Working on Reels - Tips!

[ChuckE]

IMPORTANT - If you are going to use a press or punch to remove a spool pin the rest of the way out of a spool shaft, then you need to support the spool shaft. If you don't support the shaft you run the risk of damaging the spool or spool shaft.

Once you press a pin flat, it typically is still held firmly in the spool shaft. If you try to grab it with a pliers you run the risk of damaging the edge of the spool, the bearing, or both. So pressing the pin out is a good option. Unfortunately, light spools cannot support much load, especially those found on high-end lightest-weight reels. If you press the pin out without supporting the spool shaft, you can cause the spool to become out of round, crush an edge of the spool or even cause the spool shaft to permanently bow -- an expensive mistake for sure! So, a good practice whenever using a punch or punch/press, is to use a vice, block of wood, etc. to support the shaft, and not put any weight on the spool itself.

Chuck

[ChuckE]

I added this to the sticky at the suggestion of another forum member. It deals with inspecting/check drag components, and was taken from another post:

Check the drag before you even open the reel to gain insight into possible problems and things to check once you get in the reel. Perform the following:
- Does the drag pull as smoothly as it once did at low and mid-end drag settings? Does it seem to be repeatable from pull to pull?
- Does the drag chatter or pulse as you pull line?
- Does the top end drag setting seem to be as high as it used to be?
Flattend friction washers result in loss of upper end drag tension. Worn, scored, warped or thinned drag disks can also result in loss of upper end drag. Chattering or pulsing drags are usually caused by contamination of the drag stack by water, oil, debris, etc.

As/when opening the reel:
- Do the drag friction washers that look like --> ( and ) look flattened? If so then consider replacing them. Comare them to new ones if in doubt.
- Inspect the metal drag washers for wear, scoring, and thinning. If they are plated is the plating still intact? Are they warped and worn evenly?
- Some metal drag washers have tabs or ears that fit into a hole or grooves in the side of the drive gear. Are the tabs worn (some metal drag washers can move in the gear on lower end reels), tabs cracked, bent or torn off (some tabs can bend or even be torn off on lower end reels and no longer lock properly).
- Inspect the non-metal drag washers for wear, cracking and thinning. Some washers are normally brittle, but many are not and will get brittle if exposed to significant pull for a long period or if worn excessively.
- Check the nonmetal washers for scoring or tearing. Check woven carbon or other fiber washers for wear of the weave -- the weave should still be distinguishable and there should be no shredding. Check teflon drag washers for cracks or shredding on the edges.
- If the drag stack was not lubricated with a drag grease (e.g. wet stack, see your operating instructions), then check the non-metal washers for signs of oil or grease staining, salt, debris and other contamination. Some teflon and other non-metal drag washers may produce a powder as the drag wears. It may be possible to clean the washers to restore them to acceptable operation.
- If the drag stack was lubricated with drag grease, clean off the old grease on the washers, inspect them, and reapply new drag grease. [Only use drag grease--which is different from other grease used in the reel!]
- Make sure the top drag washer is not warped, corroded or excessively worn. Lubricate the underside if a wet stack. Look for signs that the top was rubbing on the bottom side of the clutch bearing -- which may indicate that the clutch bearing is not installed all the way in the plate or it has started to work it's way out and needs to be checked for wear/damage.
- If the reel uses a drag washer under the main drive gear, check it to ensure it is not cracked, worn excessively, out of round, torn or shredding. It can be made from ceramic, teflon, phonelic, metal or even fiber depending on the reel. If the drag is a wet stack, lubricate it with a thin coat of drag grease, otherwise leave it dry.

As far as adjusting the spool tension and brake for optimum performance, knowing what reel you are using may help. However in general, you want to end up with the least amount of spool tension, with just sufficient braking that you don't get a backlash. You'll probably need to adjust the reel, back off spool tension a bit and increase braking a bit, make a couple casts -- doing that over and over again. Do this until you find that backlashing begins to occur or the brake no longer has any range of adjustment. Be aware that if you try to put a little bit more force into your cast to eek out those few extra feet at this reel setting, you'll have a problem. Some lower end and older reels don't have sufficient braking to allow you to do this, especially if the spool bearings have been upgraded. In these cases, you have to run higher spool tension to compensate for lack of braking.

Chuck

[ChuckE]

I added this tip, again at the suggestion of another forum member. It deals with cleaning reel components before re-applying a lubricant.
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You'll often hear stories of a grease or oil that didn't adhere well, maybe it just globed off and offered little lubrication (oftentimes the angler will blame the grease), but when you ask questions you have to 'wonder' at how little cleaning was done before it was added. Lets face it, any lubricant will adhere better if the component you are adding it to is "metal clean." It won't matter if the oil or grease has adherents, tackifers, or supposedly bonds with the metal -- unless it can get to the metal they won't usually be as effective. This is especially important when performing your annual clean/inspect on a reel or when switching lubricants from one brand to another, but can be just as important when periodically cleaning and re-oiling spool bearings during the season.

Wiping a metal component with a clean rag just won't achieve "metal clean" (it may work for a mini-lube during mid season when you need to touch up a few things with the same lubricant). Instead they should be cleaned in a solvent (naptha, acetone, etc.), or a cleanser (simple green) and flushed with clean water to remove trace material, debris, and old lubricant. Scrubbing or using an ultrasonic cleaner will speed up and even improve the process, as will soaking and swirling the components. Also be sure to replace what ever you use if it gets dirty, very cloudy and/or starts to loose its effectiveness. Of course, no matter what you use, make sure the component is completely dry before re-applying the lubricant.

Some lubricants distribute themself better on a clean metal reel part better than others. (Factors affecting this are primarily a result of it's viscosity (apparent viscosity for grease), but can also be influenced by additives and constituents found in fillers or carriers.) Regardless, I've found that grease is best distribruted with a brush or rubbed onto the surface between a finger/thumb (on flat components), to get it to completely cover the desired surface. It won't take much grease to lubricate, there's no need to get carried away, so avoid the tendency to leave globs or excess grease.

Oil is best distributed (e.g. within a bearing), by adding a drop (in the space between the outside of the center race and shield), and rotating it slowly to disperse the oil internally. (In the case of a spool bearing this will reduce the tendency for the oil to be cast-off during the initial casts.) If you have a large bearing, you may need to add another drop after initially rotating it, but there's no need to get carried away.

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When using a solvent make sure to exercise safety precautions since they are toxic, flammable, irritants, require careful disposal, etc. So ensure you have plenty of ventilation, avoid contact with the skin, wear eye protection, no sparks or flame at the workbench.... Also try to avoid contact with any plastic or painted surfaces, since they can have an adverse affect. [A small glass jar with a sealed lid (jelly jar), is good for holding the solvent while cleaning reel parts.] For cleaners, make sure you completely flush the component afterward to remove traces of the cleaner. Also never clean reel component with a cleaning solution that contains ammonia, bleech, or strong acids -- there are so many good ones (e.g. simple green), there is no need to resort to harsh cleaners.

Hope that helps,

Chuck