# Tuning a 6600w for max spin time



## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Ok guys here you go,

I've been asked about reel tuning and what secrets there are to getting long spin times on tourney reels. This is a 6600w I tuned for a customer of Bill Thomas (Bill's Custom reels). The spool is very nice, no major heavy side to contend with and it balanced out sweet on the first attempt. The lighting sucks and most of it is shot "over the shoulder" with the camera on the tripod. I tried to explain each step through the tune.

Oh yea, the bearings are dry stainless steel, not ceramic.... 

Two clips, first is the tune...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYZCtBGfNY

Second is the test spin... fast forward if you like...... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_z8Oaj84Ls

I hope this helps to answer some questions about tuning.

Tommy


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Thanks, Tommy.

That's very helpful.


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## mud (Sep 23, 2007)

sweet. Thanks Tommy!!


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## eric (Oct 24, 2007)

abec 7? doubt anyone would use abec9 in a reel. lol
i dont know if my reel is weird or not.
i never timed it without oil. but it spins about 2mins with fishing oil. not the fast stuff. lol
on abec5 ceramics


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Tommy, thanks again... So are you telling me I've been laying my line on wrong te whole time? LOL So will an uneven line lay knock minutes of your spin time....? I'll be in the basement most of the day getting to the bottom of this..


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## jlentz (Sep 11, 2005)

Thanks Tommy, nice info. Definitely one for the bible.

John


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

kmw21230 said:


> Tommy, thanks again... So are you telling me I've been laying my line on wrong te whole time? LOL So will an uneven line lay knock minutes of your spin time....? I'll be in the basement most of the day getting to the bottom of this..


kmw,

A poorly balanced spool will knock minutes off of the spin time... 

Not sure how you're laying it down but laying the line down irregularly will affect balance and it will affect how the line comes off the spool during a cast. After the initial hump and fill-in the way the line is laid on makes a big difference so I try to lay it down (as close as possible to) the same way every time. This is a variable that changes with each cast and does affect balance. 

I touched on this a bit in the video but laying down the line with about the same number of handle revolutions per pass is important. If you have a very coarse pass, say 4-5 handle revs and follow that up with say, 7-8 handle revs on the next layer then you are asking for a blow-up. The spool has to accelerate for the 4-5 rev layer and then needs to decelerate for the 7-8 rev layer which causes spool speed surge during the cast. 

I know this is reel techno-babble but it does work.... 

And yes, i do balance my fishing reels.... , i just won't spend an hour on it if the balance is a little off.

Tommy


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Cool... I will be redoing all my reels this weekend.. LOL


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## matt c (Dec 1, 2007)

*Reel*

Hey Tommy

Great reel tunning video,How about one on the way you take your shields off your bearings and how you do them?

Thanks
Matt


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Too much foul language involved with taking off the shields..... 

I use a small fishhook and usually stick myself at least once getting the small 'c' clip out. 

Tommy


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Hey Tommy.. I followed your instructions and was able to increased my spin time by 1 mnute. (2:45min\sec)... That's with dry stock bearings, and replacing the plastic clog.. Would the spin time increase by using better bearings (abec 7 SS\Ceramic)?


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

kmw21230 said:


> Hey Tommy.. I followed your instructions and was able to increased my spin time by 1 mnute. (2:45min\sec)... That's with dry stock bearings, and replacing the plastic clog.. Would the spin time increase by using better bearings (abec 7 SS\Ceramic)?




So you increased your spin time by 60%.... 

Nice work.

My experience with spool bearings is that there can be a wide range of quality between bearings that are supposed to be the same. I go through bearings, clean them and match them up by spin time on a chopstick........

That's pretty darn anal I guess ... lol

My point being that abec 7 will not guarantee a longer spin time. I've had better luck with abec 5's due to the tighter tolerences in the 7's.

I like ceramics, but a good set of stainless steel are just as good, some guys like them better.

Another thing that will increase the spin time is practice at the ol flick and freespool.

Tommy


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Tommy, have you ever tried to see how your Mag Elite (stock) would spin..?


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Check out the last 30 seconds.. I marked the spool every time and it always stopped in a different place. But doesn't look balanced to me..


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## willyrobt (Apr 7, 2007)

Tommy,
That is great information. Thank you.
V/R
Bill


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## big brother (May 15, 2002)

*and as Paul Harvey says*

the rest of the story. That kind of tuning knowledge is not something that happens overnight. O no, we must go back many years and many "drinking decks" on houses we have rented on Hatteras. Tommy, cuz'n Bill, myself and whoever happened to be with us, after several hours of serious drinking and bull about what had happened since we saw each other last, somebody would suggest that we "tune" some reels. If we had been dumb enough to tape some of that "tuning" it could make "America's Funniest Home Videos" with no problem.
And if you will excuse a little more serious note, if it were not for those fishing trips, Tommy and Myself would be just brothers and probably not the friends we are today and we would never have made the friends we have all over the country [and the world] through surf fishing and casting. Please do all you can to keep the OBX "free and open".
charlie


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Great Point, Big Brother...


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Those trips to Hatteras from the mid 90's - early 2000's rank up there with the best times of my life.... . Deck drinking and solving all of life's.... hell the all the worlds problems. it just doesn't get much better, and we caught fish too.... 

We gotta do it again ths fall Charlie, if there is a beach to drive on.

Tommy





big brother said:


> the rest of the story. That kind of tuning knowledge is not something that happens overnight. O no, we must go back many years and many "drinking decks" on houses we have rented on Hatteras. Tommy, cuz'n Bill, myself and whoever happened to be with us, after several hours of serious drinking and bull about what had happened since we saw each other last, somebody would suggest that we "tune" some reels. If we had been dumb enough to tape some of that "tuning" it could make "America's Funniest Home Videos" with no problem.
> And if you will excuse a little more serious note, if it were not for those fishing trips, Tommy and Myself would be just brothers and probably not the friends we are today and we would never have made the friends we have all over the country [and the world] through surf fishing and casting. Please do all you can to keep the OBX "free and open".
> charlie


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