| Fishing reel bearings fall into six categories these | | | | them at least every year to retain long life and to |
| days: roller bearings, ball bearings, journal bearings, | | | | keep your reel smoother. First, you'll want to |
| needle bearings, thrust bearings, and tapered | | | | clean them. Putting some WD-40 on it and |
| bearings. Roller and ball bearings are the ones | | | | dabbing them on a paper towel or cloth is good |
| usually used, so I'll get into detail about these two. | | | | way to get it done. Once you're done cleaning it, I |
| OK, first off, let's examine the "tech specs" of | | | | would recommend putting drops of oil from an |
| fishing reel bearings, particularly ball and roller | | | | applicator in between the two races. Be sure to |
| bearings. There are two "runway" tracks | | | | buy quality oil recommended by your reel |
| (technically called races) that the bearings, held in | | | | manufacturer. I use Quantum Hot Sauce and has |
| place by a cage, slide on while the bearing is | | | | worked for me very well. If there is a shield and |
| spinning. To make sure the rollers and the cage | | | | retainer on the bearing, there is usually a little |
| don't come out, there is a round shield and a | | | | opening in between the races, so just let the oil |
| shield retainer between the two races. If you | | | | drip in between them. Make sure not to put too |
| want to examine a bearing, first pop out the | | | | much in the bearing, a couple of drops will do. |
| shield retainer with a knife with a pointed tip or a | | | | Many people make the mistake of putting to |
| needle, being careful not to loose it (it acts like a | | | | much oil in the bearing which shortens the life of it |
| spring), then take the shield off. | | | | and makes the handle hesitate to move freely. |
| How about oiling your bearing? You should oil | | | | |