is this an odd 8500ss

[wallacewt]

a friend brought this reel to me today.its not like any of 8500ss i have
the spindle is so thick.  5.64mm on the end.   it doesnt have a handle or knob
none of mine will fit it.it also has very small drag washers
any help on how i can order a handle

[akfish]

Is it an 850SS? The 850 and 8500 had different handles as well as different main gears.

[Shark Hunter]

Wally,
I'll have to check my 8500's. I know the 8500 uses a beefier spindle than the 850. I'll take some measurements and get back to you.
I wonder if its a 9500 spindle in there? Here is one of my 8500's and the pivot looks pretty beefy.

[wallacewt]

hi akfish
its an 8500ss for sure
my 8500 spindle slops  around in the gear.
has all the decals on it. frame and spool
daron
that 5.64 measurement is the flat sided end on the spindle
i dont own a 9500 to check it out
that spacer that fits over the spindle is the long type.
33.00 compared to 30.00
thanks guys

[FatTuna]

Perhaps it's a frankenreel; aka, some guy in his basement mixes and matches random parts.

[wallacewt]

havent done one of these in a long time
cant believe how small the drags are in all of them for
such a large spool,big fish have been landed,so

[Alto Mare]

Wallace, there isn't anything unusual about that pivot, you do have the correct size.
As for ordering a handle, there are two options from Scotts, maybe a couple more option on line.
Here are the parts numbers for Scotts:
https://www.mysticparts.com/PennParts/Parts/15N-750M.aspx

https://www.mysticparts.com/PennParts/Parts/15N-950M.aspx

These handles should work on the right or left side on that reel.

As for drags, you already know what to do, you showed it to us.
.50mm carbon fiber washers, thin keyed 7-60 washers from Bryan and (3) octagon stock washers from Scotts.
It is also a good idea to replace the thrust washer with (2) .25" Delrin washers, one on top of the other.
This will give you the best upgrade, making the reel very smooth.

Sal

[Shark Hunter]

Sal is right on that Handle Wally. I grabbed the latest 8500 I bought and the measurement is within 1 mm of yours. I contribute this to cheap calipers. In the link he posted, the different gears take a different pivot. I shoot for the bigger one like you have, I probably have an extra handle laying around.

[wallacewt]

sal
i do admire your knowledge,thank you
drag stack i had completely forgotten about.
drag is bad in this one.
daron
ill have a scrounge around here in oz now
that i know what to look for.i should find something
and thank you also.
thanks all
had a look at the gears and it is the one with the thread 1/4"down

[wallacewt]

sometimes you can be lucky,owner of the reel bought a 9500ss for $20aud couple of things wrong.but the handle is good.knob for $5 with the bearing missing. new drag knob. got it all together after a service,bearing were ok
he has got some c/f for the drag,will do it himself,just copy the 9500ss i did for him 2yrs ago.he landed a stingray on it(9500ss) from the beach that was bigger than the bonnet on his 4x4.said he locked the drag up but had to back it off.but he won the battle. so his 8500ss.cost $40 reel, handle$20  KNob $5  me $35  (16t ss ratchet and dogs) $95aud all up.  like i said,some times you can be lucky.  thanks for the offer daron.

[johndtuttle]

havent done one of these in a long time
cant believe how small the drags are in all of them for
such a large spool,big fish have been landed,so

I know, right? Tiny little washers... .

However, there is an important lesson here:

The reason these reels have lasted 20, 30, 40 or 50 years is the modest drags in proportion to the toughness of the gear train and rest of the reel. Look at the size of a 704z, but it only makes 12lbs of drag....and lasts for decades.

Nowadays, drags easily overwhelm cheap internals in a few years...because big drag numbers and low prices sell more reels.

[johndtuttle]

Of topic question for y'all and Sal:

My old 650Ss (had it for 25 years) has a "knock" when after several cycles the handle hits the bail with a slight bump....annoying....

Any insight? Thinking of replacing the original with one of the aftermarket gold ones unless I hear a better idea?


thx in advance.

[Shark Hunter]

Check that your bail wire isn't bent John. That is usually the case.

[foakes]

John --

I know you are exactly right regarding your observations on modern reels, internals, and drags.

On the bail bumping the handle every few turns -- you can buy a new handle crank -- or what I generally do is just slightly bend the bail upwards about 1/8".  It is not noticeable -- does not affect any operation -- and does not bump anymore.

Actually just gets the bail wire back where it belonged when it was new.

Best,

Fred

[johndtuttle]

Thanks Shark Hunter and Foakes!

I'd had it so long I didn't realize the bail wire had been bent...looking at the photos in this thread showed me the angle was off....10 seconds later returned to normal.