Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Guten Morgen,

What can I use to cut TSI 321 to make it bit thinner?
I understad 301 is 321 cut with some thinner base,

I have boeshield, corrosionx

I use ipa (isopropyl alcohol 99% not rubbing alcohol) to thin TSI321. The ipa evaporates pretty quickly leaving just the oil. I use it for spool bearings in casting reels. It helps to get the right amount of oil for best freespool. Any solvent would probably work but ipa is one of the safer ones.

I use CorrosionX as a carrier for TSI321.  I don't get the best free spool until the CorrosionX spins out of the bearing leaving behind the TSI321 coated metal parts.

I will try the alcohol though  Sounds like a better carrier agent.

alcohol it is, thanks,

I bought some needle bottles from brownells,
I will start with a 50/50 mix of 321 and alcohol.

Thanks,

I don't understand adding alcohol to 321 oil. Does alcohol break down 321? Would alcohol evaporate leaving 321? 

Quote from: handi2 on January 18, 2018, 08:23:17 PM
I don't understand adding alcohol to 321 oil. Does alcohol break down 321? Would alcohol evaporate leaving 321?  

The 301 product is pure 321 diluted with a pretty nasty solvent in the ratio of ~8 parts to 1 from memory.

The purpose of the solvent is to thoroughly "scour" the base metal providing a clean surface for TSI to adhere to.

TSI is not designed as a liquid wet oil lubricant. It was originally designed for application to hard drive platters which spin at up to 7200 RPM. The tiny read/write heads hover over the platter on a cushion of air less than the thickness of a human hair  so of necessity the platters must run dry.

It is described as a thin film bonding lubricant so the solvent also helps to regulate the application of 321 so as to avoid unnecessary excess.

However, many reel service technicians on this forum use it in bearings as a traditional wet lubricant because it is still classified as a synthetic ester which is traditionally used to lubricate bearings. But maximum free-spool is attained by using it as originally intended by blowing away any residual excess from the bearing after it has bonded to the races and running them dry.

I like to cut it at about four or six to one myself for bait-caster bearings to achieve good free-spool whilst leaving a slight wet residue which will not overly impede the bearing rotation.

IPA is the closest readily available safe product which may he used as a substitute for the aggressive original solvent to achieve the same result. It evaporates leaving a thin film of 321 "glued" to the surface.

I am just sprouting this from memory so please excuse any technical errors on my part.
~

That makes sense to me now. Ive been using both for a few years now and buy it by the gallon. I also buy the spray can of 301 to spray the bearings with and set them aside. The spray results in more freespool times verses a drop or two of 321.

After assembly on a baitcasting reel I also spin up the spool with compressed air. That will spin out the bearings too.

Keith

Quote from: handi2 on January 18, 2018, 10:11:52 PM
Ive been using both for a few years now and buy it by the gallon.

By the gallon huh!

Damn! You must dream of reels in your sleep lol.

Where do you get it from Keith? Wonder if they ship overseas?
~

The ratio of solvent (ipa) to TSI321 that I use is 8 parts solvent 2 parts TSI321. This is a similar formula to the original TSI301 but less nasty I simply dunk the bearing in the mix, shake off the excess, then spin the bearing with a blast of compressed air. Voila - high speed bearing

Thanks for the hx, hard drive platter lube  ,

When you say 6:1, you mean 6 part 321 and 1 part alcohol?

Quote from: Gobi King on January 19, 2018, 01:40:25 PM
When you say 6:1, you mean 6 part 321 and 1 part alcohol?

I think they mentioned 6 parts isopropyl alcohol to 1 part TSI321 and 8 parts isopropyl alcohol to 1 part TSI321. 

When I mix, it's not exact.  So, somewhere between 6-8 parts of isopropyl to 1 part TSI321 would be perfectly fine.

What is the purest ISP in regards to water content?  The stuff I see in stores usually contains 7 to 30 percent water.

What will break down TSI321 when I need to clean it off my fingers?  I often use mineral spirits or ISP to clean oil and grease off my hands or fingers, then wash with soap.  Does soap effectively break it down?

Quote from: wfjord on January 19, 2018, 03:17:14 PM
What is the purest ISP in regards to water content?  The stuff I see in stores usually contains 7 to 30 percent water.

98% IPA is available from electronics supply stores.

Keep in a dark place to prevent decomposition.
~

I buy my IPA off the internet - sometimes Ebay - by the 5 litres - 99% pure, sometimes 99.99% is available. It's pretty cheap stuff - I use it a lot round the house - just cleaning stuff (the wife loves the smell ).

It may not stay 99% for long.  It pulls a lot of moisture from the air whenever the container is opened.  I wonder if TSI can be thinned with acetone or naphtha?  Or, would that just burn up the oil?
-steve