Newbie spinning reel questions

Reel Beaker · January 10, 2018, 02:48:37 PM

Hi, i just got into this reel maintenance stuff and got some questions for the community here. Recently, i purchased two Okuma Azul reels from a clearance sale at a local tackle shop. They cost me 5 bucks a piece, so why not? These reels were never used before but unfortunately, the spool condition wasn't very desirable. They also had some problems, mainly an unsmooth and noisy crank. I figured that what it needed was some brand new grease and it would work like a charm again.

So when i got home, i stripped down one of the reels(my very first time!) and removed all the grease using a paper towel. The grease looked like apple jelly. Anyone has any idea what grease it is? I then proceeded to re-grease the pinion gear, the oscillating gear and the drive gear with a Q-tip. During this process, i also greased the sliding mechanism of the reel shaft. The grease i am using is a yellowish-green grease i got from another tackle shop. For the ball bearings, i didn't open them up. All i did was to drip a drop of reel oil on them and assembled the whole reel together again.

The end result, is that the cranking was smoother, and the reel was also a bit quieter. However, i still deem the reel as a little too "noisy". The spool didnt spin as much/long as i wanted it to, after a turn of the reel handle. Is this what you call "free spool"? What can i do to further improve the time it spins when left on its own? Is it safe to say that a reel with a longer free spool time can cast further? Also, what can i do to further reduce the cranking noise of the reel.

As the Okuma Azul is a really old model reel, i am unsure if this noise and "free spool" time is natural. With time, as fishing technology progresses, i am sure that reel noise and free spool time gets better. By the way, the only reels i have experience with are spinning reels.

alantani · January 10, 2018, 04:23:16 PM

well, first of all, welcome! second, i read your post and was thinking that you were much more brave (and much more competent!) that i was when i first started. i've never been a fan of spinning reels and almost treat them as disposable.

the materials used in these reels are likely inexpensive alloys and cheap readily available lubes. nothing fancy here. once you start the handle moving and then "let it fly," the handle and spool will continue to move for a bit. that is not the "free spool" that we talk about. that term is reserved for conventional (or "overhead" reels as the aussies would say) like a penn jigmaster or senator when you spin the spool with the reel out of gear.

as long as the bearings are in good shape, the smoothness of the reel will be determined by the quality of the gears. you will likely have relatively low quality gears in this reel. it's ok. it's an acceptable product that you got at an even better price. if you have digital calipers, measure the inside and outside diameters of the drag washers and let us know. we'll be able to find a nice set of carbon fiber drags for your reel which should improve the overall performance. the drag washer sets will cost as much as the reel, but it might be worth doing.

and lastly, thank you for such a thoughtful and well written first post! alan

festus · January 10, 2018, 04:37:06 PM

Welcome, Reel Beaker!

I was sort of confused about the free spool on a spinning reel. At first I thought you meant the reel had a bait feeder switch like my Okuma ABFs that put the spool in a free mode so the fish could run with the bait without resistance. Then I found the Azul schematic and they are very similar my plain Okuma Avenger 30 without the baitfeeder.

Alan is correct, these lower end Okumas don't have the best gears in terms of quality metals. I bought 3 Okuma Avengers in 2009 and other than the plastic bait feeder engage switch cracking, I haven't had any more problems. If I ever need another spinning reel with a baitfeeder I won't hesitate to buy another Okuma.

Midway Tommy · January 10, 2018, 05:31:43 PM

Welcome!

The "free spool" in a spinning reel that you reference is a non-factor other than for one's ego. There is no instance where that feature comes into play other than when you are cranking the reel handle without any tension on line or the spool. When you cast an open face spinner the bail is open and there is no restriction against the line other than the line looping through the rod guides. During the retrieve there is tension against the line, whether it's the lure, bait or a fighting fish. Free spool/rotor spin is insignificant in that aspect. If your reel seems to turn or crank stiffly you could add a drop or two of synthetic oil to the grease. It will thin the consistency of the grease, therefore allowing it to spin more freely. Adequate grease and lubrication is much more important in a spinning reel than how freely it spins. It is especially significant when fighting a bigger fish on an undersized reel.

Donnyboat · January 10, 2018, 06:00:49 PM

Yes Tommy is correct, if you can thin the grease out, ever thing will move smoother, and free, Alan is right about the carbon fibre washers, it will give you a stronger drag, but be careful, you don't have to much, its not hard to cut you own CF washers, it is on this forum, I think under tool & lubricants, there was a local chap here, that was charging $5.00 for ordinary washer, I brought a 4" by 8" x 1mm sheet of CF, for AU $22.00, and made 17 washers out of the one sheet, place a bit of Cal`s grease on them & your drag will be nice and smooth @ take of, if you do not have cals grease then use a grease with Teflon in it, cheers Don.

philaroman · January 10, 2018, 07:41:57 PM

ditto

another, older name for spinners is "stationary spool reels" -- there's no free-spool; the spool does not move unless something is taking line against the drag... that rotor/handle free-spin that you mention is almost meaningless: it doesn't catch fish -- it catches fishermen at the store

$5 is pretty darn cheap, even for low-end Okuma display/out-of-package reels w/ beat-up spools -- chances are that they're rejects (still a great deal & great choice for beginner tinkering: big, simple, roomy innards)

if both are same size (or even consecutive sizes w/ same body/frame & different rotor/spool), I would combine all the best parts into one reel & keep the rest for replacements... AND, I would put some wear on both sets of original drag washers, before I decided if the reel is worthy of a CF upgrade

Tiddlerbasher · January 10, 2018, 07:54:17 PM

I thought the Azul spinners had stainless steel gearing and fairly good bearings. Just swap the drags for cf grease and oil good to go.

philaroman · January 10, 2018, 08:19:20 PM

oh, stainless gears WOULD seem noticeably rougher on the retrieve, initially, but would improve after a long break-in period (w/ good maintenance, of course)

foakes · January 10, 2018, 08:36:48 PM

You have received some very good answers to your questions from some of the most expert reelsmiths in the world, Beaker.

Here is a smart-alec answer, just to balance out the previous answers

Those Okuma Azuls have SS gearing, which will always be noisier than brass or alloys.

These reels also have 4 sets of ball bearings, and a decent spool.

Just upgrade the drag with slightly greased CFs, grease the gears with Yamaha Marine, Penn Blue, or Cal's -- put a few drops of oil on the spool shaft and bail return assembly -- then fish the heck out of it.

The gears will likely last longer than the body, rotor, and crank. Decent spinners, actually.

And welcome aboard!

Best,

Fred

Reel Beaker · January 11, 2018, 12:32:37 AM

Quote from: Donnyboat on January 10, 2018, 06:00:49 PM
Yes Tommy is correct, if you can thin the grease out, ever thing will move smoother, and free, Alan is right about the carbon fibre washers, it will give you a stronger drag, but be careful, you don't have to much, its not hard to cut you own CF washers, it is on this forum, I think under tool & lubricants, there was a local chap here, that was charging $5.00 for ordinary washer, I brought a 4" by 8" x 1mm sheet of CF, for AU $22.00, and made 17 washers out of the one sheet, place a bit of Cal`s grease on them & your drag will be nice and smooth @ take of, if you do not have cals grease then use a grease with Teflon in it, cheers Don.

How do you know if a grease has teflon in it?

Reel Beaker · January 11, 2018, 12:41:30 AM

Quote from: Midway Tommy on January 10, 2018, 05:31:43 PM
Welcome!

The "free spool" in a spinning reel that you reference is a non-factor other than for one's ego. There is no instance where that feature comes into play other than when you are cranking the reel handle without any tension on line or the spool. When you cast an open face spinner the bail is open and there is no restriction against the line other than the line looping through the rod guides. During the retrieve there is tension against the line, whether it's the lure, bait or a fighting fish. Free spool/rotor spin is insignificant in that aspect. If your reel seems to turn or crank stiffly you could add a drop or two of synthetic oil to the grease. It will thin the consistency of the grease, therefore allowing it to spin more freely. Adequate grease and lubrication is much more important in a spinning reel than how freely it spins. It is especially significant when fighting a bigger fish on an undersized reel.

How do you judge what is adequate grease and lubrication w/o assembling the reel and cranking it again? i Used quite a bit of grease when i re-greased the Azul.

Midway Tommy · January 11, 2018, 04:14:40 AM

QuoteHow do you know if a grease has teflon in it?

Grease containing teflon will say so on the packaging. Just Google teflon grease, then do a little more in depth research and you will find all sorts of synthetic grease with teflon.

QuoteHow do you judge what is adequate grease and lubrication w/o assembling the reel and cranking it again? i Used quite a bit of grease when i re-greased the Azul.

Pretty much all internal parts should have a thin coating of grease for protection. If you fish salt water even the inside of the body should have a thin protective coat. In fresh water that isn't overly important. Bearings, pivot points and main shaft & tubes should have a drop or two of oil. Main, pinion & oscillation gears should have a little extra grease applied. If you check out some of the spinning reel tutorials you will see many examples of proper lubrication. Sal, Fred, Mike (Mo), Daron and many others have great examples with photos posted. Even though many of them are of of older reels the basics are the same. One thing you don't want to do is load the reel body/cavity with grease. It will just bind things up and slow everything down. There's a fine line between too much, too little and the right amount.

happyhooker · January 12, 2018, 01:28:33 AM

Welcome, Reel Beaker, from Minnesota.

In just a few posts, this topic contains all kinds of valuable info & insights about tackling a 1st spinning reel overhaul, as well as a few tips even a more experienced angler can gain knowledge from. Super!

Frank

Reel Beaker · January 13, 2018, 09:59:57 AM

Okay guys, i just spooled my Okuma Azul with some brand new line. However, i cant find the line retrieval and max drag on this reel anywhere on google. I was wondering if anyone knows these pieces of information that i am seeking. If not, is there anyway i can calculate out these information.

I would also like to ask if it is safe to assume if the max line capacity of a reel in lb/yd is 20/205, the max drag will never exceed 20 lbs.

I am also seeking out your opinion on how big a fish this reel can handle, cause this spinner is larger than even a 6000 model reel, and if a spinner body that is made of graphite is any good at all.

Thanks.

Swami805 · January 13, 2018, 03:06:03 PM

Usually want the drag about 1/3 of the breaking strength of the line so 7lbs of drag should be doable I would think. Don't know about line capacity. The biggest fish you could land without the frame breaking? I would think 20lb line would break before the reel did. I would hope so anyway. Just fish it the same situations where 20lb gear would be appropriate is the simple answer I guess.