Aerosal Spray for Cleaning Bearings

[ShimanoFan]

Shimano was quick to get back to me. Took 10 minutes for my reply.

I emailed them just a few minutes ago asking them directly if they recommend using acetone on bearings... AND their reel parts...

Keep in mind, this is DIRECTLY FROM SHIMANO!

"fishsitefeedback <FishSiteFeedback@shimano.com>
Thu 12/27/2018, 4:33 PM
Kent,

No. We only recommend using a ------ ----- of ------- -----.


From: Customer Service [mailto:contact-us@shimanoweb.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2018 4:23 PM
To: fishsitefeedback <FishSiteFeedback@shimano.com>
Subject: Shimano North America Fishing, Inc.


Imagine that! Corporate Shimano says NO! NO ACETONE for Shimano reels. Use at your own risk! Ha! Backed up by Shimano! BOOM shack-a-lacka. Slam dunk!

So much for online experts!

Still waiting on Daiwa to get back to me.

[ShimanoFan]

So you are basically coming on a enthusiast site, claiming one of the best reel tuners in the business is WRONG and you are RIGHT? Man, this gets better by the minute!

Nope! Shimano just did it for me!

Shimano is right. It is THEIR reels. They know better.

I just agree with them! And, I have to follow their rules. If I am to repair their reels to their level of expected servicing as directed, trained and educated to do, then I have to obey them, not so called online experts with zero connection to the brands they use- as well as zero brand training.

And this is why a 31 year old under contract warranty repair facility does not even have any acetone anywhere in the shop. No reason to.

This does get better by the minute! You just got slam dunked by Shimano! In fact, every acetone lover on this site just got slam dunked by Shimano.

Ha!

In fact, shimano advises us on what we can use and can not use. Is this type of proprietary info posted anywhere around here?

If Shimano were to post that info here, then there would be fewer end user damaged reels to make less money off of. So no posting of lists like that.

So keep on listening to online experts! And keep those reels coming!

It just seems to me that in an ideal situation everyone should be on board with the brand recommendations, not some guy online who puts themself forward as an expert. I mean, if TT is suppose to be the premier tackle site, then logically what is recommended here should be in alignment with brand requirements, not this, that, maybe that? How about his? No, that. Absurd! All over the place!

As I said above... there is a right way, a wrong way, and gov----- online expert ways... If you are going to spend big bucks on good equipment, it only makes sense to follow brand recommendations. It does not make sense to follow advice from those without training and without connections to those brands.

If I had a corvette or ferrari, shade tree mechanics won't be touching it. Only factory approved educated and trained servicing professionals- so this is where my biases are and rightly so!

I am expecting Daiwa to say the same thing I hope! Another slam dunk is on the way- maybe! But as you can tell I am counting on it.

Shimano just busted this nonsense wide open once and for all time! NO ACETONE! Love it! Nice to be right every once in a while.

Guess some of those muscle cars are going to blow a head gasket while my Honda runs circles around them!



Shimano just shut the lights off on this lively debate! All done and over with. No longer my opinion against TT. Now it is TT versus Shimano!

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Shimano also used anti reverse paws at one time on certain reels and recommended not to take them out. But TT enthusiasts did none the less. All the while their sister JDM reel didnt use one. Then they silently(rolling change) stopped using ARP on same reel.
Im not surprised by Shimanos response typical really. Yep you have to follow their rules, I dont.

[ShimanoFan]

You know, you raise a very interesting point.

I have really enjoyed talking with Shimano executives at our shop when they visit us, or at ICAST.

And one of the most interesting things to me is their perspective on making reels for USA and making reels for Japan. They see reel use as very different in each country. So they tweak reels specifically for the US market and tweak reels just for their JDM market.

I really enjoyed listening to Shimano executives explain some of those differences and how it plays out in their reel designs and production.

I can not confirm this, but I was told some years ago when I asked about this same issue concerning the AR pawl that they wanted it left in the US reels because of increased use in US of heavy line 50 pounds and greater which these reels were never designed for.

And because of this heavier line being used here, yanking on things harder with this heavier line tended to break or damage more reels and Shimano wanted an extra AR protection device in the reels to cut down on failure rate due to "our" particular American way of using their reels, or as Shimano would view it abuse that voids warranties.

These reels were never made for being crane winches, but that is how a lot of them are being used. Drags tightened down to lock down and left that way. Never backed off. Never adjusted. Just cranked down and left alone and used like this with heavy line leading to heavy use, hence the reason Shimano wanted that AR pawl left in US reels.

[LgMouthGambler]

I guess weve all been taught a valuable lesson. We know nothing. All hail the all mighty service God. Guess we should pack our bags and shut down the site? After all, nobody on here can post anything valuable anymore since we are not trained professionals and are "all over the place" with product use.

What a joke...

[Aquaftm45]

At the shop and at home I like to use plain old mineral spirits because it is a weak solvent and does not damage plastics. And it leaves behind a thin coat of oil.

So mineral spirits is Shimano's secret warranty sauce that was so covert it needed to be redacted from their email to you?

[ShimanoFan]

No sir. Not at all. Mineral spirits is my own personal choice for soaking bearings. I use it at home and the shop. And it is not the only product we use for this. We have others... but not acetone.

What Shimano recommended in the email was different, and may surprise you, but if you want that info please contact Shimano for it. It is not a commonly discussed product around here or any forum. I don't think I have ever seen what Shimano said recommended by anyone else anywhere ever. Shimano says one thing, everyone else says something different.

All I was looking for was the answer on acetone use. A yes or, a no.

I took this a step further than Daiwa and Shimano. Lews, Abu, Quantum, Zebco, Penn, Okuma, and several others are being asked the same question so this issue can be settled once and for all time. I don't expect any of the brands to come back to me with an approval for it or, even a recommendation for it. And if this proves to be the case from the major brands, then logically and reasonably it should be considered above and beyond non-brand recommendations found outside of the corporations.

I am also asking this same question from a couple of the large bearing companies as well.

Acetone should be banned in my opinion.

It is not a product "reel experts" should be recommending if the brand who made the reel says no.

Something like this should not even be an issue among forum members.

This discussion should be a benefit to all of us, not a detriment. Surely we all want to use the right products on our investments rather than anything that might cause harm to the products or, our health.

[Poisson]

No. We only recommend using a ------ ----- of ------- -----.

I think you may get this response verbatim for any solvent other than "a ------ ----- of ------- -----". Does Shimano recommend a soak in mineral spirits?

[ShimanoFan]

No sir, that was not the recommendation.

Mineral spirits is what I use for soaking bearings sometimes. Not all the time though. We use various solvents but not acetone.

What Shimano recommended did not contain a solvent. It was a specific lubricant you'll have to ask them about.


I really have to tread lightly on this bearing subject because there are ongoing situations concerning brands and bearings and us techs are caught in the middle and really should not be revealing certain things ever. I can get in trouble and lose the job if the wrong thing is said.

Certain brands demand certain bearings. But sometimes those brands are out of them and won't get new ones in for a long time, and shops around the country have reels to get out the door, so compromise happens. And this is where it can get sticky and best for me to avoid getting into.

I am waiting now on one part Shimano will not have back in stock until sometime in April of next year. Sucks, but it is what it is.

And this is where substitutions come into play. Some are allowed and some are not and this deals directly with bearings.

One thing a lot of us end users do not think about nor consider is um bearing lubricant inside of the bearings.

If you were to purchase a 3X10X4mm bearing from a bearing company for your reel, do you know what lubricant the maker of the bearing will put inside of it? No way to know unless you specifically ask that bearing manufacturer.

And, is that lubricant what a reel brand would want in a reel? Is it suitable for a reel? Or, did the bearing company use a lubricant for heavier duty use than a reel and more of it than say a reel brand would want?

But when a company who makes fishing reels orders up 10,000 3X10X4 bearings for specific use inside of their reels, isn't there a possibility that said brand can request from the bearing maker to use a specific lubricant in only the bearings they purchase?

How many here consider this? Shimano may not want that lubricant flushed out and replaced which is why they recommended a lubricant additive to what is already inside the bearing.

So when a company like Shimano makes a recommendation it comes with this type of knowledge built in but they are not telling us this.

So the recommendation I received from Shimano could be that what they recommended is a lubricant possibly meant to enhance that which is already in the bearing. Is it possible?

Shimano has very specific bearing requirements for their reels and for good reason too.

And they do not like to see the vast wide variety of lubricants shoved into their reels that is happening now. I have been told by certain parties that sometimes a brand will return a reel sent in for repair to the owner if it is contaminated with the wrong lubricant.

This is why I stress that following brand recommendations should be the rule by which we all follow rather than the vast wide variety of online opinions coming from people with zero contact with the brands, and those who do not have the information brands want their reels serviced by. DIY is a hit or miss scenario that all leads right back to the brand eventually as they want it.

So this has been a point of discussion for major brands to incorporate into their product lines a similar scenario we see in the aftermarket. The major brands may get in on that game eventually too! And I hope so!

[Aquaftm45]

No sir, that was not the recommendation.

Mineral spirits is what I use for soaking bearings sometimes. Not all the time though. We use various solvents but not acetone.

What Shimano recommended did not contain a solvent. It was a specific lubricant you'll have to ask them about.


I really have to tread lightly on this bearing subject because there are ongoing situations concerning brands and bearings and us techs are caught in the middle and really should not be revealing certain things ever. I can get in trouble and lose the job if the wrong thing is said.

Certain brands demand certain bearings. But sometimes those brands are out of them and won't get new ones in for a long time, and shops around the country have reels to get out the door, so compromise happens. And this is where it can get sticky and best for me to avoid getting into.

I am waiting now on one part Shimano will not have back in stock until sometime in April of next year. Sucks, but it is what it is.

And this is where substitutions come into play. Some are allowed and some are not and this deals directly with bearings.

One thing a lot of us end users do not think about nor consider is um bearing lubricant inside of the bearings.

If you were to purchase a 3X10X4mm bearing from a bearing company for your reel, do you know what lubricant the maker of the bearing will put inside of it? No way to know unless you specifically ask that bearing manufacturer.

And, is that lubricant what a reel brand would want in a reel? Is it suitable for a reel? Or, did the bearing company use a lubricant for heavier duty use than a reel and more of it than say a reel brand would want?

But when a company who makes fishing reels orders up 10,000 3X10X4 bearings for specific use inside of their reels, isn't there a possibility that said brand can request from the bearing maker to use a specific lubricant in only the bearings they purchase?

How many here consider this? Shimano may not want that lubricant flushed out and replaced which is why they recommended a lubricant additive to what is already inside the bearing.

So when a company like Shimano makes a recommendation it comes with this type of knowledge built in but they are not telling us this.

So the recommendation I received from Shimano could be that what they recommended is a lubricant possibly meant to enhance that which is already in the bearing. Is it possible?

Shimano has very specific bearing requirements for their reels and for good reason too.

And they do not like to see the vast wide variety of lubricants shoved into their reels that is happening now. I have been told by certain parties that sometimes a brand will return a reel sent in for repair to the owner if it is contaminated with the wrong lubricant.

This is why I stress that following brand recommendations should be the rule by which we all follow rather than the vast wide variety of online opinions coming from people with zero contact with the brands, and those who do not have the information brands want their reels serviced by. DIY is a hit or miss scenario that all leads right back to the brand eventually as they want it.

So this has been a point of discussion for major brands to incorporate into their product lines a similar scenario we see in the aftermarket. The major brands may get in on that game eventually too! And I hope so!

What kind of aerosols does Shimano recommend for reel oil and grease?

[ShimanoFan]

What kind of aerosols does Shimano recommend for reel oil and grease?

A question like that is one I don't want to say anything on. Ask Shimano directly or, maybe Bantam can chime in and say what Shimano wants or does not want.

Part of the reason for my reluctance to say anything is because I am not sure if I have permission to do so. So I defer to Bantam on this one since he is a direct Shimano employee and rep. Maybe he can answer this for you.

This is an issue I am caught in the middle of as a lowly reel tech- is that some of the lubricants we use come directly from Shimano and are required by Shimano and sourced from Shimano, while other lubricants are not sourced from Shimano, but yet allowed is the best way I can put it. This is another area of compromise, but I don't have the authority to say since I am in the middle.

So my point is, I am not really in a position to declare precisely that which Shimano wants all of us to know or not know. I let them handle this area.

But be aware of one thing... it is not just one grease and one oil. There are multiple oils and greases involved. Oils of different viscosity and composition as well as grease differences too.

So please ask Shimano and Bantam this question. My whole input on this thread was to simply suggest not using acetone and relying on aerosols when there are better choices to be made.

[Aquaftm45]

Come on, you gotta follow through with that slam dunk...

I guess this stuff would be alright...

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[ShimanoFan]

Come on, you gotta follow through with that slam dunk...

I guess this stuff would be alright...

Yep. We have those too.

[Aquaftm45]

Come on, you gotta follow through with that slam dunk...

I guess this stuff would be alright...

Yep. We have those too.

Unfortunatly (or fortunatly), I don't own any Shimano's..

[Aquaftm45]

Come on, you gotta follow through with that slam dunk...

I guess this stuff would be alright...

Yep. We have those too.

Unfortunatly (or fortunatly), I don't own any Shimano's..or I could spray the bejesus out of them