Daiwa Slt tournament 50w 2 peed drag washers...

[Noahg727]

So for those of you who don’t know, the Daiwa Slt 50w’s drag washers are terrible. At first glance they look like carbon fiber but I believe they are actually some crappy Kevlar or something. Either way I was wondering how I can replace these drag washers? I want to completely sand them off and glue a pair of carbon fiber ones on their place. Is this possible? Iv never done anything like this. Let me know what y’all think.

Noah

[alantani]

Well, you'd have to chisel off the original material,  clean up the aluminum,  then glue on some carbon fiber. The problem is the adhesive. Most have used epoxy.  Loctite Depend 330 is the best, but it is prohibitively expensive.  That's why I gave up on it. The few times I've glued in some Avet drags, I just used epoxy.

[Noahg727]

Thanks Alan!

Where do you think the best place to get the new carbon fiber drag washers is? And do you think doing this is worth it? The washers are fine as it is but just make me uneasy knowing what they’re made of.

Noah

[nelz]

Noah, have you tried cleaning them and then using a little drag grease? They look to be in good condition.

Btw, isn't Kevlar supposed to be a premium material and quite expensive? That's not to say it works well for drags, I have no idea about that.

[alantani]

i tried drag grease on these and it made them worse.  dry is probably best.   

[Noahg727]

I wanted to soak them in mineral spirits and then grease em up again, but I was concerned it would possibly destroy them. I’m telling you, you touch them and they start flaking pieces off. I was so confused when I first saw it. Gently wiped off the grease on there and reapplied some fresh Cal’s. Haven’t really had a chance to use it but hopefully it didn’t make it worse! It’s a shame...these reels are so pretty. I got a brand new one for a friend and it looks the part. Just a little underwhelming performance wise from what I’ve seen. 🤷‍♂️

[nelz]

Ah-ha, well if they're flaking apart it's surely time to replace them, whatever material they are. You can always buy a sheet of carbon fiber and cut your own if the right size disk or close to it isn't available.

They sure are good looking reels, I've always admired them.

[Noahg727]

Where could I find a carbon fiber sheet and how what’s the best method to cut them?

[redsetta]

Dawn at SmoothDrag is great to deal with:

• http://www.smoothdrag.com/

Also, Sal uses this seller:

• https://www.ebay.com/usr/cfdrag

Large-diametre drag washers like this can be cut with scissors, X-acto knives etc.
(Just don't forget the old maxim 'Measure twice, cut once'!  )
Smooth off the edges with sandpaper or a dremel, but be mindful of the CF dust as it can be a real irritant on the skin.
Hope that helps.
Keep us up on progress.
Cheers, Justin

[handi2]

I have done this on other reels. I used 3M adhesive spray but  I don’t remember the product number. No problems at all. If you soak them in mineral spirits you can remove the drag material with a razor blade. Get the razor blade in the edge of the drag washer and plate.

I did this when the customer didnt have much money for a new one.

Keith

[Noahg727]

Thanks guys, appreciate all the info! I’ll let yah know how it goes.