Reel Maintenance Question

fatfish · 12-01-2001, 05:52 PM

In the latest edition of STS there was an article which I really enjoyed about maintenance on reels. One portion of the article described that when reassembling the reel you're suppose to soak the drag washers in oil, dry with paper towel then coat with grease. Wow, that's news to me. I've always installed the drag washers clean and dry. Am I doing something wrong? The article showed Ambassadeur reels being worked on and that's the brand of reels I'm posting this question about. I know that the new Shimano's reguire a special grease on the drag washers. I really enjoy the task of maintenance on my reel collection (mostly Ambassadeur's) but I want to do it correctly. Any words of wisdom or tricks of the trade????????

ampersat · 12-01-2001, 07:20 PM

here's a tip for you: don't grease your drag washers. i did exactly that with an older ambassadeur 5500c. you practically had to use vise grips to tighten down the drag wheel on the reel to the point that you could get a fish in. i lost a nice summer steelhead because i greased my drag.

static friction vs. dynamic friction:
static friction is when it doesn't move.
dynamic friction is when it does move.
static friction is generally greater than dynamic friction; ergo, when it finally moves it takes more force to make it stop moving than it would take for the static force to hold it in place. thus, lost fish.

now, this applies to 'regular materials'. if your drag washers are some 'new material', this may be different. it really comes down to what the lubricant does to your washers and the static and dynamic friction coefficients of the materials. also, in this equation is which lubricant you apply. a grease tends to sit on the surface; an oil tends to soak in. ergo: grease bad, oil not so bad. grease will lower the coefficient of friction for both; oil may actually lower the coefficient of either depending on the material of the drag washers.

if it were me, i'd check with abu-garcia to see what they recommend; if it's a newer reel, you should be able to find the info online. in place of that, call up ollie damon's and see what their books have to say about your particular model. they do good work.

[ 12-01-2001: Message edited by: ampersat ]</p>

Hook'd · 12-01-2001, 08:38 PM

I have purchased many drag washers for my Ambassadeur reels from Ollie Damon's and they always say install them dry and keep them that way. Good luck.

FISHFINDER · 12-01-2001, 11:17 PM

While we're on the subject of Ambassadeur reel drags.... Why is it that before I start fishing every time I have to pull really hard on my line to get the spool moving against the drag. It is almost like the drag washers are sticking together. I don't have any problems for the day with it until I pick it up the next time.
(Red 5000 series reel)
FF

spooner · 12-01-2001, 11:50 PM

fishfinder when store your rod away back your drag all the way off and they wont stick and they will last longer and smoother. :grin:

Thumper · 12-02-2001, 01:31 AM

Years ago when guiding I had to take a whole boxful of reels annually to Ollie Damon to have the drags worked over....Then I learned to back off the drags every time before putting the rods away. Haven't had to do any drag work on any reel since then. Dan Ross told me that after thousands upon thousands of chinooks taken on Calcutta 400s in his Nushagak camp over a couple of years he has yet to have to work on any reel drags....Back off the drag and most problems are solved.

Trout,myster · 12-02-2001, 07:45 AM

Fatfish-
I read the same article and sort of ignored the comment. I did have an old reel at one time that had leather drag washers. Recommendation in the book as I remember it was to soak them in a good light oil before reassembly. I don't know of any reels today, and certainly not the Garcias that use leather (which is good).
When I do my own reels, I keep the drag washers as clean as possible and even wipe them off with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) to "degrease" them. I also find a small board with a finish nail or two pretty handy to stack them on along with other parts with holes in them. I hate getting a reel back together just to find out I have no drag at all, and no matter how good you are, it will happen.
The comments about loosening up the drags are worth their weight in gold! I fought my Ambassedeurs for quite a while when I'd get to the river and find I had no drag. Loosening it up, going back to the rig for a spare rod and let that reel sit awhile (assuming I didn't screw both of them up) did the trick. After an hour or so, I had good drag on the first one again. The light finally came on and now I make it a habit as soon as I'm done for the day. Shimanos are even worse for taking a "set" and not working.
Good article, lots of pointers, but leave the oil to the levelwind.

fatfish · 12-02-2001, 05:55 PM

Thanks for the great insights. I am in the habit of backing off on the drag when the reel is put away for the day. I'm going to continue installing my drag washers clean and dry. So much for the words of wisdom from STS......

Amerman · 12-02-2001, 08:49 PM

Me and my dad have used Ambassadeurs for years and have for years used Vaseline on our drag washers to make them stand up to much abuse. This works well and I take my reels apart and clean and re Vaseline the drags twice a year. This is the only way I have found to make a drag hold up to hundreds of fish a season and maintain a smooth drag every time. I would avoid any and all oils though tend to breakdown with use. Installing the leather drag washers for Ambassadeurs dry works fine unless you are going to put lots of fish on them as the friction of the drag will destroy them after a couple dozen screaming chinooks. Of all the things I have used over the years Vaseline is the only one that I have found to keep a drag running smooth after many fish.

Scott Amerman

fishbait · 12-02-2001, 09:19 PM

Do yourself a favor and use PENN drag washers in your Ambassadors. You will not be sorry and you will not go back to the stock washers. Beed doing for many years. I don't have the part numbers with me, but just ask ollie damons, they know the ones you need and always have lots in stock. They will take phone/mail orders.

Oh, and install them dry.

[ 12-02-2001: Message edited by: fishbait ]</p>