Can This Gear Be Saved?

[mike1010]

I am trying to save a Surfmaster 5-60 steel main gear that has some rust.  It is at the point where I can see the sound metal inside the gear and on the bottom.

Inside, things look good.


On the underside, there is considerable pitting, and I would expect it pretty quickly to shred any washer placed there.


Shucks.

But now I am thinking, would it be okay to fill the pits in the underside of the gear?  The filling shouldn't have to be very strong, just level with the surrounding metal, stiff, resistant to grease, and relatively tack-free.  ("Relatively" because of the grease.)  It seems like, once the rust is cleaned out of the pitting, ordinary epoxy glue should work.

Has anyone done anything like this?  Other ideas?  I don't think I can just insert a shim, because of the flex of the washer under the gear.  Scrap the gear?

Thanks.

[Bryan Young]

I usually use a small cone shaped wire brush on a dremel to smooth out the rusted areas  on the bottom and in the gear



Add drag grease to the gear and to the carbon fiber washers and I haven't had any issues even at higher drag settings.

[mike1010]

I'm worried about spoiling the flat surface, because some of that pitting is pretty deep. OTOH, I guess there's nothing to lose.

Is that a stainless brush, or brass?

[Bryan Young]

It's a stainless steel brush. 

If the pitting is deep, then you have less surface area, which means you may have lower drag numbers than what you may expect, but it will not be very much difference.  The drag grease will just fill in those pit areas anyway.

[Shark Hunter]

mike,
I think that gear is still fishable. Just use a delrin washer on the undergear. What reel is the gear for?
Is it going in a hot rod?, or just a stock reel?

[mike1010]

Bryan, I am not worried about the surface area, more about the edges of the pits chewing the washer underneath.  Seems like the right approach with the wire brush would be to knock the edges off the pitting, smoothing the transitions.  We can't machine the gear to eliminate the elevation changes of the pitting.  Or at least we can't with a wire brush in our lifetimes.

Daron, you may be right that the gear is fishable, but my comfort level with that underside is poor, even with a Delron washer.  The host reel is a Surfmaster 100 (used to be a 200) with Bryan's 5+1 stack and a stainless sleeve and dog.  I will probably never fish it at more than ten pounds of drag, just like to know the reel has headroom.  I drive small cars and put real snow tires on every winter.  No "all season" fakery for me.

Nobody's double-dogged a Surfmaster, right?

[Shark Hunter]

No,
I don't think anyone has double dogged a surfmaster. I don't see the advantage on such a tiny reel.
Hey, it might get you a wrench or photo of the month!
As far as that gear, just replace it and be done.
If you going to double dog it, stainless or nothing!

[mike1010]

The wire brush did a nice job.  The pitting left behind won't chew up anything.

Bryan, I put the 5+1 into this reel, and like the result.

Daron, the double-dog question was sort of academic, but I did lose the dog on this reel when fishing, and so it doesn't sound worthless.  A staggered dog to reduce handle back-play would be really nice.  Where do you catch sharks in Kentucky, anyway?

[foakes]

Do any of you think, in this case -- with a slightly pitted underside to the main gear -- that a greased CF under gear washer may be a little better than Delrin?  

Might smooth out the roughness of the pits with the grease.

Best,

Fred

[mike1010]

I've been running my reels with Delron under-washers and grease, and am doing the same now.  If you buy into Delron, is there a reason not to use grease?

[Shark Hunter]

/quote]
There is no buying into Delrin. Its the way to go. I use it on all my reels with grease on the bottom for sure.
We catch those Sharks right down the street.



Its only about a 700 mile Drive.

[mike1010]

Right, Delrin, not Delron

or Delran
http://www.delrantownship.org/

Is that the Ohio?

[Shark Hunter]

Good one Mike. I hope John sees this. He is a "Delron" fan too!
I use that same brush to clean up big senator gears. It does wonders.