Reel Service Requirements

[Zetti]

Someone (yes you Reefs) please list the tools and consumables and whatever else that I would need to start servicing my own reels

I will figure it out from there

Thanks knape

 :2COOL

[Poenie]

I'll also be looking quite eagerly at this thread... What I can tell you thus far:
Cals dragwasher grease
either of these: Corrosion X, Corrosion Block, Yamaha Marine grease (blue one)
Hot sauce or similar spool bearing oil
Benzene
Thin, cone-shaped object to spin bearings on
Egg-tray to put parts in
screwdrivers 
TIME - lots of it!!
Sure I missed a bunch of stuff but that's the BASICS!

[John F]

Brushes of some sort?!?

[REEFMAN]

Depending on what reels you are doing, you need:

Small paintbrush for dusting sand out
Philips screwdriver in various sizes, small to medium
Blade screwdriver in small size
Penn reels need a Torx screwdriver set
Diawa/Shimano Spanner/wrench for removing the handle nut - (comes with the reel)
tweezers
Egg box for placing parts in sequentially
Small tupperware with an inch of Benzine in it for degreasing. PS: BENZINE is not carcinogenic. BENZENE is. Big difference between the 2.
Roller towel
Toothbrush for scrubbing in Benzine
Some green scrubber - like the bottom of a scouring sponge (from the kitchen) - for taking off stubborn corrosion
Oils - ReelX, Quantum Hot sauce or equivalent
Kingfisher/Surecatch Red grease for body parts
Cal's grease for Drag washers
 

[MIKE PIKE]

Zettie , pg 5 of reel service and maintenance , plenty pics and all sorts ...
http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=4799.0
 

[Zetti]

Thanks chaps. So no specialised tools required, good to know. All of the oils and grease available at tackle stores i'm assuming?

Gonna open up a reel that isn't being used just to get the hang of this before I attempt this with the rest of them.

Hier kom 'n ding 

[MIKE PIKE]

Thanks chaps. So no specialised tools required, good to know. All of the oils and grease available at tackle stores i'm assuming?

Gonna open up a reel that isn't being used just to get the hang of this before I attempt this with the rest of them.

Hier kom 'n ding 

If it Daiwa's you'll be ok .... on the other hand ... Shimano's .... se maar niks ....

[REEFMAN]

Not sure how many of the Tackle stores stock the better oils like ReelX and CorrosionX and Cal's grease. I ordered mine from Jagged Edge. You can also order Carbontex washers and Abec 5 bearings from him...
Johan/George .... georgedbn@gmail.com
 

[Charles]

Some great info here!

Zetti also you need a big  sticker on the work surface and a camera for the tuts.

I have also added some bright lights above the work-bench for 'em eyes. 

[REEFMAN]

Thanks chaps. So no specialised tools required, good to know. All of the oils and grease available at tackle stores i'm assuming?

Gonna open up a reel that isn't being used just to get the hang of this before I attempt this with the rest of them.

Hier kom 'n ding 

Have a big Checkers packet handy for all the parts, which you will need to bring to me to put the thing back together again! 

[Zetti]

Thanks chaps. So no specialised tools required, good to know. All of the oils and grease available at tackle stores i'm assuming?

Gonna open up a reel that isn't being used just to get the hang of this before I attempt this with the rest of them.

Hier kom 'n ding 

Have a big Checkers packet handy for all the parts, which you will need to bring to me to put the thing back together again! 

What's that? You offering to service all my reels for me?

[Macca]

Reefs, is it possible to ID bearings from some sort of serial number on the bearings once they've been removed? I often think that I need to replace the bearings, but never know which ones to order, or from where. How best to do this when you're servicing your own reels? Also, how do you know when a bearing needs to be replaced?

[Zetti]

Zettie , pg 5 of reel service and maintenance , plenty pics and all sorts ...
http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=4799.0

Thanks Mike, searched earlier but missed this one, getting old you see 

[REEFMAN]

Reefs, is it possible to ID bearings from some sort of serial number on the bearings once they've been removed? I often think that I need to replace the bearings, but never know which ones to order, or from where. How best to do this when you're servicing your own reels? Also, how do you know when a bearing needs to be replaced?

No there is no serial no on a bearing. Most of the common reel bearing sizes we know... http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=1702.0 And for many other spinning reels too. I have the bearing sizes for most of the reels that appear in the service tutorials.
Once cleaned, your bearing should spin freely and noiselessly if you hold it with a pencil. Any sign of corrosion or spot of rust, the bearing should be replaced.

A toasted bearing will sound rough. If you turn it slowly with your finger and notice a roughness, then it's time to replace.

[Rory]

On a lighter note, our ghillie on the wild coast came back from fishing muttering away big time about his reel being "not right". So I opened it up and his drive shaft main bearing was....um....well, non existent. Check the pic attached of the bearing, along with what was left of his clutch spring....

[Homie]

On a lighter note, our ghillie on the wild coast came back from fishing muttering away big time about his reel being "not right". So I opened it up and his drive shaft main bearing was....um....well, non existent. Check the pic attached of the bearing, along with what was left of his clutch spring....

Is your gillies name Kumz by any chance ????

 

[Marthin]

old salt's telephone number.

[m4kes]

From posts above I can assume you need:
- Oil for "moving parts"
- Grease for Drag Washers
- Grease for "other body parts"
That is 2 different types of greases.

[REEFMAN]

M4kes... Cal's grease works on everything... drag washers, non-spool bearings (and spinning reels) and body parts... it's a top end product designed specifically for fishing, so if you only want to use 1 type of grease, then that's the one to go for. Tad more expensive than other greases, but it's the only one I trust on Carbontex/Carbon fibre drag washers. There are certainly others that work, but once you buy a big tub, it lasts a long time. Good investment.

[REEFMAN]

Someone recently said that Teflon greases were bad to use in a Fishing reel...! 

Cal's grease is a 100% Teflon based grease.

Through years and years of experience, Alan Tani has this to say on what he currently uses:

cal's drag grease - without this stuff, nothing works.  nothing.    absolutely nothing.  having a smooth drag system from this combination   of a carbon fiber drag washer and teflon grease changes everything.  it   amazes me that a reel would even be sold without a greased carbon fiber   drag.  the fact that every reel manufacturer save one has switched over   is a final admission that this system works.  yet they still sell reels   that have cheaper drag systems because they can get away with it.  so   cal's grease is 100% pure teflon and i use it for carbon fiber drags   only.  i've seen it thicken when used on other parts of the reel and i   think it is hygroscopic, meaning it absobs water.  not a good thing.    plus, it's moderately expensive at $7 per ounce or $25 per pound and i   go through easily a pound every month!  so i use it on drags only. 

yamaha   marine grease for body parts - this is hydrocarbon based grease that should have   excellent salt water resistant properties.  i say "should" because i   have no idea what makes a grease salt water resistant.  i am going to   have to trust the chemists at yamaha to know what they're doing.  other   marine greases should work just as well, but i prefer this stuff because   it is the cheapest and it stays blue forever.  i can open a reel in 20   years and still see blue grease.  red grease turns black, other greases   cost more.  that's why i use this stuff as an all purpose grease.  at at   $7 for a 14 ounce tube, it's cheap.  don't use it on drag washers   because it will make them stick.

reel x (for bearings) - my favorite thing about   reel x is the dropper bottle.  it's great!  but at $7 per bottle, i will   refill it with corrosion x that costs $17 per pint, basically $1 per   ounce.  i am told by the company that the difference between reel x and   corrosion x is that reel x has more of their mystery lubricant in it.    that's why it costs 6-7 times more.  it is no doubt worth the cost and   can be used with confidence, but for a high priced bearing lube, i   prefer tsi.

corrosion x (for bearings)- i refill my reel x bottles with   corrosion x and use corrosion x as an all purpose oil.  at a little more   than a buck an ounce, i love this stuff!!!!!  i reach for corrosion x   first, anytime i want to oil something.  it's cheap and works great.  i   use it specifically for AR bearings.  i do not want to use the slicker   TSI products because i'm afraid that the TSI products will cause the AR   bearings to slip.  i also keep corrosion x in aerosol cans to spray down   my rods and reels after a long range trip.  if you are looking for one   oil and want to balance cost, performance and versatility, get corrosion   x. 

TSI 301 -  this is the expensive stuff.  i reserve TSI 301   for spool bearings and for levelwind parts, when i want the absolute   minimum friction and the absolute best freespool and casting distance.    this stuff is slicker 'n snot!  it is not good to ship because it only   comes in metal cans, and these cans leak sometimes during shipping.  the   manufacturer says that the solvent will attack plastics, but i've   gotten it on plastic before and nothing happened.  and at $23 per 8   ounce can, it's not cheap. not being able to break it down into smaller   containers is also a real hassle.   now remember, TSI 301 is something   like 90% solvent and only 10% lubricant, so i dip bearing and levelwind   parts into this stuff, then let it the parts dry. 

TSI 321 -   this is actually a better bargain than reel x and it's cheaper.  reel x   is $7 for a once ounce bottle.  TSI 321 is $8 for a 4 ounce bottle.    that makes it twice the price of corrosion x but much cheaper than reel   x.  and remember how TSI 301 is only 10% of that mystery lubricant?    well, TSI 321 is 100% of that lubricant.  it's easy to ship and easy to   divide up into smaller plastic bottles.  my only concern is that it   might be too slick for AR bearings, but that is just a concern at this   point.  it's not something i've had a problem with.  i can tell you that   using TSI 301 and TSI 321, i have spool bearings in my long range reels   that were treated 3 years ago and the spools still spin like crazy! 

and that is where i am currently at!