[Tony Maxwell]

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?

[KcDano]

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!

[clamboni]

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.

[Vodkaman]

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.

[fish devil]

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

[SmokeyJ]

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.

[KcDano]

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.

[SmokeyJ]

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.

[KcDano]

I understand Smokey some people need a Hot Reel

[clamboni]

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.