lubricants

[inhotpursuit]

Wow just found this site by accident, i have read some of your posts on other forum but i did not know you had your own site.I have been tuning and upgradeing reels for a few years and have tried several oils and reel greases little did i know the best was allready in my greasegun for my yamaha 90hp. I am with you on the topic of greasing carbontex washers i was using super lube multipurpose grease on my reels for drag and bearings with no problems untill i went fishing last weekend and took a dip in the river , no damage done this time but the lube turned into oleo,as of today its yamaha lube for the innards and cals for the drag.
All my reels have ceramic hybrid spool bearings i prefer to leave one side open and i have been cleaning them with quickstart fluid and then oiling with rocket fuel tourniment grade just before a fishing trip, for the most anglers are astounded at the distance acheaved with ceramics but are put off by the upkeep neccesary to keep them free running, i am really interested in the tsi 301 you are talking about where can this and the other lubes  you listed  be found? i live in canada and for the most have to get most of my supplies from the US. Cheers glad i found this forum

Hey! nice to see you here kenny!  Did that really happen to SuperLube grease when it got dunked in freshwater?  It clearly states on their label that it's impervious to saltwater.  When I got my order of SuperLube, I immediately changed out the cheap reel grease I had been using to these     On the bright side, I like its consistency.  Not too light, and not too tacky either.

@Alan, how often do you apply TSI 301 to your bearings? and how does it hold up against corrosion?  On a normal basis, I put 1 drop of SpeedX to each of my spool bearings every 2-3 freshwater trips or after each saltwater trip.  If TSI 301 doesn't need to be reapplied for longer periods of time, don't you get worried that rust might have gotten into your bearings?

By the way kenny, I'm not too sure if TSI 301 will work on ceramics.  From what I've read it only bonds to metals, and knowing you, all your bearings are ceramic

Hi Anton, the water that turned the superlube to that nasty looking oleo was fresh water,i have since changed all the lube in my reels to yamaha grease,i know that stuff works well because i use it on my boat which spends a lot of time in the saltchuck and none of my greased parts show any signs of rust,as for using tsi on my ceramics i am not worried that the lube will not permeate the ceramic balls they are so round ,smooth and hard that they do not need lube however the frame and races are stainless steel and do need a little lube, i was running my bearings dry but started using rocket fuel tourniment grade but the lube does not stay on the races for very long hence my interest in the tsi.BTW you should be getting the ceramics soon they will be via Alan or J.P.

[JGB]

TSI301 service life is expected to be 5 years + provided there is no contamination. What this means is the TSI301 will not out gas or oxidize in that time and retain it's original properties. That's why they use it in AEROSPACE and Cameras where there is extreme long life and there is very little contamination.

Jim N.

[inhotpursuit]

does anybody know if it is available to canada?

[VW]

Has anyone used this grease available at WalMart? 3 oz. and 14 oz. tubes.

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=marine+grease&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0

[Norcal Pescador]

I bought a package of the 3 ouncers just so I could use the tubes after I cleaned the grease out. The empty tubes are used in my grease gun when I refill it with Yamaha Marine grease.

[alantani]

i just found some extra tubes of junk grease.  i'm going to start doing the same.  alan

[HalBrown]

I may have missed it, but what is the answer as to whether TSI 301 is suitable for ceramic bearings?   I just ordered an 8oz can from the manufacturer in New Jersey.  The lady who took my order told me they have been swamped by calls from fisherman.
Alan, am I correct in that you simply dip your bearings in it, let them drip dry for a few minutes and install the bearings?  This is a great site by the way and I am glad I found it.

[alantani]

i'm actually not sure about ceramics and tsi 301/321.  i always use stainless steel bearings, never ceramics.  (ok, i'm an old fuddy dutty, but i like stainless.)  i clean them with carb cleaner and a gentle amount of compressed air.  the goal is to get these to spin for 10-15 seconds when then are dry as a bone.  then i know for sure that they're clean.  THEN i dip them in tsi 301 and set them down on a clean rag long enough to get to the next bearing.  then they are all installled and we're good. 

again, credit goes to jim nomura for finding this stuff.  otherwise i'd be back to corrosion x.   

[Killerbug]

Has anyone used this grease available at WalMart? 3 oz. and 14 oz. tubes.

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=marine+grease&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0

The description states that the Walmart product is a Lithium complex grease. Lithium complex has great to excellent washout properties, what makes it suitable for reels.  This grease is possible a product from a major supplier. Could be Mobilgrease XHP 222, an excellent grease. I you are looking for high end grease and oil products for little money try McMaster-Carr. http://www.mcmaster.com

[HalBrown]

Alan, another question on 301 longevity.  What is your plan for determining what to do for bearings you have treated with 301 regarding retreatment, wait until performance falls off, etc?  As good as this stuff is, how in the world do you clean bearings treated with it, or do they ever need to be cleaned, just retreated?  I received my can yesterday, so I am getting ready to take the plunge and wonder were to go from here for bearing TLC.

[alantani]

not sure about longevity.  my gear is done with it's second season and they still spin fine.  so the answer so far is 2 years.  we'll see if i can make it to three, though i will probably go through them before i go on my next long range trip.  alan

[coastalobsession]

I have had good luck with Ardent Bearing oil and the stock shimano oil. I did place a order on Speedx.

[AllenW]

Interesting tread, great reading.

Probably wouldn't work for the salt water bunch or the casting contest guys, but I've have very good luck using just 20wt turbine oil and white lithium grease.
I did use the Cals on the drag washers I installed as that's what Smooth Drag recommended and I have no experience with replacing  them.
I use a mixture of the grease and oil for bearing and gears and have very good luck with this combination.

I used to have a partner I fished tournaments with and he thought it was great to sit and watch the Vikings play and do maintenance on casting reels, he used this mixture and I still have most of the reels I picked up in the mid to early 80's, even both 6500C's and one of two Diawa 6HS Millionaire reels I used when we fished Musky's, not to mention the other 6500 and 6600 models I've picked up.
Been a good mixture in both the casting and spinning reels I have.
But...always willing to learn, considering I fish only fresh water you think I'd gain much by using some of the products you are?
TIA
Al

[Mic]

the products you've shown should all be hydrocarbon based, not tefon based.  for drag washers, you have to use a teflon grease.  hydrocarbon or lithium based products will not work.  you can use any of them on any part of the reel except the drag washer.  sorry, alan

Well,
I wish I had read this before! Oh well, at least I have enough practice now, I can take them back down and start over with some Teflon based grease. I guess it's all about learning !

Thanks for the info Alan, and everyone else!

Mic

[alantani]

i just finshed working on a reel that took me two hours instead of 20 minutes.  the guy use that tacky light blue grease for the bearings of trailer axles, instead of good quality marine grease.  gentlemen, please do not use the light blue trailer bearing grease,  it's awful stuff.