lubricants

[Glos]

NLGI grade and CPS are two measurements of  the thickness of the grease.

The thicker the grease, the more force it will take to displace it, but the less the grease will migrate.

NLGI 2 is the most commonly used and availabile in general, and is what is mostly used on fishing reels. Sometimes thinner greases are used for colder climates and/or lighter spinning reels. Adding (a hopefully compatible) oil to thin the grease to is a common practice here, but you run a greater risk of separation compared to simply purchasing a thinner grade of grease.

Applying less grease will mean less grease to displace when the gears are turning, which should also decrease the amount of force required.

Here is a table that compares NLGI grades to common household products:https://www.thelubricantstore.com/laymans-guide-to-nlgi-grades/

In addition to thickness, greases are formulated to have specific adhesive properties, but I don't think that there is a numerical measurement applied, just a subjective observation.  I would expect that a general purpose grease suitable for small gears and bearings would have the suitable level of adhesion for fishing reels, and you simply select the NLGI grade that meets your needs from there.

Greases can  separate and even become gummy/tacky due to oxidation over time, so a sticky batch of grease could simply  be past its useful life.

Hope this helps,

-J

Once displaced the extra amount applied does nothing in sense of further dragging the motion. It is actually beneficial due to bigger volume which can keep the properties of the whole batch longer, in terms of oxidation and drying out.
Also, the property and one of main functions of grease, to absorb any traces of condensation or leakage, of water, inside of the reel. Is only better with more of it.

[jurelometer]

Once displaced the extra amount applied does nothing in sense of further dragging the motion. It is actually beneficial due to bigger volume which can keep the properties of the whole batch longer, in terms of oxidation and drying out.
Also, the property and one of main functions of grease, to absorb any traces of condensation or leakage, of water, inside of the reel. Is only better with more of it.

Agree a little with the first part, but tend to disagree with the rest.

Some grease will be pushed aside, but the remaining grease is continuously pushed around. For example, all the grease does not leave a ball bearing, it gets moved around and pressurized during rotation.  If the grease vacated the friction surfaces, it would not serve as a lubricant.  That is why the thickness makes a difference.

Unoxided grease lying under a crust of oxidized grease is not providing benefit.


Greases are mostly oils, and oils are hydrophobic.  Absorbing water degrades the lubricating properties, so enhanced water resistance is a key property of many greases. Also, we want water that gets into a reel to evacuate before it starts evaporating, especially saltwater.  Excess salt and moisture is a key component of rapid corrosion.  This is also why nobody puts sponges or silica packets inside reels to sop up moisture. Too much moisture to collect and effectively isolate.

I am personally a proponent of lightly greasing all metal surfaces inside a reel to provide more surface corrosion protection.  Big globs of grease can trap water or block drain ports on most (unsealed) reels.  With "sealed" reels, you are mostly screwed by water penetration. The seals that kept most of the outside water out will be also keeping most of the leaked water in.

-J

[Glos]

 "The seals that kept most of the outside water out will be also keeping most of the leaked water in. "
That is the problem ( in potential ) with sealed bearings also. Not just in regards to moisture but particles of sand..


"Greases are mostly oils, and oils are hydrophobic.  Absorbing water degrades the lubricating properties, so enhanced water resistance is a key property of many greases."
Even if greases are not meant or made to absorb water, they do absorb it if it stays around, and by doing so turn white-ish. Making the grease less effective in performance but also preventing  the water hazards.

"Some grease will be pushed aside, but the remaining grease is continuously pushed around."
This pushing around, is in case of those extra bulges of extra grease turned into pushing back, and thus making the wanted effect of greased teeth longer and better.
Plus it holds up - gives back the "moisture", of the - to the grease that works.

[johndtuttle]

WOW !,
 34 PAGES !!!!!

 Please, if your new to the board, read the frequently asked questions. Hope I can help you as much as I've been helped. Hold on...

 Cal's Drag grease is the recommended lubricant for drag washers.
 Marine grade grease is recommended for internal surfaces inside the reel (doesn't give minerals a stopping/starting point)
 TSI - 321 seems to be the viewer's choice for bearings

 There ya go

I would be compelled to add....

There is a place for marine grease in sealed bearings. I'm still gonna pack the pinion bearing in a spinner that is so exposed to salt with marine grease as well as roller bearings and the handle bearings. Might cut it a bit with Corrosion-X but grease is going to last longer afaik.

TSI 321 is the clear choice for any bearing where you truly need speed like in a reel that has to cast very light lures or baits (spool bearings). But for something you crank that's exposed to salt a sealed bearing that has been packed with ie Yamaha marine grease has survived months at the bottom of the ocean (just ask hand2). I don't have the evidence to believe TSI 321 would last that long. Of course, for an open bearing I would use a top oil too.

(if you think about it, the marine bearing ie the bearings on a boat trailer undergo the most rigorous testing we know. They get completely and repeatedly saturated with saltwater at a depth of several feet then are never serviced again typically for years and years yet the bearings hold up to this abuse due to the powers of the marine grease. Can't ask for much more than that.)

[Finatics]

has anyone tried wd40 gel lube?

[Bryan Young]

has anyone tried wd40 gel lube?

I have not even seen that grease before (not that I'm looking specifically for it).

[kevin cozens]

I use various lubricants depending on the reels use.
all reels are grease using ACF50 corrosion block.
This is a blue waterprood grease. It is used by the RNLI in their boat trailer wheel bearings.
Oil wise i use rocket fuel, 3in1 or penn synthetic reel grease. in the bearings of my surf reels
i sometimes use EP80 gearbox oil in the spool bearings to slow the spool down.
When i service my reel i remove the bearings and flush out the old lubricant with lighter fluid

[johndtuttle]

has anyone tried wd40 gel lube?

WD40 is not highly regarded in this community. The solvents contained in the mixture will loosen things up, but its a crappy lube for corrosion protection with documented poor durability.

WD-40 is probably the greatest stuff ever made to get newbies to keep spraying it on stuff when a better lube would last many times as long. The "2 in 1" nature of it was marketing genius but its a poor choice as a dedicated lube. The idea is that the solvent evaporates off leaving behind a little lube. Better to truly clean the part and then use a dedicated lubricant that is ideal for the function of the part.

Who knows what they are up to with the gel, probably just another silicon lube rebranded. I like something that has been created specifically for saltwater like marine bearing grease when a heavy lube is called for.

But as Alan has sagely put it (I paraphrase): "Just doing something with whatever is better than nothing". All the rest is just varying degrees of better or worse.

[jurelometer]

has anyone tried wd40 gel lube?

In addition to the safety/health risk information, you can get useful information on a lubricant's properties from the SDS/MSDS.  So let's take a look at this puppy:

https://media.napaonline.com/is/content/GenuinePartsCompany/3012544pdf

Looks like it is a petroleum based (not synthetic) grease mixed with ~25%  VOCs (yow!) so that it is temporarily  thinned enough to be sprayed out of a can.  Once the VOCs evaporate, you are left with a residue of grease of an unspecified thickness.

This "gel"  might serve a purpose for cases where you want to insert some grease in a hard to reach spot without taking machinery apart (it seems popular for consumer lubicration of garage door moving parts), but formulating a grease that can be delivered with a large amount of solvent has to limit the ingredients available. So probably not the best grease. 

Plus you will be inhaling a bit of VOCs and aerosolized grease with every application.

My vote is to stick to a grease that comes out of a tub or tube, and since reels are not very demanding in terms of grease performance, pick one on the safer side for handling.  Most NLGI 2 greases will be good enough, but there are some favorites.

Here is an overview on chosing lubricants:

https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,36984.msg437266.html#msg437266

Hope this helps,

-J

[PacRat]

Here's something new. Many of you who work on electronics are likely familiar with DeoxIT. I was on their website and just noticed they produce grease. I'll follow up after I get my hands on some.

https://acct113328.app.netsuite.com/core/media/media.nl?id=156128&c=ACCT113328&h=db6568e1ac1bf8acc432&_xt=.pdf