Re-lubing Polars

[icedauber]

Have some old polars. Purchased a tube of HT Blu-lube. Can anyone give me guidance on re-lubing the shafts?   thanx 

[GAMBELL]

ICEDAUBER,

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TAKE THE NUT AND BAR OFF OF THE TIP UP SHAFT.  THEN SLIDE THE SHAFT OUT OF THE TUBE.  FILL THE TUBE (FROM THE BOTTOM) WITH SOME LUBE AND THEN REASEMBLE.  I DID THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST YEAR.  I USED REGULAR WHITE LITHIUM GREASE AND IT WORKED.  YOU MAY NEED TO REPLACE SOME OF THE NUTS.  IF YOU DO REPLACE THEM, USE TEFLON NUTS.  ANY MORE QUESTIONS FEEL FREE ASK.

[icedauber]

Thanks , I will try this.   

Ice is near!!!!!     

[dogfish]

Ok I take the process a little farther.
I have found that when you take the tip-up apart that there may be some "pockets of water in the tube that will start to rust the inner shaft.  After I slide the shaft out of the tube, I hold the tube over a bucket and spray WD-40 into the tube to clean it of old grease and water.  I then use fine steel wool to clean up the shaft.  Fill the tube with grease, when you reinsert the shaft hold your finger over the far side of the tube to keep as much grease in it as possible.
Dogfish

[IceGeek]

Ok, I know I'm the ultimate geek but heres what I did to make a set of polars REALLY sensitive...actually I only use these tip ups for perch when it is too cold to use my tip downs.  After removing the shaft, I had a machinist friend of mine turn the shaft on a lathe to reduce the diameter of the shaft, leaving about an inch of the original diameter of the shaft at the ends so the shaft doesn't wobble.  This significantly reduces the friction in the tube.  I also use a really expensive cryogenic grease which I liberated from the lab I work in.....It stays really slick down to liquid nitrogen temps.....but the other commercially available grease work well too.  These tip ups are SUPER sensitive, and with the lightest flag setting I can sometimes get a small active fathead minnow to trip the flag...hence I end up using the stiffer flag setting on the smooth side of the t-bar.  You do get a few wind flags and false flags this way, but most people are amazed at the numbers of perch these things catch.  NO resistance with them taking out the line at all even for light biters

[Duckslayer]

Ok, I know I'm the ultimate geek but heres what I did to make a set of polars REALLY sensitive...actually I only use these tip ups for perch when it is too cold to use my tip downs.  After removing the shaft, I had a machinist friend of mine turn the shaft on a lathe to reduce the diameter of the shaft, leaving about an inch of the original diameter of the shaft at the ends so the shaft doesn't wobble.  This significantly reduces the friction in the tube.  I also use a really expensive cryogenic grease which I liberated from the lab I work in.....It stays really slick down to liquid nitrogen temps.....but the other commercially available grease work well too.  These tip ups are SUPER sensitive, and with the lightest flag setting I can sometimes get a small active fathead minnow to trip the flag...hence I end up using the stiffer flag setting on the smooth side of the t-bar.  You do get a few wind flags and false flags this way, but most people are amazed at the numbers of perch these things catch.  NO resistance with them taking out the line at all even for light biters

  wow...that's hardcore...