Abraision of fishing line on edge of line guide--D.A.M. Quick 220

[festus]

I've had this D.A.M. Quick 220 nearly 50 years, got it as as birthday present when I was a teenager.  About 35 years ago I had the bail and line guide assembly serviced by a local reel repairman, if I remember correctly some parts had worked loose and gotten lost.

The reel had been put away for many years, then I got interested in fishing again around 2009 and noticed the mono was suffering abrasion from rubbing between the line guide and angle lever.

This bail assembly needs straightened back to the horizontal position.  A rubber bumper will help a wee bit, but not enough to get the assembly back to normal.

My question is the angle lever bent?  I've looked at pics of other 220s online and cannot really tell.

Fred, or anyone else, what's your opinion?

[foakes]

Angle lever should be straight -- not bent.  This just means that the bail wire was bent down over the years.

Remove the angle lever -- Take a pair of flat vise grips or pliers -- cover the jaws with tape -- then align back to straight.

Clean up the gouge with a burnishing wheel and a grinder motor.

Reverse the line guide.

Check also to see if the angle lever has been bent downward from the bail snapping back into place.  If so, remove and realign with grips or pliers also.

For the bumper, go to a medical supply house to see if they have a few scraps of clear tubing like is used for Oxygen.  Pick the right size and just cut a 3/32" ring with an X-ACTO knife.  Hobby shops have this also for fuel lines.

The nut that holds the bail wire on should have a toothed spring washer and an acorn hex nut with a through hole in it.  The pictured nut is wrong -- however, it will not affect function -- just cosmetics.

These things will make the reel proper, and also align the line lay on the spool to squarely even -- providing the under spool washers are also right.

Someone may have used braid or some tough line on the reel.  Mono would not gouge or mark the angle lever.

Best,

Fred

[festus]

Fred, I followed your instructions and bent the angle lever as straight as I could then reassembled it.  This solved one problem but created another.  The line guide is now in the horizontal position as it should be, but when I tighten the nut the bail return no longer works. If I loosen the nut, the bail return works, but of course the line guide is loose.  I can back out the lug screw and get the bail to working, but then it still isn't suitable for fishing. I tried bending the bail wire to line everything up but that didn't help either.

This bail assembly has always been a problem with this reel.  The trip lever and spring are functioning ok.  I think it would be best to go ahead replace the bail, line guide, angle lever, spring washer and acorn hex nut. Hopefully this will fix the problem.

[oc1]

Maybe the bail wire is bent so it does not line up with the angle lever (when viewed looking down at the spool and drag knob). Or, maybe the angle lever is both bent down and also bent to one side.   If the bail wire and line roller do not meet the hole in the angle lever at 90 degrees and perpendicular, it could be trying to pull the angle lever to one side.  So, when the screw is tightened there is enough tension to prevent the bail from snapping closed.
-steve

[mo65]

   I just recently busted the rubber bumper on my 221...it was dried out from age. I was having trouble getting the tubing to stay put, so I cut a piece of black shrink tubing and heated it...it's fixed tight now.

[foakes]

Bails commonly get bent on OF spinners all of the time, Festus --

However, the bails on a DAM Quick are as tough as they come -- and will easily be useful for another 40 years, as long as it is not nicked, gouged, or corroded -- and yours looks good.

Here is the likely scenario --

You discovered that you had lost some parts from your bail assembly -- and took it into a local repair guy.

If this happens, generally the acorn nut, toothed lock washer, and line guide are what falls off.

So the local guy, although a good reel mechanic -- doesn't have the right parts.  So he just finds another guide, a nut that will not tighten well, and likely no lock washer.

Problem is that the guide is too small, so the line rides off of the guide sometimes -- the nut will not torque up snug, the angle lever was bent, the trip lever may be riding a little low, and there is no bumper to align the angle lever up squarely with the spool when retrieving line.

My fix would be a new acorn nut, lock washer, correct line guide, return bumper, new bail spring -- and although not needed for function, a  new angle lever and AL screw would look better over the next 40 years.

The bail wire should be fine -- just burnish it up with "0000" steel wool -- rinse, dry, and reinstall.

When installing the bail wire -- after installing the angle lever, spring, and AL screw -- bend it in or out slightly to reduce side pressure on the AL -- keeping it free when torqued just snug -- not overly tight.

To do the final snug -- tape the jaws of a crescent wrench -- hold opposite pressure on the bail -- tighten the acorn nut and toothed locking washer with a nut driver.

Use a little dusting of graphite powder like for door locks on the mechanism -- or if you use oil, just half a drop will do on each side of the rotating head -- where parts move and interact.

If you have these parts off of another old DQ reel -- they can be used if they are OK.

If you do not have these parts -- just let me know, and I could send some your way Monday -- after we return tomorrow.  Am in Corona Del Mar until tomorrow.

Best,

Fred

[festus]

My fix would be a new acorn nut, lock washer, correct line guide, return bumper, new bail spring -- and although not needed for function, a  new angle lever and AL screw would look better over the next 40 years.

The bail wire should be fine -- just burnish it up with "0000" steel wool -- rinse, dry, and reinstall.

When installing the bail wire -- after installing the angle lever, spring, and AL screw -- bend it in or out slightly to reduce side pressure on the AL -- keeping it free when torqued just snug -- not overly tight.

To do the final snug -- tape the jaws of a crescent wrench -- hold opposite pressure on the bail -- tighten the acorn nut and toothed locking washer with a nut driver.

If you do not have these parts -- just let me know, and I could send some your way Monday -- after we return tomorrow.  Am in Corona Del Mar until tomorrow.

Best,

Fred

Thanks Fred.  l spent quite a while today bending, unbending and re-bending the bail wire and angle lever, assembling, unassembling and re-assembling and finally got them aligned.  lt didn't help with the makeshift line guide problem, however.

ln the near future l'll contact you for parts.  l need a line guide, acorn nut, lock washer, and angle lever.  The bail spring is ok.  l also probably need some parts for my 550N which is another unfinished project l need to revisit, or may even send it to you for repair. l also need  a couple of screws for a Penn Long Beach if you have them plus some more odds and ends.

ln the meantime l have a fully functional D.A.M. Quick 220N if l decide to head to the pond. Noticed the diameter of the spool is smaller than the 220.

[Tiddlerbasher]

Fred, the Master, has spoken, heed the words