Penn 970 Left Side Plate Repair

[Decker]

I got into the Power Mag 970's and 980's last spring.   The advice from Sal and Aiala and others has been invaluable.   I keep my eye out on the auction site for dirty, broken ones that I can get cheap, and it looks like Sal is buying all the others  . I have several with broken plates, and even one where a previous user has filled in the magnet receptacle with epoxy.  I'm encouraged by Porthos' repair work and will try similar repairs.  So far I have used the 970 for surf casting and really like the smoothness and control, not to mention the power for cranking in gator bluefish (no stripers yet).  Heck, why not use it for tuna or cod as well?

Being accustomed to the quick-change spools on Squidders and Jigmasters, I would like to do something similar with my Power Mags.   The spools are cheaper than Squidder and Jigmaster aluminum spools, though more difficult to find.  How can I find some thumb-screws to replace the four screws holding the left-side plate, so that I can disassemble the plate by hand?   Can someone tell me the diameter and thread spec of those?  Probably the plate will need reinforcment, but that will come later.

[Porthos]

An interesting Idea...how many spool configs do you plan on having? The 970 was originally 400/20...I've used it up to 40lb, so if this was my project, it would be possibly be spools for 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40.

Unclear if your design will have the thumb screws such that they will not fall loose once the plate can be removed (kinda like how the take apart thumb screw works on the Jigmasters and Squidmasters). A bunch loose thumb screws is something I'd prefer not to deal with on a rolling deck or in the surf.

I'd highly recommend the pillar bedding technique to avoid accidentally cracking the plate with the thumb screws. (My 970 is currently mothballed until I can do this for all the screws.) The plate lip will need to be sanded down just enough so that it will easily come off the ring though you may have account for expansion when fishing in hotter temperatures--unknown if this will make the plate too loose and possibly spool bearing alignment for the coldest winter temps you are willing to fish.

If you are only going to have two or three spools (say 20, 25, 30), perhaps an easier alternative is to just have three 970's statically configured. Sal has enough 970's to do this for whole 15-40 range...nothing wrong with increasing your working 970 inventory like Sal has though you may want to coordinate efforts on eBay so that you guys are NOT bidding against each other.

[Alto Mare]

No need to coordinate Wai, I'm all set on those.

[Decker]

Porthos, thanks for your interest.   Thinking I could use the 970 in these configurations:

• 20 lb test mono for surf casting
• 30 lb test for surf casting/jetty/party boat with more weight or for bigger fish
• Heavy braid to use with a top shot of heavy mono for bridge/pier fishing & winching, or deeper ocean party boat fishing
• Probably there are other uses...

Really, the "quick change" idea is a luxury, because I could just change spools at home with a screwdriver if needed.  Agreed, I will need the pillaring sooner or later, and would like to upgrade to a stainless sleeve and carbon drags also.  Having several 970 reels is not appealing to me because I would need to repeat the upgrades.  I live in a small house with plenty of small children around, and need to keep the scale of my equipment collection to match my situation.   

[Aiala]

...it looks like Sal is buying all the others 

A-yuh, been going on for as long as I've been here.   

~A~

[Porthos]

Functionally, the line classes you are looking to have do NOT require the SS gear sleeve; the brass ones will handle 20+ pounds of drag. Same with the drag stack. 20+ lbs drag supports a 60 lb setup with 1/3 or 80 lb setup with 1/4. Neither is suitable for the 970 IMHO due to the small spool capacity IMHO. 40lb max is my comfort level.

New HT100's with a Delrin undergear and on top of the top metal washer are a given.

The one MUST HAVE is a power handle.

[Decker]

Functionally, the line classes you are looking to have do NOT require the SS gear sleeve; the brass ones will handle 20+ pounds of drag. Same with the drag stack. 20+ lbs drag supports a 60 lb setup with 1/3 or 80 lb setup with 1/4. Neither is suitable for the 970 IMHO due to the small spool capacity IMHO. 40lb max is my comfort level.

New HT100's with a Delrin undergear and on top of the top metal washer are a given.

The one MUST HAVE is a power handle.

Thanks.  I'm a newbie with reel upgrades.  Could you explain the "Delrin undergear?"   

I'm kind of surprised that you suggested a power handle before the SS sleeve, because it seems like most of the guys on this forum are upgrading the sleeves of their reels.

[Porthos]

I have always found balanced handles to be too short, requiring a lot more turning, and the 970's is no exception. Hence the Penn 24-349H on my 970:


Sal is the pioneering proponent of delrin washers:

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=11443.0

The traditional undergear HT-100/carbontex washer between the main gear and the gear sleeve was the first to be swapped for additional smoothness. Sal then advocated one on top as stated in his post above.

As Alan has stated in many posts, only if you plan to exceed the max drag that the stock brass gear sleeve can support do you NEED to upgrade to a stainless sleeve. If you just WANT to, that's a different matter entirely...

[Aiala]

...it seems like most of the guys on this forum are upgrading the sleeves of their reels.

That's because they don't want to get spooled if they happen to snag a fast-attack submarine.        

~A~

[Alto Mare]

The 970, 980 and 990 are way underrated, all you need to do is look at some of the parts. These tiny reels have a larger bridge than the 113H, the tiny spool has a shaft  as large as the 114H.
I'm not quite sure why the plate fails on some, these plates are actually reinforced with fiberglass.
There is a possibility the screws are set in too tight. I just serviced a Fathom for someone, the screws were crazy tight.
That's another reel you don't want to over-tighten the plate screws.

Decker, not to disagree with Wai ( Porthos) I would go ahead and get the stainless steel sleeve, I would get one on any reel that produces 15+lbs of drag.
Be cautious choosing a custom handle, I found out a longer handle is not a good thing.
Half of an inch longer than stock is all I would go.
When you get comfortable try this upgrade on that reel, it's one of the best you could do:
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=10273.msg97129#msg97129

Sal

[sdlehr]

The damage began as a crack at the hole and expanded away outward—almost like opening a pair of double doors. I could put the pieces back in reverse order for an exact fit, but this would be tight with little space for the adhesive. So, exact fit = thin layer of epoxy-->less strength?

Or...I could do a thicker application of epoxy and just press the broken pieces STRAIGHT against the plate for a "close-enough" fit. This would use the fragments to just re-establish the inner hole position and lip but leave a greater gap between them and the plate that the epoxy would structurally fill. A thicker layer of epoxy-->greater strength?

Epoxies have failure rates that have been well studied and well documented. Adhesive failures occur when the epoxy and the material it is applied to do not adhere together well. Cohesive failures occur when the epoxy material itself fails. Most failures are adhesive failures. The thickness of the epoxy layer has little to do with any of this, it's about that microlayer at the interface of the two materials, and how well they "stick together".

Sid

[Decker]

You guys are great!   

For the power handle, I agree with Sal that going much longer (radius) is uncomfortable.  For my 970, I bought a used Penn 24-40 (340GT) that feels perfect and is counterbalanced.  Seems sufficient for bass and blues, but I can see how Porthos would prefer something beefier for blue-fin.  I also have an Accurate "hot-dog" power handle with 3 holes, that feels too big on the shortest setting, in a surf casting situation.

I'll eventually go with the SS sleeve because the installed brass one already has quite a bit of play, and I hear the SS ones also have a tighter fit to the handle.  Sal's double-dogging looks great, though it may overkill for me.   Great tutorial! I hadn't seen that one yet.

Sid, thanks for the bit about epoxy strength.  Beyond roughing the surface and cleaning it, it there any better way of priming those plates for epoxy?  Are there any other adhesives that would weld the plates and be more effective than epoxy?