Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Conventional and Bait Casting Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => Ambassadeur Tutorials and Questions => Topic started by: Ruffy on June 24, 2018, 05:48:12 AM

Title: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: Ruffy on June 24, 2018, 05:48:12 AM
Hi guys,
I am sure it's here somewhere but I can't find it. Stock 7000 drag washers that maybe look to be made out of an abestos type material. Are these best run dry, greased or oiled? Not interested in upgrading to carbontex as just getting it going as a cheapie and the drag washers look in pretty good nick. This is an older 7000, brass bushings, no ARB, silent dog, clicking 3 stack drag.

Cheers,
Andrew
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: mo65 on June 24, 2018, 01:37:08 PM
   If they are "asbestos type material" that would be best ran dry. Leather seems to works best oiled, and of coarse greased for carbon fiber. 8)
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: exp2000 on June 24, 2018, 02:04:20 PM
Yeah, I was thinking the same.

The stock drag washers in the old ABu's perform nowhere near as well as the Carbontex Washers.

By greasing them you might sacrifice drag pressure even further.

I nearly always swap them out for Carbontex as the improvement in performance is well worth it
~
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: mo65 on June 24, 2018, 02:19:21 PM
Quote from: exp2000 on June 24, 2018, 02:04:20 PM
The stock drag washers in the old ABu's perform nowhere near as well as the Carbontex Washers.
By greasing them you might sacrifice drag pressure even further.

   In my experiments greasing brake lining discs(asbestos) actually made them chatter...they were smoother dry. This happened on three different reels, so I know it wasn't a fluke, but it does seem hard to believe. :-\

   Unless you are wanting to keep a reel original, as a collectible or something, carbon fibers will make it fish much better.

Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: basto on June 24, 2018, 10:08:24 PM
Hi Andrew
I remember the great Vic McCristal back in the eighties used to put a little graphite powder on the stock 7000 washers to improve the drag.
If you have a soft 6b pencil, you can scrape the core with a pocket knife to get enough graphite powder to do the job. You don't need much and you have to make sure the washers are very dry before rubbing the powder into them.
It worked for me back in the eighties.
Greg
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: whalebreath on June 24, 2018, 11:54:19 PM
Quote from: basto on June 24, 2018, 10:08:24 PM
.... Vic McCristal back in the eighties used to put a little graphite powder on the stock 7000 washers to improve the drag.
I remember hearing about that trick at the time but never used it.
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: exp2000 on June 25, 2018, 12:25:55 AM
Quote from: basto on June 24, 2018, 10:08:24 PM
Hi Andrew
I remember the great Vic McCristal back in the eighties used to put a little graphite powder on the stock 7000 washers to improve the drag.

Now there's a name!

You're taking me Waaaey back now basto :D

I reckon that this is how the standard Calcutta drags work. The washer surface produces carbon powder which acts as a dry lubricant. I could see this making for a much smoother drag in the ABUs but still nowhere near the stopping power of Carbontex.
~
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: Tiddlerbasher on June 25, 2018, 10:21:53 AM
X lots - unless it's a shelf queen swap out the drags for greased cf.
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: basto on June 25, 2018, 09:02:32 PM
Everyone knows that carbontex is the best, but if you read Ruffy`s post, he says he is not interested in upgrading to carbontex.
Title: Re: Abu 7000 original drag washers - dry, greased or oiled?
Post by: Ruffy on June 28, 2018, 09:21:03 PM
Thanks Basto. I got the reel for $10 at a lawn sale, it's got some corrosion, the level wind wasn't working and freespool wouldn't engage. I bought it just to have a look inside (never pulled one apart) and see if I could resurrect it; I've got other similar sized reels and won't be keeping it. It's definitely salvageable, it had half a beach in there, but given the corrosion I'll probably only get $20-30 for it which is why I'm not going the expense of carbontex. I'll go the dry with graphite, sounds like a real hot rodders trick!

Cheers,
Andrew