Mag 10 Hop Up

Started by mo65, August 16, 2016, 10:03:06 PM

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mo65

   Like Sal said in his Mag 10 rebuild post, this little reel is good the way it is, but we all love making good...better! The reel I'll be working on in this post has been sitting quietly in a drawer for years. After joining this site and seeing all the possibilities for it, I decided to upgrade it from dust collector to lunker buster! ;D
  I'll be dropping in a stainless steel gear sleeve, one of Bryan's 5+1 drag kits, and a yet undecided handle mod. This reel will be casting lures...lots of winding...so a big heavy power crank just won't cut it. Something more compact will work best. I have been testing a variety of handles and have a few I like, just have to flip a coin for a winner...:P

   Looking inside...sure seems clean...almost too clean.



   Too clean indeed! After removing the bridge you can see there was NO grease...only the little bit of oil I had squirted in through the oil ports. The parts in this pic are exactly as they came out. That one leather washer is hit, but everything else looks good.



   The only corrosion I found was on the stand and the slotted post. Being the anal retentive stickler I am...new pieces are on their way from Scott's.



   All metal parts got a vinegar soak...just for good measure. Even the parts I won't be using, as they will be kept for stock.




   Well...that's about as far as I can take it 'til those new parts come in. I'll update in a few days...now back to your regularly scheduled program...:D
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


mo65

  I had a few free minutes at lunch time today...so I was playing around with some parts for this project. I stacked up Bryan's 5+1 drag washers into the gear and noticed the last eared washer was a little closer to top than usual. I went ahead and slipped the sleeve/gear stack onto the bridge and mounted a handle and star. I held the gear stationary while turning the handle...half expecting that eared washer to pop out. I even cranked down the star and put on a glove 'cause that gear was skinnin' me alive. She worked just fine...but the first photo shows how close that eared washer is to the top. The second pic shows how much taller a #5-500 is than that Mag 10 gear. I'll keep an eye on this and report any problems. 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


hurt locker

Nice!!! I have a Mag 10 that I am considering doing some similar upgrades. Right now it has a 24-66 handle and a 10-49 star.  Both are working well for me. Hope you find what you like on yours.

mo65

 Yep...a #24-66 would be an excellent handle choice if I was going to catfish this reel. I love the large torpedo knobs for that. I'd like to find a deal on another Mag 10 to set up that way.
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


mo65

#4
  I had an epiphany...big word fer a hillbilly...huh? :D I just didn't feel comfortable with the 5+1 kit in the Mag 10 gear, that top eared washer was so close to the edge. Then while pondering the options I thought of how well my 309 project worked...and realized the four stack would be great for this little reel too. The only stumbling block was the #98-155 gear sleeve. It just didn't provide much support for the under gear set. I tried a #98-60 and the dog/ratchet fit was great...only problem was the added travel of the dog jammed it into the plate. A little dremeling solved that, now everything is coming together. ;)

 This first photo shows the #98-155 gear sleeve used in the Mag 10 with Bryan's under gear ss washer...not much support for that under gear set up.



   The #98-60 gear sleeve that the under gear set was designed to work with...now that looks better!



   The dog lined up great with the bigger ratchet...now it just needs some room to move when assembled into the plate.



   You can see the area on the left side of the plate where I removed a little material.



   Here's all the bits and pieces shined up and ready to install. I think the stock brass drag washers will do fine for the 10-15lb. range I'm expecting from this reel. Likewise for the brass yoke, eccentric, and dog.







~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


mo65

#5
   I got to finish up this little mag 10 this morning and I'm very satisfied with the outcome. All the functions feel very smooth...drag has great range...and my handle choice makes her feel like a bass fishing reel. I tied a scale on and easily finger tightened 10 pounds from the top of the spool. I believe this will give me a buttery smooth 6-8lb. midrange that I want for hybrid striper runs. 8)

   This pic shows the eared washer from the stock 3 stack well inside the gear. I believe the 5 stack will work with this gear...but you'd have to be very careful during assembly not to let the ears pop out. I also believe the 4 stack setup I used is nearly as powerful and just as smooth...so take your pick...they both rock!



   Here's a look at that under gear set. It covers the whole back of the Mag 10 gear, so I polished the gear carefully to  get a nice smooth drag surface. Adding that #6-309 size carbontex washer is a huge increase in friction area, and the ss washer is a great load bearer.



   Something nobody makes much mention of is proper levelwind set up. Yeah...I know...90% of you rip the levelwind off...this info is for us 10%.:D I like to lightly grease the gear teeth and oil the gear posts. Also the levelwind bearings can have lube viscosity varied to aid cast control. A levelwind assembly with all points lubed with TSI 321 will hardly be noticed, while using your blue grease will slow the spool to a crawl. Always use a light oil on the worm...anything more will collect dirt like a magnet dipped in metal shavings.



   Ahh...the finished reel! I love the #24-85 handle for smaller reels. It has a familiar feel for a freshwater fisherman.



   What a great reel, extremely versatile, and a good looker too!


~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


hurt locker


Decker

Beautiful work (if not over my head)!   I think all the attention you guys are giving to the Penn 10 is driving up the auction prices!  ;)

mo65

Thanks Fellas! ;D I was out on the back 40 today casting this reel. It casts great, and I made another few pulls with the scale, but this time with 40-50yds. pulled off the spool. With the drag set exactly where I left it from yesterday's 10lb. pull...I got 13lbs. today...as figured. I cranked the star hard and hit 15lbs., well above where I'll hang out at 8-12lbs. 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Mic

That is a beautiful reel~!

Excellent Job in the rebuild and upgrade. I have 6 of the Penn 210's and I have made the upgrades to the drags and handles with Alan and Bryan's help. These reels are great.

I had 2 of the 10's but I traded them to a friend who fishes inshore salt water on the Gulf. He loves them so much he won't trade them back. Great reels!

Again, Fantastic Job on the rebuild and upgrades~!

Thanks for the effort


Mic

mo65

   I fished this reel on the Virginia Beach pier recently...it was a trooper...never had a speck of trouble. I mostly just dropped hi-low rigs, but also cast some Got-cha plugs with it. I hear a lot of noise about how poor these things cast. It's just that...noise! Sure, this reel is no Squidder, but the convenience of the levelwind suites me just fine. Besides, if it cast any farther I'd hooked me a surfer! 8) 
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


xjchad

Thanks for the update on how it fished!  And thanks for the inspiration!
I'm really liking the Mag 10 and plan on building one along these lines after I finish my Monster project!
Husband, Father, Fisherman

handi2

If it can throw Gotcha's that well it has to have good freespool. Fantastic looking reel.
OCD Reel Service & Repair
Gulf Breeze, FL

mo65

#13
Quote from: xjchad on June 21, 2018, 09:10:43 PM
Thanks for the update on how it fished!  And thanks for the inspiration!
I'm really liking the Mag 10 and plan on building one along these lines after I finish my Monster project!

  I'm glad I could inspire you Chad...and I'm really diggin' your Mag 10 project! I bet yours will cast every bit as well as the Squidder plus have that great 4:1 speed. 8)

Quote from: handi2 on June 21, 2018, 09:15:32 PM
If it can throw Gotcha's that well it has to have good freespool. Fantastic looking reel.

   I was surprised Keith. I had a Shakespeare 2091A for casting plugs and spoons, but the Roundhead bite was so good that I slapped a hi-low rig on the Shakey too. Well, a little later a school of reds came in and everyone was tossing Got-chas so I snapped up the Mag 10 combo and tied one on. It cast the 1oz. plugs just as well as that spinning combo did...75-100yds. without a hitch.
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Reel 224

What-what-what, I say what, did you do???? ??? :o

Joe
"I don't know the key to success,but the key to failure is trying to please everyone."