30VSW drag washer coming loose from drag plate

[Wayne Feagley]

Hi all,
I'm servicing a 30VSW I purchased on eBay and found the drag washer is only half way attached to the drag plate (117N).  It looks like Penn used some form of double sided tape to attach the washer to the plate and half of it has come loose.  I really don't want to spend $50 on a new plate.  Does anyone have a recommendation on a repair?

I recently used go old JB Weld to attach a customize drag washer onto Penn 30 drag plate that I installed into a Penn 16 and it seemed to work well, but is it yet untested on a big fish.  (I need to do a post for that hot rod project)

This 30VSW is going to be used on my chunking outfit on my next trip so I want to make sure this drag is solid.

Thanks for any input.

[Tightlines667]

I have never seen this problem before.  If you contact Tony Dubeck at Penn he may be able to help you out.  Seems like a possible factory defect type failure.  You can use any high quality temperature resistant 2 part epoxy to reaffix the drag washer to the plate.  Might want to consider Devcon, or a higher quality glue from McMastwr Carr?  Just make sure you prep the surface properly, and both materials are perfectly clean before gluing.  Also, a very thing and even layer of adhesive is best.  You want the drag washer to be perfectly flat with no 'high spots' present, or 'drag stickiness' will result.

Best of luck!

& keep us posted on the progress.

[handi2]

I have never seen this problem before.  If you contact Tony Dubeck at Penn he may be able to help you out.  Seems like a possible factory defect type failure.  You can use any high quality temperature resistant 2 part epoxy to reaffix the drag washer to the plate.  Might want to consider Devcon, or a higher quality glue from McMastwr Carr?  Just make sure you prep the surface properly, and both materials are perfectly clean before gluing.  Also, a very thing and even layer of adhesive is best.  You want the drag washer to be perfectly flat with no 'high spots' present, or 'drag stickiness' will result.

Best of luck!

& keep us posted on the progress.

If needed it will glue back on. I've done a few times with older style drag plate.

[Wayne Feagley]

Thanks for the input guys.  After considering my options I'm going to go with the JB weld.  Its strength and heat properties are superior to anything else I found and I already own it.  From the manufacturer website, "J-B Weld has a tensile strength of 3960 PSI and sets to a hard bond overnight. It can withstand temperatures up to 550ºF when fully cured"

I'll be sure to use a thin coating and put plenty of weight on it while curing to ensure a flat even surface.

The repair will be tested soon as I'm on a 15 day trip on the Independence Feb 5-21.

[alantani]

the best stuff is probably loctite depend 330, but it's expensive as hell!  http://www.amazon.com/330-Depend-Adhesive-Mix-no-mixind/dp/B005P3KUUC

a good quality 24 hour 2 part epoxy is probably ok.  that's what i've been using the last few times. 

[sdlehr]

"J-B Weld has a tensile strength of 3960 PSI and sets to a hard bond overnight. It can withstand temperatures up to 550ºF when fully cured"

The heat-resistant part is relevant. The tensile strength part is not. This won't be under a tensile load in this application.

Sid

[swill88]

Wouldn't a smooth application without bumps of ridges be critical?
Seems like a less viscous thin layer would work.
A high strength spray on?

just guessing

steve

[Robert Janssen]

J-B Weld has a tensile strength of 3960 PSI and sets to a hard bond overnight. It can withstand temperatures up to 550ºF when fully cured"

Excellent choice. I have used it in many drag washer applications, deliberately choosing it over others.
If needed / desired, it can be thinned with a small amount of acetone.

.

[sdlehr]

the best stuff is probably loctite depend 330, but it's expensive as hell! 

MORE expensive than hell! Holy moly. Not for doing the single project unless your life depended on it.

[Wayne Feagley]

So I used the JB weld and put what I thought was a very thin layer on, using a razor blade to thin and level it.  We'll I messed up somehow.  I either had too much JB weld, or used too much weight to press it, or a little of both.  When I checked my work this morning I found some JB Weld has seeped through the washer and created a shiny flat spot.  Its a goner now so I just ordered a replacement from Scott's Bait. In hindsight I think i used too much weight and should not have left the weight on it overnight.  Five minutes of medium weight (7-8 lbs) to flatten the material and washer would have been fine and would probably prevented the JB weld from seeping through. 

If I ever face this situation again, I'd still use the JB weld.  It holds very well; it holds so well that a few seconds of looking to see if I could get that washer off told me it would be impossible without severely damaging the drag plate.

On the bright side, I leave for my trip on the Indy this Friday 

[Tightlines667]

Thanks for the update.  Replying these can be a bit tricky a time times.  You know it will be smooth with a new washer.