Lubrication

[osprey]

Being a one legged fly fisher has certain rewards , i can claim that i hold the record for falling in and not getting any injuries or damage ........yet. Better knock on wood. Anyhow i took a great header into the upper DH section of Laurel Hill creek the other week , the stoneflies had me distracted and i launched , nothing broken , nothing damaged , but my reel , when i tried to wind in was full of sand , horrible , sickening sound , i asked around about what to do to clean r up and reloob and was told by an occasionally questionable fishin buddy to sparingly use white lithium grease. Do any of you folks have suggestions that may vary from this or is this the way to go? Thanks in advance.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Hi Osprey,

Having dabbled in reel repair in the past, there's some information I'd need before I could recommend the proper type of lube.

First, what make and model of reel do you have? Some reels (Ross, for example) don't require any lube on the spool shaft, because they they use an oilite bushing in the spool, which is self lubricating.

Other reels have an offset gear type drag, and may or may not need a grease type lube that won't fling off onto the drag surface.

Basically, there's different types of lubes that are better for different applications. It's always a good idea to look at the factory manual that came with your reel, and if this isn't available to you anymore, you can often look up that info online, or contact the reel manufacturer to find out what they recommend.

My favorite lubes are Super Lube (light teflon grease), Penn Reel Lube (more of an oil), and Quantum's Hot Sauce oil and grease.

Until you find out the manufacturer's suggested lube method, I'd just rinse the reel in running fresh water, and take the spool off to let it air dry. This will probably take care of your problem temporarily, but you should still find out what lube maintenance is recommended by the manufacturer.

If you make it to the Jam this year, I'd be happy to look at your reel, and give it a good cleaning/lube. If you do it yourself, remember - use as little lube as possible. Too much just attracts dirt, and can cause problems with the drag system, if it gets in there.

H.A.

 

[tennjed]

Quantum hot sauce grease and oil.

 

[NorthBranch]

I agree with Heritage-Angler... what kind of reel is it? If it has a simple gear setup (click-pawl) then Dupont's Teflon and White Lithium grease is great on the gears. For more complex gear setups or if there are any bearings or on any shafts with metal to metal contact, I really like Ardent's line of synthetic oils and greases.

I also have Shimano oil and grease (permalube) for my good spinning equipment... excellent stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on my fly reels.

As HA said... a good cleaning followed by a light greasing and oiling is the proper way to go.

 

[turkey]

tennjed wrote:
Quantum hot sauce grease and oil.

+1

 

[osprey]

Heritage Angler , the reel was a cortland crown JJ not a real gem but i like it for fishing new water just for the damge reason , same with rods i'll use a lttle less on unfamilair water.....jist in case i go *** over tin cups. Your advice as to what to do was right on the money . Check for sure rhe manufacyurers recomendation , they have 800 nimbers , you get to talk to a human , heck , even gals sometimes. Disk drags get loobed totally different than pawl drag etc. TAHNKS HA

 

[shakey]

hot sauce!!

(but in a pinch i've used wd40 and albolene)

good to see you back!

 

[osprey]

Shakey, my ol fiberglass friend , ya gotta watch WD 40 and vinyl fly lines......don't mix , but knowing you , your probably using silk lines. It's goo9d to c u man , are you JAMMIN this year?

 

[caveman]

Do not use lithium grease!! It can break down and destroy the gears and the finish of some reels. See the following discussions by people who know better than me.

http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16021&hilit=lithium+grease

And a thread on cleaning reels.

http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1385&p=75326&hilit=lithium+grease#p75326

I would not use WD40 it could melt your line. When I get grit in my reel like that I will usually just rinse it out, then give it a good cleaning when I get home.

 

[salvelinus]

Here's what I use for lubrication...

 

[NorthBranch]

caveman wrote:
Do not use lithium grease!! It can break down and destroy the gears and the finish of some reels. See the following discussions by people who know better than me.

http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16021&hilit=lithium+grease

And a thread on cleaning reels.

http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1385&p=75326&hilit=lithium+grease#p75326

Interesting. I've used the Teflon/lithium grease on a couple of my click & pawl reels for quite a few years with no issues. Maybe because I don't use them in salt water? Of course, I clean them and re-grease them often.

With that said, I'm not taking a chance. I have other great lubes I can use.

 

[caveman]

Dave, From what i gathered if you clean and regrease them often the lithium does not have time to degrade and do the damage, but if left on a reel and never changed could do some serious damge. Not worth the risk for good reel.

 

[NorthBranch]

caveman,

Yea, my good fly reels (Ross's) really don't require a lot of maintenance. Basically just a good cleaning.

My spinning reels require a bit more maintenance. However, I'm a maintenance freak, so it's not an issue for me in any case.

Case in point... between the time of my previous post and this one, the lithium grease came off my two other fly reels and has been replaced. :-D

 

[gulfgreyhound]

I like Penn orShimano grease. Penn also makes a spray for rods and reel that keeps them looking good. In the salt it's tough on everything and the Penn spray helps shed water.

 

[shakey]

osprey wrote:
Shakey, my ol fiberglass friend , ya gotta watch WD 40 and vinyl fly lines......don't mix , but knowing you , your probably using silk lines. It's goo9d to c u man , are you JAMMIN this year?

i should have made it clear,i have used albolene and wd40 in a pinch,when no other lubes were available..i guess you are right that it would harm plastic line,which i do use.i only use silk line a small part of the time.

albolene on the other hand i slather on anything,haha

i also have an old bottle of shakespeare reel oil i use too.

i would not miss the jam for the world and i hope to see you there!!