I know this is out of the norm ?, on this forum, I just want to know how much grease to put on the reel gears, I have some Quantum's I need to clean and grease, so do you just wipe some grease on the gear teeth or do ya completely cover the gear teeth or all the gear,or gears?

Lorenzo,
You probably are too young to remember the old Brylcream commercial.

The commercial always said, " A little dab will do you."

Same for your reel gears. A little dab will do you. You just need enough so that there is at least a film of grease on all of the gear teeth.

Take care
Roger

LOL! I remember that commercial, Thanks, But I remember at one time i opened a reel the first time and it had all the gears completely cover with grease, so I would put enough grease to completely cover the teeth, then my fishing buddy told he thinks that was too much grease, so thats why I needed to ask. But what you said makes sense, I have that Quantum Hot sauce grease, which would make it easier for me to see how much I put on, since it is red. Thanks again.

a little bit of hot shot goes a long way .you do not need excess grease on parts but some people are a little to tight . a little extra rubbed on all metal parts (even if they do not actually wear) will help stop corrosion. don't waste your hot shot on non-moving/non-wearing surfaces though any grease will work to keep corr. away.also remember to use oil on bearing's(hot shot has a great oil also) .

careful

I used that stuff on my hair -- in my younger days High School Such memories

Bill - willierods.com

IMHO reel lubricants is a current "fad". Reel companies always shipped a grease with their name on it but it was never anything special. Any number of greases would do. And OMG, reels had bushing instead of 99 ball bearings. Guess what, they never failed.

On the gross level ball bearings have to contain materials that rust. You can remove shields, lubricate as lightly as possible, and with the thinnest viscosity. In return your reel will cast further and the spool will rotate longer. I'm not sure your bearings will last the longest and I'm not sure your reel won't fail in the heat of the battle. The other option is to pack the bearing completely and retain the shields. If you only fish fresh water by all means go light viscosity oil. For heavyweight salt I'd be packed with aluminum complex grease.

Gears need little grease. In fact they can't hold much since the teeth displaces it. This does bring up an important point though. In a salt water reel it is wise to coat all surfaces with grease to prevent corrosion. IMHO a good product for this is an aeresol red grease that sprays as a liquid and the dries as a light grease.

Think of it this way. There are a lot of "machines" with a lot of bearings to be lubed in the world. I'd wager for every one company that specs Tsi or Quantum there are at least a million that spec something made by Mobil.

Drag grease is different and there are only a few to pick from. I'd go with Cal's.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Thanks for the info Russ, how would someone know what type of drag pads need greased?

OH, by the way Russ, whta do ya mean by "shields"?

I would recommend against an aluminum complex grease. Most reels are pre-lubricated with a lithium complex grease which is highly incompatible with aluminum complex greases. Best bet would be a lithium complex or calcium 12 hydroxy grease ... in particular one with a tackifier and a hydro-activator. I would recommend using a synthetic grease designed for high corrosion environments with the previously mentioned characteristics.

Do read the instructions that came with the reel. If none accompanied it, ask the manufacturer for the service information - none have ever denied it to me.

Thats a good idea Jim, I;ll ask for the service info, thanks!

Lorenzo,
I believe that Russ is referring to the "dust or grease" shields that are common on ball bearings.

A "shielded" bearing will have a metal or rubber shield on each side or on only one side of the ball bearing. Normally, these are used to contain and hold grease in the bearings. The way that shields are used is that the shields are removed, the bearing is well greased, and then the shield/s is/are replaced.

In an open environment, the shields really do an excellent job in retaining grease as well as to inhibit the inclusion of moisture and dirt into the bearings.

Good luck
Roger

Check out alantani.com, the forum is full of info on reel repair and maitenance. Good Luck!

John Yard
Sea Girt, NJ

I'm a reel tech as well as rod builder and can confirm the sentiment that only a film of grease is needed but be sure the film gets between the teeth and not just on the tips. Parts should be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and old lube prior to application of new lube. Shielded bearing are those with a permanent metal shield. A sealed bearing has a removable rubber seal. Quality lubes used in an appropriate applocation are fine to use in place of specialty or reel brand lubes. The exception is drag washers which require a specialty grease like Cals or Shimano Drag.

Thanks Roger. I actually used that stuff when I was a kid going to elementary school.

Jeff,
Here is a typical commercial for the product.

Roger

[www.youtube.com]

Iwas always told that any BLUE grease would work , I use Penn lube on all my reels , its blue , a thin coat will do ! Larry

Blue is a colorant, not a specification. What you are looking for is a lithium complex grease in a #2 or even a #1 viscosity grade. A synthetic grease with a marine tackifier and hydro-activation would be the best choice.