Sandy, salty reel death: not all reels are created equal!

[MichaelAngelo]

During my California trip (yeah yeah I'll get you guys the pictures one day ) I had the pleasure of accidentally dunking two of my reels into the sandy, salty beach surf.

This experience has taught me that some reels are built much, much better than others.

I was told by the general fishing public that both my reels were goners: their last days ticking away. However, this only proved true for one of the two reels.

After one reel seized, I decided to open up the other one - Abu Cardinal 4 - and see how it was doing.

Not a speck of damage.. all of the parts maintained their stock brassy shimmer. I'm happy to say it's now been regreased and is back in full swing! If only I could figure out how to give it a smooth drag... it's always been quite "jumpy".

I'll open up the other reel, but it feels like it won't be worth my time

[OldTimer]

Depending on its age the ABU Cardinal 4 may have salt water construction.

The older Zebco Cardinal series of reels - Manufactured in Sweden - are of "saltwater" class construction - with brass and stainless internals. In fact they even had stickers on them proclaiming such.

In any case - It is wise to always rinse your reel and its spool thoroughly with freshwater after an ocean outing. The salt and very fine sand dust can get into everthing - even if the gear didnt get dunked.

[Giuga10]

R.I.P dead reel. And may Sir. Abu Cardinal The 4th continue his great legacy.

Giuga10

[MichaelAngelo]

(09-12-2012 04:40 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  R.I.P dead reel. And may Sir. Abu Cardinal The 4th continue his great legacy.

Giuga10

LOL

Now here's the thing folks, I seem to not have the proper lube for the reel. I just re-lubed it last night and it was working fine... but after 1 dunk in the river all was not fine. It started getting really, really stiff. Second time this has happened.

I am using pellet gun oil, with the consistency of sewing machine oil. It must be too thin of a lubricant.

Any recommendations? I generally want to avoid fishing-branded items.

Further: the drag stack is in dire need of a cleaning, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to access it... even after looking at the schematics. Is anybody familiar with the Abu Garcia Cardinal 4 spinning reels?

This one:

[MuskieBait]

Oil is way too thin for gears. You should use a grease for gears. For bearings though, you should use oil and not grease (unless you need waterproofing that bearing). Some lubricant bond better with metal parts. Oil may wash off too easily sometimes.

Why are you avoiding fishing brand items? Any good reason at all?

Check out the grease on here...

http://www.smoothdrag.com/price.html

Cal's grease is great for gear as well as carbon fiber washers, or for packing external bearings that you need waterproofing.

It's only $7 for 1oz...cheap stuff.

I've been using Quantum Hot Sauce grease and oil. They've been great. I've been wanting to get some Cal's grease for my saltwater reels.

You can also use Corrosion X or Reel X for a lower viscosity lubricant.

Ken

[OldTimer]

MuskieBait is right. Household oils (sewing machine, WD40, etc.) are not designed for use in reels. They harden quicker, and can sludge up and do allow water to get into sliding or rotating joints. Water is not a lubricant……. This is why a car engine seizes so quickly if the block cracks allowing water to get into the rods, cam and pistons.

Symptoms are the reel sticking, squeaking, chirping & squawking as you reel, or feeling like it’s full of thick goo.

Correct reel oil and reel greases are more expensive as they actually coat and lightly bond to metal surfaces. They consist of a mixture of petrochemical and metallic compounds.

Now that you’ve put the light detergent oil (pellet gun oil) in your reel – the proper option is to strip down the reel and clean all parts, gears and their teeth with a degreaser (rubbing alcohol, or lighter fluid). Then wash them with a detergent and water using a toothbrush. Rinse & air dry everything VERY thoroughly. Then re-assemble & re-lubricate the parts using reel oil and reel grease.
I recommend that you not remove the bail or bail springs unless there is an obvious problem. (these can be quite finicky to reassemble). I also recommend that the dis-assembly and cleaning be done on a good large work surface using a small compartmented box (or egg carton) to hold all the small parts, screws, and washers.

Reel oil goes on handle parts and handle bearings, the bail spring, the reels sliding shaft, its bearings and the line roller bearing. Just a drop is necessary in each location.

Reel grease goes on each of the gear teeth SPARINGLY, and a VERY LIGHT film of grease on the contact sides of the gears or cams that rub one another. Great big gobs of grease do more harm than good. Don’t put grease where nothing is in contact.

When re-assembling the reel – make sure the side cover plates or closures are clean and sit correctly providing a good seal to the main body. i.e. – remove little bits of crud on the seating surfaces.

DO NOT USE OIL ON GEARS. DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON DRAG ASSEMBLIES or their shafts.

WD40 and light household oils are fine (used sparingly) for the light cleaning and wiping down of the exterior surfaces of the reel housing and frame.

Cheers,

OldTimer

[MichaelAngelo]

Wow that helps - a lot. I have already stripped the grease on all the parts before with detergent and an old toothbrush, so that's no problem doing it again. I'll just find the proper grease, and go with the fishing-brand. No good reason why I wanted to avoid fishing-brand other than my gut feeling that it's the same oil/grease you buy at Home Depot with a different label.

If I tear it down again, I'll have to clean the drag stack. This reel never had a super smooth drag, it's always been chattery. If I'm going to use it seriously I have to get rid of this problem somehow. I could probably bring it in to an expert.

OT: I don't know what you mean by drag assemblies? You mean the drag disks?

[MuskieBait]

(09-13-2012 07:52 AM)OldTimer Wrote:  DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON DRAG ASSEMBLIES or their shafts.

There's a caveat to the though, OT.

It depends on the drag material really, and for most part, you are correct.

However, some of the newer drag washer materials, like felt washers, requires some oil in them as a lubricant. You can just imagine what dry felt will become under pressure and friction.

Another drag washer material that benefits from a LIGHT grease applications are the new carbon fiber washers. It's amazing how silky smooth the drag becomes with these new washers, and you can get a little more on your max drag with them. The tension curve from the drag is also much smoother so you don't get a jerky start and a big spike in tension and then drops off after the spool started spinning. It's more of a progressive curve since the drag is so smooth and there is less inertia to get the spool moving progressively more.

Oh, and @Michael, the drag assembly are the metal washers and the drag washers (felt, graphite, carbon fiber, plastic...yes...even saw plastics in cheap reels...yikes!).

[OldTimer]

There are many types of drag assemblies - some are a multiple stack of various material discs (steels/brass/teflon/copper/polymers), some are straight friction pads with dimpled pressure pads, some are spring presssure based, and some are arced shoes or flare collars in a cylinder....... to name just a few............... in all cases - none get lubricated.(edit:in the reels I own)

Lubrication would allow the drag to slip in an inconsistent uncontrolled fashion-----------until a great pressure is applied............ then it jams or chatters................