Tony Maxwell Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Does anyone know a good way to clean reel bearings? I have a couple of Ambassadeur 1500C's that have not been taken care of. The bearings are rough and do not spin well. I have tried lighter fluid but doesn't seem to help much. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KcDano Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 You can lap or polish the bearings and gears with the aid of fine rubbing compound and oil mixed together. There are several things you can use other compound, cornstarch or regular toothpaste. If the bearings are rough work the compound into the bearings and crank the reel for a couple of minutes, It will smooth them out some. Keep working the compound into the bearings and cranking the reel until you notice a difference. You can chuck the handle nut in to a drill to speed up the process. Once you feel it is smooth enough or no improvement is noticed clean all the compound out of the reel and bearings, oil it again and you should be good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Have you done this yourself? You're putting an abrasive INSIDE a bearing? Doesn't that cause slop?? I haven't found a bearing that I was unable to free up with lighter fluid or WD-40 and a pencil to spin it on. DO NOT use WD-40 as a lube, but there's times it'll free up a tight bearing much more quickly than lighter fluid. Evaporates much slower, too, so you don't have to keep dipping it. Then clean it with lighter fluid. IMO, if this doesn't free up a bearing and get it smooth again, it's trash. Never tried the compound, though, would have thought it would destroy the bearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 The compound removes any grime attached to the bearings and any corrosion that is present. Unless you re-apply the compound many times, the steel bearing surface will not be affected. Like using emery paper, the compound wears out fairly quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish devil Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I clean a ton of bearings (not just fishing) I like using this. I remove the seals to get it good. http://www.niffken.com/rcvids/bearingcleaner.wmv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokeyJ Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I have always been told that the best way to clean bearings is either 1) an ultrasonic cleaner (sounds expensive, really not, and you can tell the wife you bought it for her to clean her jewelry) 2) soak the bearings overnight in acetone (pure stuff, not the nail polish remover kind that has dyes and fragrances in it), shaking occasionally and switching out the acetone for clean when it gets cloudy. On using a lapping compound, yes, it may smooth up the surface of a damaged bearing, but it will remove material, which will reduce the efficiency of the bearing. The tighter the tolerances in the bearing the better it reduces friction. Using a lapping compound, no matter how minute the amount of material removed, will loosen up the tolerances of the bearing and make it less efficient. Hell, just the normal wear of a properly maintained bearing will over time reduce its efficiency. In the end, how you handle it will depend on what you are after. If you are after the most inexpensive way to restore a reel to decent operating condition, the lapping compound will be the way to go. If you are going for peak performance from your reel, you might as well replace those bearings because by the time they feel noticeably rough the damage has usually already been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KcDano Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Clamboni to answer your question: Yes, I have done this many times with various reels. I suppose if one was to spend an inordinate amount of time lapping or use too aggressive compound you could wear the bearings beyond their operational tolerances. You would have to really like lapping though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokeyJ Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I need to clarify that I am A.R. about this kind of stuff, and that for most people the lapping compound would be fine. I am the type who will at the very least clean all the lube off my reels so I can oil and grease with my preferred brands, and will switch out perfectly good bearings on a reel for ceramic hybrid bearings or higher ABEC steel bearings in order to improve the performance of a reel. With whatever you do, you need to make sure the bearing has had all lapping compound and/or cleaner removed and the bearing is dry before relubing because any foreign chemicals can alter the lubricative properties of your grease/oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KcDano Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I understand Smokey some people need a Hot Reel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted October 23, 2007 Report Share Posted October 23, 2007 haven't logged on in a while. The problem I see with that is that if the bearing corrodes, some of the steel actually changes chemically. You have to remove that in order to get it rolling smooth again, so you actually are removing a significant amount of material. Like I said, if there's rust in the bearing.......get a new bearing, they're not that expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KcDano Posted October 23, 2007 Report Share Posted October 23, 2007 Many reels will benefit from a lapping of the gears and surfaces that wear against each other. If a bearing is severly pitted as a result of oxidation, lapping is a stop gap measure and the bearing will continue to degrade. However, it will remove congealed greese or oil from the bearing and race. You would grow tired of lapping before you would incurr significant wear to the bearing using a fine compound. You can think of it as trying to rub by hand the chrome off a auto bumper with polishing compound, yes it could be done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basskat Posted October 24, 2007 Report Share Posted October 24, 2007 Hey guys, if you want to really clean your reel try this product: www.xtremelubricants.com./ It cleans all the old grease, grime, rust, etc out of your reels and reconditions the metal. I've used it on several old reels with great results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTD Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 I changed gears in Curado 100d to 5 to 1 but they seem a little rough how do you smooth up the gears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekMonster Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 An old old skateboarding buddy of mine told me his secret years ago.Soak the bearings overnight in Ronsons lighter fluid (the kind you use in Zippos).Use a toothpick or stick and shake them around in the fluid afew times while they're soaking.You can even use the nozzle on the fluid body to flush them out before you dry them.I've used this method for years and it works very well for me. I usually don't oil them right away as there seems to be some kind of oil or lube in the lighter fluid.As for rusty bearings, this won't work.( get a new bearing) Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olskoolsoulja Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 Hi, Go to Boca bearings and buy some sic bearings size 5/11/4 2 off . these babys go hard! Ceremic in these bearings is almost as hard as diamonds and smooth as the proverbial.. cant go wrong .Longer smoother casts .. enjoy Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 I changed gears in Curado 100d to 5 to 1 but they seem a little rough how do you smooth up the gears? Did you grease them up well? Also, did you change all the gears in the reel? Or just the big ine. If you only change the big one, stop using the reel and find the rest of the gears to change out.......if tyhey don't match up you'll not get them smooth and youll destroy the gears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokeyJ Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 I changed gears in Curado 100d to 5 to 1 but they seem a little rough how do you smooth up the gears? Clamboni is right, you need to replace all the gears, not just one because they break in together. Kind of sucks, but oh well. If you replaced all the gears, they just need a little time to break in and make sure they are properly greased (remember, grease for gears, oil for bearings (you can grease bearings, too, but oil gives better performance)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conniek Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 the best way to clean bearings is in a small container with lighter fluid. Swish them around and watch the crud comeout of them. air dry or blow dry them. spin on a pencil or screwdriver shaft, if they spin freely, you are good to go. then apply one drop of oil. If they do not spin freely, re-soak and start the process all over again. You should be able to put them to your ear and hear them zing. The trick with bearings is the maintenance and if you do not remember anything else, remember this, one drop of oil per bearing. too much oil will cause the internal balls to get boged down in the oil and not run freely around the raceway. TG'S Rocketfuel in the Yellow is excellent. However, if you prefer some other kind, try it, but remember, one drop. we use a toothpick or syringe. If you can't get bearing off a spool due to a pin holding it on, squirt lighter fluid into bearing, prop it up, soak it and empty it then air dry or blow then spin and oil. same process, but removing pin can be scary. if you bend the pin, you wll be buying new spool. We remove pin by using a small ball peen hammer and gently holding spool, tap out the pin. Carefully. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookUp Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 I'm w/ Clamboni, if the bearings grind, replace or use it as an opportunity to buy a new reel. I see many reels that have seen brackish or salt water use that their bearing are made from a ferrous iron and rust. Time to trash or replace those bearings. Most bearings I see now are sealed. Tough to clean, easy to replace. For gears, use a liberal amount of Hotsauce. Clean all old organic grease/oil/dirt first by either spraying w/ WD-40, then washing out w/ denatured alcohol, then greasing. WD-40 is petroleum based and is a solvant more than a lubricant and you must get it all out of the reel before regreasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 If you can't get bearing off a spool due to a pin holding it on, squirt lighter fluid into bearing, prop it up, soak it and empty it then air dry or blow then spin and oil. same process, but removing pin can be scary. if you bend the pin, you wll be buying new spool. We remove pin by using a small ball peen hammer and gently holding spool, tap out the pin. Carefully. Good luck. I made a tool for this.......Just cut the tip of one jaw off a pair of needle nose pliers. Cut a slot in the cutoff end with a dremel. I cut another slot in the side of the cutoff jaw, too for if I couldn't fit the tip of the jaw onto the pin. Put the slot around one end of the pin and close the pliers over the other end and the pin will pop right out. Works great. My camera is dead, I'm charging it now and will edit my post with pics in a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish devil Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 I made a tool for this.......Just cut the tip of one jaw off a pair of needle nose pliers. Cut a slot in the cutoff end with a dremel. I cut another slot in the side of the cutoff jaw, too for if I couldn't fit the tip of the jaw onto the pin. Put the slot around one end of the pin and close the pliers over the other end and the pin will pop right out. Works great. My camera is dead, I'm charging it now and will edit my post with pics in a little while. I also made a pin remover tool from flat nose pliers. I made mine so one side removes the pin and then flip them over to put the pin back in. It centers the pin perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conniek Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 yep, that's a great idea as well. What ever works is the thing to do. a guy took my idea for a bearing puller which is a paper clip or bobby pin opened up and end bent about 1/8 inch or less and had a friend of his who has a shop make him one out of stainless steel. Now, I wish I had one. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Excuse the rusty pliers.......old pair I found in the bottom of the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conniek Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 wow! no difference if rusty, those pliers do the trick and that iswhat counts. We have learned to remove pin by holding spool and it works great- well, after many many reels and years later, we hav eth technique down pretty good. Good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 I spray starting fluid (aka ether) into a shot glass, drop in the bearings swish them around a bit and let them sit an hour or so. Cover the glass or the ether will evaporate. It's about the most volatile solvent you can get. Take them out, put them on the end of a pencil and spin them. If they're smooth and fast, they're clean. If not, it's back into the glass. Most shielded reel bearings can be brought back to life this way. When clean, lay them on a paper towel to dry. When dry, they will not spin so fast or smoothly as when they had ether in them to lubricate the balls. A drop of fine oil will relube the bearing. Bearings usually run smoother in one direction, that is the direction they were broken in, so put them back in to rotate in the same direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
