Fish-Hawk.Net

TheMaverick wrote: I soak the bearings for a total of 3 days in acetone, I've tried an ultrasonic cleaner, and after 1hr in the cleaner, there was still grease residue in the bearings.

X2 to soaking in acetone. I bought the ultrasonic cleaner but went back to soaking in acetone for a few days, I have the sitting in little jam jars. save your money.

as of removing the pin on spool shafts this is the tool i'm looking for. https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product/2. A little pricey for the amount if times you actually use it per year, but in the long run if you clean your reels annually it will be worth it.

TheMaverick wrote:

lape0019 wrote:If I remember correctly, you like to use Abu reels which all have pins...

Lew's, Pflueger, Abu, Daiwa, Shimano...they all have pins.

While I agree with you, none of my Shimano’s require me to pull the pin to remove a bearing. Anything newer with S3D will require a pin remover. None of the reels from the 200e7 to the 15 conquests do. The first reel that needed one was the first aldebaran released in the USDM.

Apparently a reel worth 3 to 5 hundred dollars is all about the BEARINGS

So having to upgrade the bearings....wouldn't that be kinda like buying a new Lamborghini, then having to upgrade the tires on it

Some guys like to tinker. I don't bother....

RJ

Some people just don't get the tinkering and mods. It's not for everyone and that fine. Almost everyone has some passion that others don't understand. Cars, Scotches, pens, watches, computers, electronics, sports or music memorabilia, this list can go on and on. Sadly people love to tell other people" what's the point" or "what a waste of money". Every one feels the need to voice their opinion and go off and spend money on what others think is stupid.

For people who i talk with who don't get fishing gear, I compare reels to Cars. Both Cars and reels are kind of the same in their own way. People love to work on them for performance or just to give them a personal touch. Reels is just a much smaller market, but also much cheaper than car. and car is more widely accepted so people go along with it. Reel mods can get expensive, they often don't increase the chance of catching more fish, but they give your reels (tools for your passion) a nice personal touch, maybe a little smooth or they cast a little further and shine a little brighter. At one point i actually thought it was a waste of money but now i quite enjoy modifying what i have.

Now the nice thing about the internet is it brings people with similar passions together on forums like this. this one is good for local info, but there are many other forums and sites with lots of guys who have a passion for imported gear, higher end products and reel mods.

DropShot’r keep use posted on the work you are doing or if you run into any troubles or questions. I know there is a few people on this site who are willing to offer advice

Great reply Rick!

Let’s not kill this one solely based off a generalized perception of what’s “acceptable”, like you said, there’s many other sites and forums dedicated to this subject alone.

Drop, if you need any info in regards to ordering parts or tools, hit me up on FB or via PM here, otherwise, as aforementioned, keep us posted on the tinkering.

Shameless plug, I’ve been cleaning reels for quite a few members, I have taken on my full quota for this off season, but will be publicly offering my services come next year if need be.

I toyed with the idea of replacing bearings, but the cost did not make sense in a high end reel. Maintenance is more important than upgrading bearings.

I used to tear down all my reels over the winter. Some that I rarely used more than once or twice a season.
It became a bit of a chore to do all of them. So here is how I decide. If I am losing distance in my casts then they need cleaning. If I am constantly using the same reels
they get a cleaning. If they rarely get used they don't get a cleaning.


here's my process: Pull the spool bearings. Check the drag washers. Clean any line residue off the reel (power pro leaves a lot)

I would soak the bearings in acetone for about an hour or two. As I never used grease on them, the acetone will take all the OIL off. Never had to let them sit very long. Spun them dry then let them sit for an hour to be sure all the acetone evaporated. Apply a drop of oil then wipe of the excess.

For spinning reels when they are fresh out of the box, I tear them down and remove the grease the put on the gears this is the only time I let them sit overnight in acetone.
Thoroughly wipe them off and apply Hot sauce grease. I use very little and work it in so there are no clumps.

I use Quantum Hot Sauce oil and grease. Never had a grinding or noise issue with them. Don't know if Ed or Sail carries it but Cabelas does. I thought of trying rocket fuel, or Ardent reel butter, but meh, I am satisfied with what I am using.

Not poo pooing on it boys. There's a lot of things I don't understand, this one I kinda do..

RJ

Would like to thank everyone for all the great information.

Although I did a modicum of reel maintenance, I feel that going forward I would like to get a bit more serious about maintaining my reels. Over the past several years I have been replacing and upgrading my rods and reels and feel it is important to properly maintain my reels. The price point really shouldn't matter here. We all buy the best we can afford, and best is best.

My research led me to believe up-graded bearings were not required, but felt polling the membership was a good idea. The unexpected bonus was a tutorial on reel maintenance which was something I am truly grateful for. At this point I will be happy to have properly cleaned and lubricated bearings, gears etc. on my reels. I don't ice fish anymore so I'm really a two season guy, Bass Season and Not Bass Season. I have a lot of down time during Not Bass Season so cleaning reels will be a nice winter hobby.

I have already found a pin removal tool and will order it soon. As far as bearing cleaning I may take a page from my cycling days and keeping my chains clean. A 1kg wide mouth peanut butter jar half full of gasoline. Shake, shake, shake. Wait an hour and shake, shake, shake.

Drop