everywhere there was any hint of heavy residue. I don't remember the brand, it did have a dark blue plastic (spray paint type) cap, though. I was so disappointed with its results that I threw the entire can in the trash.