Drag Washers - To Grease or Not To Grease ?
I found some interesting infomation on another website . . . Several items go against my current understanding, especially concerning HT-100 disks.
http://www.pierfishing.com/resources/index.php?id=grease_and_drags (http://www.pierfishing.com/resources/index.php?id=grease_and_drags)
Tight Lines !
Don't you think that it depends on if you want the MOST drag (as far as resistance), or the SMOOTHEST drag (as to "jerkiness)" ? There are some frictional materials (the "old school asbestos material, used in automotive brake shoes, for example) that, when "greased" (with a small amount of grease) are "grabby". Reason being, the grease penetrates the material, and "fluffs up" the surface, causing it to 'grab" the opposing surface (the brake drum, in the case of a brake shoe)....the result is a "faster " action, with only a slight reduction in actual "stopping power". But, with a larger amount of grease, the "grabbing " is reduced to the point that actual "stopping power" is almost non existent. I have no idea how carbon fiber really reacts....insofar as amount of lube = % reduction in the coefficient of friction....but, the bottom line is ...whatever works for you ! I suppose if every pound of drag you can muster, is what you need...you want to "go dry", but, if the jerkiness...especially on strike, and until the drags warm up....cause you grief, through hook tear-outs, for example....use some grease ! I'm sure someone here has tested ...dry vs. greased, with a scale, so % could be figured pretty easily, but the "jerkiness" would take actual "fishing time"to test .
I generally do most of my fishing (fresh water) with spinning reels, and for a long time...before I ever heard about "drag upgrades, carbon fiber, or Cal's grease...used a "smidge" of reel grease on the drag washers. Yes, it means I have to "crank things down a bit further" to get maximum drag, but those occasions don't happen very often (considering the diminutive nature of the fish I usually catch ::)), but it makes for such a smoother "pull", that I always felt it was the thing to do. Using light lines (2-4lb.) it doesn't take too much of a "jerk" to have a break-off ! Just my take on it. ;)
Crow,
I am a proponent of using Cal's grease on HT-100 drag disks. What was strange to me was the negative view of that practice in the article I linked to.
Tight Lines !
That's an old article I believe. I bet he never worked on many reels. Ive had to dig out corroded and stuck drag washers out of way too many reels not to grease them.
yeah, that must be pretty old.
Quote from: alantani on September 30, 2017, 12:19:04 AM
yeah, that must be pretty old.
The earliest reference I can find to it is October 28, 2006.
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.pierfishing.com/resources/index.php?id=grease_and_drags (https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.pierfishing.com/resources/index.php?id=grease_and_drags)
https://web.archive.org/web/20061028114539/http://www.pierfishing.com/resources/index.php?id=grease_and_drags (https://web.archive.org/web/20061028114539/http://www.pierfishing.com/resources/index.php?id=grease_and_drags)
Tight Lines !