Penn 712 Spinfisher Ball Bearing?

[Prefessa]

Guys: I have owned this reel for 40 years! So I want to do the famous Alan Tani fishhook trick and I can't seem to find the clip. At least on the outward facing side.

It is a FAFNIR AS3KDD C3 BEARING

All I can learn from the net is that it's a .375 x .892 single row bearing.

Does this have a removable shield??

And if not what do I do.?

I think jthe bearing is packed with thick old grease. It is so much stiffer than any of my other greenies and feels just like my 720 which is plain bearing.

[johndtuttle]

If you can get to the clip on one side that should be enough. Once the shield is removed you can easily degrease the bearing with the solvent of your choice. Then, pack the grease of your choice in from the open side with your fingers and a piece of paper. Fill up the bearing, lay the paper over the top and *smush* it in (*this is a technical term ).

The idea of the paper is just to give you a larger surface area so less goes between your fingers and more works it's way into pack against the outer shield.

If you have to remove the shield as you can't get to the clip just *smush* the shield with a sharp punch (I have a old leather awl for this) along the inner race. This usually creates a gap that you can get your tool behind and the shield lifts up easily. Only remove the inner shield so that you have the outer one intact to create one more barrier.

good luck 

[handi2]

Guys: I have owned this reel for 40 years! So I want to do the famous Alan Tani fishhook trick and I can't seem to find the clip. At least on the outward facing side.

It is a FAFNIR AS3KDD C3 BEARING

All I can learn from the net is that it's a .375 x .892 single row bearing.

Does this have a removable shield??

And if not what do I do.?

I think jthe bearing is packed with thick old grease. It is so much stiffer than any of my other greenies and feels just like my 720 which is plain bearing.

Some of them had the old bearings with the plastic seal on one side. The others have the shield and lock. I have the dimensions in the shop or can send you one. I have a few..

[Prefessa]

Ok so I got off one shield and the inside was gunked up with a bunch of funk from the years of catching schoolie bass on Jamaica Bay In NY. So now that the bearing is clean and dry and now single shielded, do I add grease or oil?? And do I install with the shielded side out ? yes??

[Alto Mare]

If you're not going to participate in any casting competitions, I would pack it with grease.

[Prefessa]

It's a spinning reel, so the bearing only is responsible for the rotor cup .

[Alto Mare]

Yes I know, just grease it and you will be fine. All of my spinners have greased bearings.

[johndtuttle]

Ok so I got off one shield and the inside was gunked up with a bunch of funk from the years of catching schoolie bass on Jamaica Bay In NY. So now that the bearing is clean and dry and now single shielded, do I add grease or oil?? And do I install with the shielded side out ? yes??

Grease and shield side out. I run Corrosion-X on the Main Shaft which makes it easier to turn by quite a bit as it runs up and down in the pinion but the bearing gets grease for sure.

glad you're getting it sorted.

[Prefessa]

Thanks guys : I tried grease, but it really made for stiff reeling . Then a lightbulb went off in my head, this reel was circa 1974 , there was no blue grease, no cals or even superlube.

The answer was penn spinfisher lube that came in the box 4 decades ago. Penn used to supply a tube of lube that was a compromise between a grease and oil that gave the owner one stop shopping when it came to lubrication. It was a one size fits all. Likely thus is what penn loaded into the bearing and sure enough it was like a thick oil that stays put.

Likely on the next overhaul I will treat my old friend to a new bearing I can load with lighter lubricant and replace the shield so it stays put.


If that reel can talk !! It caught stripers everywhere in the NYC area including W125th street when I was a graduate student at Columbia U and the rotted piers of the Red Hook section of Brooklyn on my lunch hour during my first industry job. It was my only spinning reel for nearly a decade. So many fluke , flounder, blackfish , bluefish and green bonito wound up on the boards of the steeplechase and long branch fishing piers with that reel .

You should have seen the gunk in that bearing!

[Prefessa]

Here it is 40 years old and like the day it came out of Mikes Tackle Shop in 1974

[SacFly]

She's a beauty!  I have a couple of 704s that get fished hard.  They are frequently underwater.  When they start grinding I just spring for a new bearing.  14$ for a new bearing every couple of years seems like a small price to pay.  I have buddies that are out 100$+ each year when they send their VS in for service.

[Prefessa]

Thans SacFly:

I really dont understand why Penn didnt upgrade that reel in a fashion in tune with the original Motto...."Make it Simple..Make it Work".

All that reel needs is a second ball bearing for the SS pinion to ride on, a one way Roller Bearing in the crank side, and ball bearing Line Roller and you esentially have a reel capable of fishing braid that will last for decades. It wont be as dunkable...but really...how many guys actually Wetsuit?? I saw those guys in Montauk....Every 15th wave washes off your moss/barnicle encrusted perch into the water, then you have to climb back up and you get anther 10 casts before it happens again...no thanks!

That was the beauty of the penn product...low cost of ownership and a simple enough design so most people could service them at home and even a tackle shop could likely turn a reel around the same day if the angler was in a bind.

There are folks that buy these reels at flea markets and despite being 35-40+ years old...they will likely fish them hard for the next several decades...like you said...14 bucks for a bearing every now and again and 2 dollars a season for a bail spring is all you need.

I have to say..that Jumping Fish medalion...is just classy!

[SacFly]

Sometimes we do get beat up in the surf.  But more common is just using your rod as a wading stick.  Change spots a couple of times during a tide and that's a lot of time underwater.  It's nice to know your reel will still work once you get out to your spot.  lol.