I was watching a unnamed young man working on a reel at a tackle shop and he put a huge amount of grease on the reel inside the side plate before closing it. Is this a good idea? Is there such a thing as too much grease?
Jim
Yup! Unless the grease is in a bearing, only a light coat is needed to protect against corrosion. Even gears don't need very much - just enough to cushion and lubricate metal-to-metal contact. Too much can get in the wrong places, slow things down if it does, and generally make a mess if it gets flung around by the gears.
you may notice in my earlier rebuild posts that i really slathered on the grease on the insides of the side plates. now i wipe off as much as i can get to with an old rag, the go in with an old toothbrush and spread around only a very thin coat. i think it looks better and protects just as well. it also will not hold sand or dirt (which should not be in a reel anyway).
The best I ever saw was a old Daiwa saltwater spinner I was working on.. It was their largest model so the cavity inside was very large. The entire thing was packed to the brim with black grease! It was unreal.. One of the worst things to have to clean up after. There was an unbelievable difference when it was cleaned out and greased properly.
I usually put a light coat on the side plates with a small brush. I actually think that if there was sand inside the reel, I would rather have it stick to the grease than to get into the other parts.. But it shouldn't be there to start with. :)
i have cut back on the amount of grease i use. i like bryan have found that mixing corrosion x and yamaha lube, gives a nice flim of protection. i grease all bearings and lightly coat gear',. the mixture go's on the plate's. i also use a flux brush to apply grease to side plate's and screw's. keep in mind i do trolling reels, not for casting purpose's lol