cork drag maintenance?

[huibgeselschap]

hi there all,

just bought an Orvis SSS 11-12 anti-reverse for my 16' #10 sage, i must say, nice set, cant wait to get to the river!

thing is, this reel is about 15 years old and seems lightly or never used before. Just took it apart to inspect and all seems pristine. just the cork is dry as... well you guessed it. Do i need to lubricate this as the orvis customer service advised?

what do you do to keep your cork drag in good order?

[BN2FSH]

I suggest you look on the Abel and Tibor websites and see what they recommend for their cork drags. However, I think they recommend neatsfoot oil. What did orifice recommend?

[Tarpon41]

Yes pure neatsfoot...no solvent in the mix

[sbw4]

Suggest you call Orvis customer service. I've dealt with them over the years with respect to 6 SSS's I own and have always gotten good advice/service.

[sweet+salt]

Your SSS (Salmon, Steelhead, Saltwater) reel dates from the late 1980's and was built in Junine de los Andes in Patagonia. Other than it's face mounted drag adjustment knob and it's balky rubber "O" ring-secured retaining plate, it is a very well built and serviceable reel. I caught many large fish with this reel's direct-drive progenitor back in those days.

The cork composite drag surface is relatively small by today's Able, Tibor standards and the mounting adhesive was not very sophisticated. However, assuming there is no lifting or bubbling under and around the edges of the cork (if there is it will need to visit Orvis reel repair) simply apply a few small drops of neatsfoot oil to the cork and rub it in with your finger tip whipping away any excess with a bit of absorbent paper. Actually this should be done with all cork drag surfaces at least once a year. It is my habit, when returning from a major trip to dissemble my reels, soak them in warm water, towel and then fully air dry them, lubricate the moving parts (I like Teflon impregnated gun lubricants of various viscosities), oil the cork and put them away with the drag setting at zero.