how to get the best free spool and smooth reeling(conventional reel

Started by pcde123, June 22, 2013, 04:26:28 AM

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Breadfan

Quote from: oc1 on February 11, 2022, 07:22:46 PM
I've never had a reel with factory mags that were not strong enough to control it.  If that happned I would say that either the reel has a design flaw or it is not being used for the intended purpose.

I like the full ceramic bearings that can be run without oil.  They are noisy and super expensive but work well.  If you are not using oil then you do not have to worry so much about water getting into the bearings.  An oiled bearing that gets a drop of water on it will whip the oil and water into a grey mayonnaise-like emulsion.  I don't understand exactly how it happens, but the emulsion will really slow down the bearing.... a lot.  A drop of water on a dry full ceramic bearing will just be slung off in a few casts and you are back to normal.

Getting a little water inside a conventional reel is difficult to prevent.  The spinning spool slings water off the wet line and the water goes through the little crack between spool and frame.  There is no such thing as a sealed conventional casting reel.

I only have one reel with ceramics and I can't control it without oil. I've ordered a stronger magnet to see if I can eliminate the oil, but that may cut down on distance due to the stronger mag. I'll find out. The rest of my reels are all steel bearings.

kevin cozens

i have been using ACF50 corrosion block grease for a while now.
it is fully waterproof and is also used by the RNLI in their boat trailer bearings.
Like penn grease it is blue in colour.
It is very well priced and you can get it in 1lb tubs and small 2oz tubes.
Strangely enough the tube packaging has a picture of fishing reels on it.
I wouldnt mind betting its the same stuff as penn grease or very similar.
You can get it on ebay, amazon, motorcycle shops and most likely boatyard shops

kevin cozens

to make a reel run smooth you have one aim.
That is to reduce friction and drag.
1/ First step i would do is to replace any bushes for ball bearings.
Make sure that you use stainless bearings if available. All you need to do is
measure the bearing and see if you can get a bearing of the same size, preferably with a metal shield.
Bearings can be located in many places but the most important are the spool and drive bearings.
2/ Next up on the list are handles with bearings. Gomexus is a good brand and the knob runs in 2 bearings.
3/ nexy job is a little more difficult but is only really important if you are baitcasting. That involves fitting a conversion kit that allows the level wind worm shaft to run in bearings instead of plastic bushed. if kits are avail;able for penn reels im not sure but you can get them for the small abu 5000 & 6000 size baitcasters. there are even upgraded drive gears that are made of aluminium complete with bearing.
4/ Next job would be to fit a set of carbontex drag washers. they dont make the reel run smoother as such but you have a much improved drag when fighting larger fish. kits or seperate washers are available for almost any reel or you can buy a sheet of material and make your own. this upgrade is worth doing regardless as a good clutch is vital when fighting large hard running fish especially on light tackle.
5/ next up is lubrication. Personally the type is grease is most important. personalli i use penn reel grease or ACF50 corrosion block waterproof grease. i use oil in the bearings. the type of oil depends on the reel and its intended use. for bushes i use grease. for level winds, light machine oil is ideal but you can also use dedicated reel oil.

Now for the nitty gritty. I cant go into depth on this subject as its out of my experience (dispite me being a car mechanic and working with bearings all the time)
bearings are made to a tolerance with each one suitable for a different use. in general you can upgrade but not downgrade. ALL beaings are judged by the ABEC standard which judges the bearings tolerances and speed capabilities.
In simple terms if you are tournament casting you are better off fitting a ABEC 9 bearing. if you are just dumping a lead over the side of a boat then ABEC 3 will be fine although there is no harm in fitting a ABEC 9 bearing.
You can read more about ABEC specs here.
https://www.emersonbearing.com/resources/abec-rating-guide/#:~:text=The%20ABEC%20rating%20system%20uses,speed%20capabilities%20for%20the%20bearing.