[KcDano]

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!

[basskat]

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.

[JTD]

I changed gears in Curado 100d to 5 to 1 but they seem a little rough how do you smooth up the gears?

[CreekMonster]

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

[olskoolsoulja]

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

[clamboni]

Originally Posted by JTD

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.

[SmokeyJ]

Originally Posted by JTD

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)).

[conniek]

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.

[HookUp]

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.

[clamboni]

Originally Posted by conniek

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.