To Polish or Not To Polish?

[triple_illusion]

cast your vote and give support for your decision, regarding any reel, any parts that are polishable, gears, clutch, spool shaft, etc.

[panyafish]

I voted no. I think reels smooth out on their own as you use them more. By polishing a reel you risk damaging it trying to achieve the same result. Really, all you need to do is use it for a few days and let it get worn in. No need to risk ruining a spool or a pinion gear trying to smooth it out with a dremel.

On a related note, I read somewhere that Don Iovino used to polish ABU 4600's by stripping all the grease off of the gears and replacing it with toothpaste. He would then spin the reel until they were worn in and then clean and re-lube the reel! Don't ask me where I saw this because it was a long time ago

[Zimbass]

On a related note, I read somewhere that Don Iovino used to polish ABU 4600's by stripping all the grease off of the gears and replacing it with toothpaste. He would then spin the reel until they were worn in and then clean and re-lube the reel! Don't ask me where I saw this because it was a long time ago [/quote]

I read the same article in a Bassmaster magazine about 30 years ago. Think that the tolerances in our reels then were not as close as today. I would support not polishing, and "running in" a new reel.

[triple_illusion]

very interesting, thanks for the feedback....im beginning to think polishing is problematic in that it removes material, however minutely, in an uneven fashion. perhaps the dremel tool lays down too many abrasions into the brass, i wonder if polishing by hand would be any different???

or perhaps its just a matter of using the reel and breaking it in....i have an old sf chronarch 100, its the smoothest reel i own because it has been used far more than any other reel i own.

[bstuckey]

Properly done, polishing enhances the smoothness and performance of a reel.

[smalliesteve]

The place I noticed the effects of polishing the most was in depressing the thumb bar. I don't think polishing the gear teeth makes a noticeable difference. FWIW the inside of my sol (and soul) looks like jewelry.

[WoodT]

On a related note, I read somewhere that Don Iovino used to polish ABU 4600's by stripping all the grease off of the gears and replacing it with toothpaste. He would then spin the reel until they were worn in and then clean and re-lube the reel! Don't ask me where I saw this because it was a long time ago

You can read the actual directions and see photos of this process in the InFisherman Largemouth Bass guide:

http://www.amazon.com/Largemouth-Bass-F ... 0929384113

It seems a little intense to me to attach a speed wrench directly to a reel, but hey.

It's a great book collectively authored by no-names like Al Linder, Ron Linder, Doug Stange, Ralph Manns, Larry Dahlberg. I read it a lot, and keep a copy in the Kindle cloud I can refer to when I am somewhere the book isn't. My favorite bass instruction book...and it's hilarious as they kept in original pictures from the early 90s of people who look like they were trapped in the late 70s. Based on the photos, apparently bass fishing used to be some kind of a redneck sport or something.

[lpquick]

Properly done, polishing enhances the smoothness and performance of a reel.

I attempted my first internal polishing on my CQ 51. I had months earlier upgraded to a carbontex drag washer and wasn’t impressed over the stock drag, just smoother if anything. After polishing I went fishing with it mounted on my Poison Glorious 7’3” Biwake Versatile Ⅹ. We found a small pod of reds about 10 to 12 pounders and I was able to boat 5 in less than 30 minutes and I was able to actually stop each one and drag them in to the boat pretty fast, compared to before the internal polishing all I could do was hold on and wait for them to get tired. I am a believer a proper polishing can enhance the performance.

[e_bassfisher]

i did not vote either direction....though i am a FIRM believer in the polishing of the cam parts and cast relevant parts(spool tips (and shafts on long shaft designs), metal shim, ect..). i am on the fence about polishing drag washers; i really do not notice much difference in smoothness if the reel has carbontex installed already. and do not polish gears at all.

after a great bit of tinkering and experimenting, i am absolutely against any form of gear polishing. i have found NO benefit whatsoever. i have taken already smooth gear sets, and polished them; found some turn out less smooth, and some turn out terrible(tried this several times). i have tried to polish out knicks in pinion teeth in an effort to repair a pinon gear....doesn't work....i will likely continue to tinker with the idea of gear polishing, but as of now(and after many hours of tinkering with these ideas already), i do not, and will not offer it as part of services i perform.

also, it is worth mentioning that not all polishing methods are equal, not even close...i promise you! they may look the same after the work is done, but a well done polishing can last for a long, long time).....and your run of the mill, quick and easy polish can last for a very, very short time.

if you've never had a well polished reel, i suggest you try it....you will see the difference if it is done RIGHT!

e_

[Crackerjack]

I only polish spool shaft and ends with felt button disc. Using a doubled over and then twisted pipe cleaner polish pinion bore. Metal drag washers are stamped from steel or aluminum. I sand them on piece of glass with sandpaper and circular motion.This removes any high spots and equalizes washer pressure. I never polish gear teeth.

[angry john]

this is a very interesting topic and i think that doing the drag may have the ability to increase performance. I believe that "polish" might not be correct if you are getting a higher drag pressure. A smooth surface would smooth out the drag, and a rougher surface would increase the total drag. If you have high spots then you could accomplish both at the same time, but in most cases the tolerance from the factory should be very good from the onset.

[lpquick]

this is a very interesting topic and i think that doing the drag may have the ability to increase performance. I believe that "polish" might not be correct if you are getting a higher drag pressure. A smooth surface would smooth out the drag, and a rougher surface would increase the total drag. If you have high spots then you could accomplish both at the same time, but in most cases the tolerance from the factory should be very good from the onset.

I agree & disagree angry john. Polishing the surface would increase the actual footprint and would do both increase the drag & smoothen it. This is all predicated on all surfaces being perfectly flat of course. A rougher surface would lessen the smoothness and reduce the actual footprint and lessen the drag. The drag might feel stronger but I bet it’s because the initial drag start will be higher and not as smooth to be perceived as a drag increase, IMHO.

[angry john]

this is a very interesting topic and i think that doing the drag may have the ability to increase performance. I believe that "polish" might not be correct if you are getting a higher drag pressure. A smooth surface would smooth out the drag, and a rougher surface would increase the total drag. If you have high spots then you could accomplish both at the same time, but in most cases the tolerance from the factory should be very good from the onset.

I agree & disagree angry john. Polishing the surface would increase the actual footprint and would do both increase the drag & smoothen it. This is all predicated on all surfaces being perfectly flat of course. A rougher surface would lessen the smoothness and reduce the actual footprint and lessen the drag. The drag might feel stronger but I bet it’s because the initial drag start will be higher and not as smooth to be perceived as a drag increase, IMHO.

So if you were riding a skateboard on pavement and you fell down, you might stop in 5 feet. If you did the same thing on old asfault you would stop in 3. You encountered more surface area on the pavement, but stopped faster on the asfault. Now you would not want to go to extremes in case of the drag disks but there is a reasonable change in surface texture that would be the best compromise. Maybe 800 grit paper vise 1000. A perfectly smooth surface provides no friction.

[lpquick]

angry john if you would of said say hmmm, sand and glass at least they are essentially the same but concrete and old asphalt. Sorry I’m lost in the translation. I’m not waxing a board or shining shoes, I’m talking about taking a surface which is grimy with old drag washer material being ground into it under high pressure and heat, then cleaning and polishing as to provide a clean clear surface so my drag washer can get maximum grip possible. I’ve not only maximized my drag but Iv’e increased my drag window by both lowering the effective force needed to begin drag and increased the amount of drag available before total lock down.

[angry john]

I was trying to make an analogy between surface friction and polishing. If you polish a surface then i think your working it down in grit to obtain a nice shine. A very polished surface will have almost no friction. What i am trying to illustrate is you may want to stop short of very polished and leave a little bit of surface abrasions. This may be even more important if you plan on using grease in your drag stack. If you polish to a high shine, you may not want to use grease. If cleaning up the stack is the only issue, this is not a problem for you. I spend a lot of time polishing, my aluminium motorcycle rims, and other high shine parts, so glass smooth is my standard.