HT-100 Drag on a Penn Senator 114H

[Dragon]

I am rebuilding an early vintage (White Handle) Penn Senator 114H (Red-Post) and found a fantastic deal on the HT-100 drag system ($11). I use Cal's drag grease on all of my spinners, but was wondering if I should drag grease the carbon fiber washers used in the HT-100 system??? Any experiences, knowledge or otherwise would be greatly appreciated!

Also, has anyone used the silicone impregnated standard thick washers that Penn used to sell?

This was a rod & reel my bro-in-law had and laying in the yard, and it was a real mess. I rebuilt it and replaced the cracked side plates, now I have a nice 6/0 proven system for virtually free, except the $30 or so bux for the side rings and drag system. I intend to use it for Shark fishing. Fortunately he had two, and the other is also in bad shape, but I intend to rebuild it too...

[Miami_Chris]

You can grease them up if you want. Some people suggest greasing the drags(alan tani in particular) while others dont(penn itself). Its all personal preference.

They sell some awesome aftermarket frames for the senators you might want to look at. it beefs up the reel, and allows for a bit more drag which is nice on these old senators.

[Dragon]

Thanks M_C! yes, I saw those and may have to definitely upgrade since these are proven reels that were free.

[cudaman]

Go ahead and grease them with Cal's grease or Yamaha marine blue grease. It will make for a smooth run rather than a choppy one. Just make sure you do not over grease a finger print thickness is more than enough or you will have a buttered drag.

[Dragon]

Thanks

[tdimaniac]

Do not use the yamaha grease.....only cal's (or the stuff shimano made for drag washers). It is not the same as standard grease like the yamaha.

On a star drag reel you don't need to be concerned with extra drag grease as it will squeeze out. On lever drag reels you do need to wipe the extra off (or you won't have free spool).

Main advantage is it keeps the salt out of the drag washers. More of a factor on lever drag reels where corrosion can build up on the side of the spool (between the drag washer and spool).

[Dragon]

I would agree on the star drags. I put the reel together without the Cal's grease and then disassembled it and used Cal's. What a difference especially when the drag starts to work. no jerk at all when the drag starts working, even up to 20# of drag!. I think I am a grased drag washer fan now...