Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I was speaking to one of the experienced reel repair guys in a shop in S'pore about finding Cal's grease in Asia. He told me the guys here never grease drags, instead they will grind pencil lead to a power and impregnate the carbon fiber with it. Not excessive, he said, just work it in a bit and you'll get an incredibly smooth drag. These folks are hard core - this region has great fishing from GT's to tuna, wahoo, etc. so I listen up...

I am new to this forum and though I have viewed hundreds of posts at this point, I haven't run into anyone discussing graphite used like this. Any thoughts? I will be purchasing proper supplies (Cal's grease) next trip home and I'm planning on mailing a few reels back before I get there but is this anything worth trying for now?

Thanks for your help on this

I can't say if graphite is a good idea on Carbontex (or HT-100) washers, but don't use it anywhere else.

This is from one of Alan's posts in the Tools and Lubricants board:

from norcal pescador on May 10, 2010:
Graphite –The mineral Graphite is a crystalline form of Carbon. Graphite lubricant (powder) is made from super-finely ground graphite pieces or chunks. Graphite powder will absorb moisture and clump, basically returning to its pre-ground form (little rocks). It is for this reason that you should never use graphite in  fishing reel bearings (or in any other precision mechanism.) I learned about graphite from a well-experienced and educated locksmith while working part-time for him.

Thanks for the reply.

I personally don't use or want to use graphite or even graphite based lubricants for several reasons, some you mentioned. It's extremely hard to get out once it's applied...I have a friend who is a gunsmith and some years back it was his worst nightmare - trying to dig ti out of all the nooks and cranny's.

I am asking specifically about very limited use on the carbontex washer. It appears to be a local practice in the region and I'm told it will create incredibly smooth drag operation.

Products and their sources are very different over here. The positive side of that are some interesting reel models, mono and braid options, etc. we don't get access to in the US. The downside is trying to find an exact or at least compatible product. I went through quite an exercise just to locate proper Yamaha Outboard grease. You'd think Yamaha parts and supplies, being Japanese products, would be easy to find. Not so. This is the land of knockoff's and/or made in China replicas. There are no copyright or piracy laws enforced. Very much a buyer beware market.

Sorry for the rant, but it's really frustrating. It's funny - I can fly home with a carryon, but need several oversized bags on the return flight just to bring back all the stuff I can't find or live without.

hi tpilk
graphite powder was all the rage 30 +years ago.
since been superseded by better products.
go into auto shop or hardware you can buy a small bottle very cheap
forget grinding lead pencil,
i forget its pros&cons.should work on c/f

I was just able to locate a generic drag grease...though after some thought, I think I will will run the new drag washers dry until I can get some Cal's. I'm going to do some complete rebuilds soon, so dry shouldn't be a problem.

I have been a bit rough on the equipment over here - we like to go harass the Giant Mekong Catfish when we can't get out on the ocean. These fish are ridiculous...50 - 80 KGs and incredibly powerful. The popular setup are short, fairly light jigging rods with either conventional or spinning reels. I'm surprised at the number of Stella's and Saltiga's folks use on these catfish. Personally, I tend to be protective of my more expensive gear, (I debate the logic of that often - you buy the good stuff to use, but then leave it home to save for the "good" fish). Kinda stupid, I know. As to the Mekong Catfish, they are a great way to get that "big fish" fix, as they are close to home (Bangkok) and it's a very inexpensive day. The problem is that I have often gone after them with gear meant for other applications (7000C's will land a 120+ lb catfish, but there is a price to be paid for repeated use this way).

I want to rebuild both of my older TLD's as they would be fun on these fish. I also just bought an MXL Raptor so I will break it out as well. Most of the wahoo, barracuda, tuna and billfish in my area tend to be smaller and really don't test the gear....not like my old SoCal and Baja trips used to. So, we tend to go really light which is fun. The good news is there are great GT and bigger game fish just a few hours away in every direction.

You've got to do the best you can given where you are and what you've got.   

One of the guys who surf fishes for sharks in africa uses it on his drags. I think its Jeri who does

i'm pretty sure it will fail......   

Hi Alan,

Mostly just curious about the practice, as these guys are doing it every day. It's interesting how techniques vary throughout the world - products and technology are not evening distributed so many folks make due. Here in S'pore, they have access to the best Japanese products, as well as much from the US. They are still closely tied to the Malaysian products and the majority want "cheap" when they can get it.

Anyway, I won't be using graphite on anything in my arsenal.

Hi All,

We use graphite powder on Shimano Trinidad (Gold series) drag washers, specifically on reels that we are using for wading (full immersion), and have found no problems with it. On the positive side, we have found that it provides a smoother drag, than some of the convensional greases available here.

Possibly the benefit is that the 'standard' greases are not waterproof - it is a real trouble to get what most folks consider 'standard' products. My wife went to our local bearing supplier, and asked about the ABEC rating, and was told that they just supply 'standard' bearings, she would have to go to a toy shop for ABEC rating - that is an indicationof the technology levels available here. Ask for waterproof grease, and you will get all sorts of wierd products.

Will stick with the graphite powder for our wading reels, until someone starts to import CAL's or similar.  The issue with getting 'inflamable' products air freighted is so much that it becomes cheaper to fly yourself to the destination, pick up the goods, and fly back.


Cheers from sunny Africa,


Jeri

when water or hydrocarbon based oils get inside the drag stack, the graphite will form a layer that will function as an adhesive.  i see the same thing with the old solid graphite shimano dartanium drags.  it was really bad stuff.   

i knew there was something wrong with it
just could not remember