Favorite reel oil

[redmeansdistortion]

9 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I had a skilled reel repairman tell me years ago that it wasn't about the brand of oil that you use, but how well you clean the parts first, and how much oil and grease you use. Most times, just a little bit goes a long way

He was spot on.  Anybody that maintains their own reels should invest in an ultrasonic cleaner and some 4oz wide mouth glass jars.  A cheap ultrasonic runs about $20 to $30 and it's a sound investment for reel maintenance.  A 10 minute run through one is far more effective than letting parts soak in Dawn and hot water for hours or even overnight.

[bayvalle]

51 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

He was spot on.  Anybody that maintains their own reels should invest in an ultrasonic cleaner and some 4oz wide mouth glass jars.  A cheap ultrasonic runs about $20 to $30 and it's a sound investment for reel maintenance.  A 10 minute run through one is far more effective than letting parts soak in Dawn and hot water for hours or even overnight.

Agree. It's telling when you see the residue left behind after cleaning with an ultrasonic.

[Mobasser]

Reels are small machines. Lubricating any machine takes some thought. If your truck is only supposed to hold 5qts of oil, do you dump in 7 just to make sure you have enough? No. You can damage the engine of course. Most reels are the same. Use a good grade of oil and grease, and don't over do it. My old 4600c has had a clean and very light lube for 23yrs. Still going strong

[redmeansdistortion]

29 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

Reels are small machines. Lubricating any machine takes some thought. If your truck is only supposed to hold 5qts of oil, do you dump in 7 just to make sure you have enough? No. You can damage the engine of course. Most reels are the same. Use a good grade of oil and grease, and don't over do it. My old 4600c has had a clean and very light lube for 23yrs. Still going strong

You made me think of something else I'd like to touch on.  An air compressor is another very useful tool for reel maintenance.  Primarily for removing excess oil from bearings.  An over oiled bearing is a slow bearing, and an air compressor removes that excess oil quickly.  Canned air for computers works great too, but after you bought a few cans, you might as well have bought a cheap air compressor.  If you wait for a sale, the pancake style at Harbor Freight comes up at $40 or less pretty regularly.  I picked one up last summer at their parking lot sale for $28.

[Mobasser]

32 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

You made me think of something else I'd like to touch on.  An air compressor is another very useful tool for reel maintenance.  Primarily for removing excess oil from bearings.  An over oiled bearing is a slow bearing, and an air compressor removes that excess oil quickly.  Canned air for computers works great too, but after you bought a few cans, you might as well have bought a cheap air compressor.  If you wait for a sale, the pancake style at Harbor Freight comes up at $40 or less pretty regularly.  I picked one up last summer at their parking lot sale for $28.

I have air compressors. We use them daily doing carpentry work. I've never thought about using one on a reel, but I could see how it could work. Just dial back the pressure a little

[redmeansdistortion]

2 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I have air compressors. We use them daily doing carpentry work. I've never thought about using one on a reel, but I could see how it could work. Just dial back the pressure a little

It usually only takes a quick puff of air to remove excess oil.  I add a drop, give it a spin, then a quick puff and it's good.  I should add, this only works when the shields/seals are removed from the bearings.

[JLBBass]

3 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

He was spot on.  Anybody that maintains their own reels should invest in an ultrasonic cleaner and some 4oz wide mouth glass jars.  A cheap ultrasonic runs about $20 to $30 and it's a sound investment for reel maintenance.  A 10 minute run through one is far more effective than letting parts soak in Dawn and hot water for hours or even overnight.

Dawn dishwasher soap??????????????

soak my bearings in Lighter Fluid

[redmeansdistortion]

1 minute ago, PolarKraft195Pro said:

soak mine bearings in Lighter Fluid

Same here.  I should've added that I run all non-bearing parts in the ultrasonic.

[FordsnFishin]

1 hour ago, redmeansdistortion said:

You made me think of something else I'd like to touch on.  An air compressor is another very useful tool for reel maintenance.  Primarily for removing excess oil from bearings.  An over oiled bearing is a slow bearing, and an air compressor removes that excess oil quickly.  Canned air for computers works great too, but after you bought a few cans, you might as well have bought a cheap air compressor.  If you wait for a sale, the pancake style at Harbor Freight comes up at $40 or less pretty regularly.  I picked one up last summer at their parking lot sale for $28.

Yes,  I use my air compressor to help clean my reels as well. But let me remind anyone that uses air to be very careful,  as high pressure air can send your parts sky rocketing to dark crevices of your shop where you will never find them. 

 

Trust me I have experience in this department. Just yesterday I was blowing out a bearing and the thing shot out of my hand at mach speed. Never even heard the dang fall or bounce. 

 

Fast forward two hours of totally pulling out cabinets, sweeping,  and going through all my car parts I had on my big shelf I still hadn't found that stupid bearing. (Really needed to clean that shelf,  had so much stuff stacked on it. )

 

Now claiming defeat, I pull out my schematic to figure out the part number on the bearing to order it,  I go to turn up my radio,  and eureka! What are the freaking odds. Notice in the background the cabinets and shelf I totally pulled out, cleaned.

 

[roadwarrior]

TSI 321

 

 

[Hulkster]

ive been using the Berkley reel oil for years now on my shimanos both baitcasting and spinning. works great and you can buy it at any tackle store (as opposed to shimano reel oil which I can't find anywhere locally other than the little vial they give you when you buy a new reel lol)

[FordsnFishin]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:03 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

The most important thing is to clean parts and use an appropriate lubricant for the application. There's no magic. Ex:  Boca Lightning Lube, or Tsi on spool bearings, blue marine grease on gears and 80-140 gear oil on frame bearings and levelwind, Cals on wet drags. 

Car rear end gear oil? Do you prefer a synthetic oil, or just original? Is this what you'll put on the clutch cam/plate/ and paw?

 

I've noticed on reels a thick oil in those areas, instead of a grease. Which is why i ask. Seems it would be a whole lot easier to clean and apply with a thick oil instead of grease.

 

Not questioning your process, but would this thick oil on the levelwind/wormgear cause more grime buildup vs a thin coat of tsi 321 or such on these pieces being exposed to the elements.

 

Thanks

[jessee78]

Do Shimano baitcaster bearings ever have those plastic cages inside? and are they usually sealed? I can't seem to find that little ring that some bearings have that you can pop off to take the side off. Preferably the SLX and Curado k bearings I'm looking at.

Want to make sure before I use acetone and then Bantam oil.

[FordsnFishin]

2 minutes ago, jessee78 said:

Do Shimano baitcaster bearings ever have those plastic cages inside? and are they usually sealed? I can't seem to find that little ring that some bearings have that you can pop off to take the side off. Preferably the SLX and Curado k bearings I'm looking at.

Want to make sure before I use acetone and then Bantam oil.

Some bearings are sealed and the outside shield cannot be removed. If it is removable it will have a thin retaining clip on the very outside of the shield. I typically use a very fine hook to remove the clip, and a puff of compressed air to push the shield out. If its a stainless steel bearing you should be fine to put into your cleaner to flush the bearing.

[jessee78]

42 minutes ago, FordsnFishin said:

Some bearings are sealed and the outside shield cannot be removed. If it is removable it will have a thin retaining clip on the very outside of the shield. I typically use a very fine hook to remove the clip, and a puff of compressed air to push the shield out. If its a stainless steel bearing you should be fine to put into your cleaner to flush the bearing.

Thanks, just a little worried if they can't be opened maybe they had plastic cages inside that would melt in the acetone, but looking around a bit it seems Shimano doesn't use any plastic inside their bearings usually.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

2 hours ago, FordsnFishin said:

Car rear end gear oil? Do you prefer a synthetic oil, or just original? Is this what you'll put on the clutch cam/plate/ and paw?

 

I've noticed on reels a thick oil in those areas, instead of a grease. Which is why i ask. Seems it would be a whole lot easier to clean and apply with a thick oil instead of grease.

 

Not questioning your process, but would this thick oil on the levelwind/wormgear cause more grime buildup vs a thin coat of tsi 321 or such on these pieces being exposed to the elements.

 

Thanks

Yes, gear oil, sometimes incorrectly referred to as "rear end grease" I use it on everything except the drive gears. I find it the best compromise on levelwinds. It lasts and doesn't gum up 

[FordsnFishin]

@delware valley tackle Thank you for your input sir. Its appreciated

 

[MickD]

On 1/24/2019 at 7:46 AM, NYWayfarer said:

Ardent Reel Butter oil. I bought a bottle of Lucas fishing reel oil

Two very good choices.  

 

Not hot sauce oil and grease.  They dry out, stain everything, not good choices.

[OkobojiEagle]

3 hours ago, FordsnFishin said:

would this thick oil on the levelwind/wormgear cause more grime buildup vs a thin coat of tsi 321 or such on these pieces being exposed to the elements.

 

Thanks

Yes it would...

 

oe

[Steve S]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:37 AM, J Francho said:

Bantam Oil is a good general use.  My favorite high performance oil is Oust Metol.  TSI 321 is very good, but expensive.  Yellow Rocket Fuel is also very good.  I like ReelX for roller bearings on spinning reels, and any saltwater setups.  Reel Butter and Hot Sauce didn't hold up for me.  Grease, I use Cal's or Cal's Purple.  I've tried a lot of things on roller bearings, including ATF.  TSI 321 or a another light oil seems to work the best.  Grease attracts grime and even traps braid fibers, so that's out.

@J Francho @roadwarrior where do you order your TSI 321 and Shimano bantam oil from? Thanks:)

[J Francho]

On 2/8/2020 at 5:14 PM, Steve S said:

@J Francho @roadwarrior where do you order your TSI 321 and Shimano bantam oil from? Thanks:)

In both cases, I buy direct.

[OnthePotomac]

You can buy TSI301 and 321 here, they make it for NASA.

https://amgas.com/prodpage.htm

[Shimano_1]

I'm sure any reel oil from a reputable manufacturer will work. I used hot sauce for years with no problems.  I'm now using lucas reel oil because I won a bottle of it. Can't say that it's any better tho

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

I've been using CLP.

 

Acetone bearings and applied one drop of CLP, was amazed with smoothness and increased casting difference.

 

Felt great denying the Monkey, can find it anywhere and is cheap.

[PourMyOwn]

I have needle oiler bottles I bought on Ebay-I filled one with Mobil1 0W 20. So far, so good.