GEARS AND BEARINGS

GEARS AND BEARINGS.

Salt water that sneaks inside a reel can do severe damage because it stays out of sight and out of mind until the spool seizes at the worst possible moment. ReelX (from Corrosion Technologies) and Reel Fast (from Lear Chemical) combine thin-viscosity lubrication with corrosion protection. “Reel Fast’s anticorrosion formula is fortified with Extreme Pressure (EP) additives that create a slick surface on ball and roller bearings in reels,” says Mark Pearson, managing director for Lear Chemical. Although CorrosionX and ReelX share a similar basic formula, ReelX costs more because it contains an expensive additive that increases lubricity as temperatures rise. “The higher the temperature, the better the lubrication,” Tuite says. “We recommend it for bearings because they tend to heat up as they work. Typical oil tends to break down when heated.” In early 2006 Penn committed to using X-1R grease in all reels leaving the factory. The decision came after extensive research to identify the best possible option. “We removed the right side plate, which houses the gears and bearings, from a number of 965 International baitcasters. A team of engineers cleaned them and coated each one with a different grease, then put them through torture tests,” says Brent Kane, Penn’s national sales manager. Torture included repeated dunk-and-dry cycles in saltwater baths, saltwater spray tests and long days on the roof in the punishing summer sun. “We wanted to put an accelerated life span on the reels,” says Kane, who obviously agrees with my friend’s mileage theory. Accelerated living killed most of the side plates as evaporating water left salt crystals emulsified in the grease, causing cases of extreme, holes-eaten-throughmetal corrosion. Except in the test subject coated with X-1R grease. “That side plate operated as if new. The pinion dropped in and out, and it engaged perfectly,” Kane says. “X-1R displaces water and will not emulsify with salt water, so there were no corrosion problems after getting submerged.”

INVISIBLE SHIELD

 Approached by the makers of Zerust several years ago, Flambeau accepted the challenge to find a way to combine volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) with molded plastic. “We introduced our first Zerust product in 2004, and the technology has been a huge hit,” says Jeff Bush, senior vice president of Flambeau Outdoors. “We now offer more than 40 items with Zerust, including tackle boxes, gun cases and toolboxes.” VCI emits a gas that, when the tackle box is closed, surrounds the contents and prevents the formation of rust and corrosion. Tested and approved by the FDA, Zerust causes no health concerns. “Our official literature states that molded-in Zerust protection lasts five years, but our tests show it actually lasts longer,” Bush says. Plastic containing Zerust is opaque, so Flambeau uses a blue coloration to identify such products. To maintain the seethrough convenience of Tuff Tainer utility boxes, only the internal dividers have this treatment — but that’s still enough to combat corrosion. If you’re not ready to buy new utility boxes just yet, you can protect hooks and