I have been unable to find out how to properly clean & Lube just the  bait cast reel braking system with your old school , standard 6 pin centrifugal braking system ? I believe the drum where the centrifugal  white nylon brakes ride should be cleaned & lubed - but what about the nylon brakes themselves  , as well as , the tiny metal shafts the individual nylon brakes ride up and down on - should they be cleaned & lubed as well ? Thanks in advance for replies with information !

Keep all of the centrifugal brake parts dry, you don't want lubricant to get all over the brake drum.  Additionally, if you have a Dremel and some metal polish, go at low speed and polish the brake drum and it will make the braking more consistent.  Afterwards, clean up any residue with a Q-tip soaked in IPA.

On 5/25/2021 at 4:48 AM, redmeansdistortion said:

Keep all of the centrifugal brake parts dry, you don't want lubricant to get all over the brake drum.  Additionally, if you have a Dremel and some metal polish, go at low speed and polish the brake drum and it will make the braking more consistent.  Afterwards, clean up any residue with a Q-tip soaked in IPA.

*I'm not doubting your suggestion - what peaked my curiosity was this new product from Lew's (Lucas Oil) to clean & lube centrifugal bait cast reel brakes : https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lews_Speed_Brake_Centrifugal_Brake_Cleaner_and_Lube/descpage-FGBCL.html . No directions I could find what the procedure is , how much to apply , etc. ? 

1 hour ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Afterwards, clean up any residue with a Q-tip soaked in IPA.

Do you think a Pilsner or Lager would work?...

You can try it if you like.  But I wouldn't spend my money on that type of thing.  One of my older reels tends to leak oil onto the brake plate, and you know it's time to clean it when it start backlashing out of nowhere.  The oil renders the brakes virtually useless.  

22 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

Do you think a Pilsner or Lager would work?...

 

For hot weather I'd probably go with a nice pilsner or a fruity IPA, to be honest. Cold weather is stout weather.

A deep secondary search turned this up : 

Centrifugal Braking System - Fishing Rods, Reels, Line, and Knots - Bass Fishing Forums (bassresource.com)

 

New Curado I Is Screeching On Casting - Fishing Rods, Reels, Line, and Knots - Bass Fishing Forums (bassresource.com) .

 

*Most likely sponsor DVT would still suggest using the same approach to clean & lube the centrifugal braking system  ? Looks like this new Lew's centrifugal brake lube is probably  a light all - in - one : "Cleaner - Lube"   to replace  the two step isopropyl alcohol and reel bearing oil for the centrifugal braking system ?

3 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

 Looks like this new Lew's centrifugal brake lube is probably  a light all - in - one : "Cleaner - Lube"   to replace  the two step isopropyl alcohol and reel bearing oil for the centrifugal braking system ?

Cleaner N lube just like WD40 or just any gun cleaning oil “REM Oil, Lucas Oil” doesn’t sound special to me.

Now why and what make you think you need to clean reel braking system? 
When I clean my Shimano reels, I always clean Centrifugal brake area both, brake blocks and metal surface area. Why because I want to get the most free and smoothest spin out of my reels. I don’t use anything special just regular bantam oil that come with my reel, a drop on q-tip and rub all the area. You could see how dirty Q-tip get, especially in plastic brake blocks.

Im not familiar with Lew’s brake but some ppl the own Abu also polish the metal surface just to make is as smooth as possible.

The brake shoes can get gummed up over time, but simple green and a rinse with hot water is all it takes. I lock the tabs down so not to lose any. Again, swab pins, shoes and drum with alcohol followed by a very thin film of light oil on the drum during regular maintenance will prevent any problems. 

In my personal opinion you should not lube the brake drum if you want the brakes to do their job properly.  Clean-yes    Lube-no.  

Do not lube centrifugal brakes - they work by friction against the drum. Lubricating them removes that friction - might as well just turn them all off.

 

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Do not lube centrifugal brakes - they work by friction against the drum. Lubricating them removes that friction - might as well just turn them all off.

I have always oiled the below parts with a light bit of oil each year and never had an issue with the brakes not working.  In fact they can, in some cases, work better over time.  I have worked on some older Curados that have never been oiled, have grooved drums and the brakes are black at the tip.  This can make the braking system somewhat worthless.

 

 

I either put a tiny drop or a cotton swab with oil on each pin and then move them back and forth to make sure the brake functions correctly.  I then use a cotton swab with a drop of oil on the drum.  On Shimano's newer reels with the SVS brake system, they recommend that the drum get oiled lightly after five outings (depending on the reel). 

 

This reel is gets used heavily for heavy topwater with braid and after 10 years it still looks and feels new.   The brakes and drum are original.   This reel was recently done and with two brakes I was casting a 3/8 oz Jackhammer Chatterbait and a Pop-X without issue. 

 

 

 

 

Yep a little REM oil on qtip ran around the drum works great. All 6 pin shimanos get this 2-3 times a year.

3 hours ago, FishTank said:

 

I have always oiled the below parts with a light bit of oil each year and never had an issue with the brakes not working.  In fact they can, in some cases, work better over time.  I have worked on some older Curados that have never been oiled, have grooved drums and the brakes are black at the tip.  This can make the braking system somewhat worthless.

 

 

I either put a tiny drop or a cotton swab with oil on each pin and then move them back and forth to make sure the brake functions correctly.  I then use a cotton swab with a drop of oil on the drum.  On Shimano's newer reels with the SVS brake system, they recommend that the drum get oiled lightly after five outings (depending on the reel). 

 

This reel is gets used heavily for heavy topwater with braid and after 10 years it still looks and feels new.   The brakes and drum are original.   This reel was recently done and with two brakes I was casting a 3/8 oz Jackhammer Chatterbait and a Pop-X without issue. 

 

*This is exactly what I was looking for in the way of directions / procedure  - thanks !

 

 

 

On 5/25/2021 at 5:51 AM, ChrisD46 said:

*I'm not doubting your suggestion - what peaked my curiosity was this new product from Lew's (Lucas Oil) to clean & lube centrifugal bait cast reel brakes : https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lews_Speed_Brake_Centrifugal_Brake_Cleaner_and_Lube/descpage-FGBCL.html . No directions I could find what the procedure is , how much to apply , etc. ? 

Cleaning the brake pads and pins they slide on is a must, as well as using a light lube on the pins.  Alcohol works great for cleaning the pins.  To lube them, I use 6 parts 99% isopropyl alcohol and 1 part TSI 321 and swab with a Q-tip.  Since TSI bonds to the metal, very little is needed and the alcohol functions as a carrier so as not to over lubricate.  The alcohol evaporates leaving a very thin film of TSI behind.  This same solution also works great for spool bearings.

16 hours ago, FishTank said:

 

I have always oiled the below parts with a light bit of oil each year and never had an issue with the brakes not working.  In fact they can, in some cases, work better over time.  I have worked on some older Curados that have never been oiled, have grooved drums and the brakes are black at the tip.  This can make the braking system somewhat worthless.

 

 

I either put a tiny drop or a cotton swab with oil on each pin and then move them back and forth to make sure the brake functions correctly.  I then use a cotton swab with a drop of oil on the drum.  On Shimano's newer reels with the SVS brake system, they recommend that the drum get oiled lightly after five outings (depending on the reel). 

 

This reel is gets used heavily for heavy topwater with braid and after 10 years it still looks and feels new.   The brakes and drum are original.   This reel was recently done and with two brakes I was casting a 3/8 oz Jackhammer Chatterbait and a Pop-X without issue. 

 

 

 

 

This right here!

I had an old greenie with a screech and subsequently found it had a slight groove that was able to be polished out. I think my brakes/reel function better with just a slight oiling after several outings as described above. I get more distance in my cast and the braking is smoother/more controlled. This is on the few shimano's i have.

Topping an old thread because I'm tuning surf Ambassadeurs for a pompano trip next month - when the weather cooperates.

If you read old Ambassadeur and Lew's owners manuals, both tell you to put a drop of oil on the centrifugal race, and on the centrifugal pins behind the shoes. Answers to the contrary are incorrect.

@FishTank nailed it above, and there's a very important method to what others think is madness.

I'll be taking three C3 variants (and one more backup), from surf-microjig for catching cut bait, surf-lure, and staking surf-meat (siamese pompano + redfish rig).

My Ambassadeur CTs and CS Rocket all have fixed internal mag brake, but they also have my favorite 6-pin centrifugal drag washer - no pins engaged on the microjig, two pins engaged on the surf-lure, and all six engaged on the 4-oz-meat reel.

The oil film on the centrifugal pin and inside the shoe creates surface tension, which acts like a spring to fully retract the centrifugal shoes when they're not needed after spool start.

For what it's worth, I do the same as @FishTank described. Since I have WAY more reels than I can use consistently, I just do them when I do there periodic cleaning, but if I have a centrifugal brakes reel that is acting up, or making some noise on the cast, I will give the brake ring a quick wipe down with one end of a clean q-tip, and then a light swiped with an oil dampened other end. To clarify... Dampened is a drop or so of oil on the head of the q-tip, and wipe.

No offense, the wipe is probably not necessary - low viscosity oil wets, and centrifugal use will wipe the oil film everywhere it needs to go.

Kinda reiterating @redmeansdistortion , you don't want centrifugal gunked with oil, but the minimum film to do the job.