Help with the dissasembly of a 140 Squidder..

[JoseCuervo]

This is an old and neglected reel obviously and the ring(s) are / were stuck solid to the plates. The tail side rings came off with a little persuading, but on the head side I can't get any twist.. Any dried out grease is like superglue based on what I had on the tailplate side. Thoughts or suggestions? It's been in the ultrasonic bath with SG a bit. The take apart screw is free (finally), and I do get the needed bit of pull on it as well, but no rotational motion. I thought I'd ask before trying kerosene or vinegar or both, part of my normal cleaning process anyway.

Thanks-

Rob

[RowdyW]

I generaly flip the eccentric lever to the left & whack it a few times with the butt end of a plastic handled screwdriver. Make sure you hold outward tension on the on the locking screw. You may have to do the same thing to get it back together if the plates are really swollen.        Rudy

[JoseCuervo]

Thanks Rudy, I'll try that later if it comes to it! I was thinking a wrench of some kind with pins (maybe snap ring pliers) I can get in the bridge and eccentric holes to get ahold of the plate. Someone may have tried that trick before based on the looks of the lever, they might even have tried banging on the handle, it is bent on both the knob side and the counterweight side.  I guess it is possible some maroon dropped it at least twice.   

Thanks-

Rob

[Reel 224]

You can use a strap wrench to turn it, it's like an oil filter wrench. Do you have corrosion X? If so try to spray that on the reverse side to loosen some of the crud and try it...................Joe

[foakes]

Squidder plates are so easy to break — and so hard to replace.

If on my bench, I would:

Screw the bridge back in place —

Slide a wrench over the posts as shown —

Attach the tail plate for extra strength and to keep alignment —

Secure the wrench in a vise or a drawer slightly open enough for a "third" hand —

With the crank knob over the Quick take-apart-screw, use your right hand to pull out the screw while holding and rotating the crank back toward you —

Also hold securely in your left hand the tailplate posts and stand —

It should come loose — then you can start the clean up process.

These old maroon, black, or brown 140 plates are easy to break because they are old, thin, and brittle — so I would caution on any tapping on the plates to loosen.

This works...

Best,

Fred

[JoseCuervo]

Thanks for those tips Fred. I got it apart along those lines; I used the AT wrench with a screwdriver through the eccentric hole and my hands were strong enough (but now kind of sore) to break things loose. As suspected it was nasty underneath..

Rob

[foakes]

Good work, Rob —

Believe it or not, that reel will work perfectly when you are done with it.

The corrosion pitting will still be evident after all of your subsequent wire brushing and recleanings.

Just soak the plates in Dawn Dish Soap, in your US cleaner.  Followed up with Nevr-Dull treatment.

Soak all parts in Vinegar to halt the Verdigris greening process.

Wire all metal parts as smooth as possible.

If the posts and rings do not turn out to your satisfaction, and if you are going to use the reel yourself — don't spend a lot of money on new parts.  I likely have a stand, posts, rings, and a crank that would be pit-free.

N/C.

Best,

Fred

[Reel 224]

Nice job, Fred is the man..........................Joe

[mo65]

Nice job, Fred is the man..........................Joe

   No doubt...Fred is the heavyweight champ. I've never seen a reel whip him!

[JoseCuervo]

Thanks for the offer on the parts Fred, that is very generous of you. Hold onto the parts, there is definitely a more deserving reel out there; the sleeve is in poor shape, the main gear was locked on there good. I had to start prying with a screwdriver (those are my witness marks from that) and then some more (a lot, actually) persuading with a mallet finally got it off. The ratchet is pretty well shot as is the main gear. I'll likely just order an eccentric spring (found broken) and a lever spring (couldn't find that). I think the reel had been apart before as they usually have been, with the right screws in the wrong places. I think I likely was the cause of the crack by the take apart screw with my disassembly earlier not having enough hands, I didn't see that when I first took a look at the reel (bummer..) The spool is in good shape.

I learned a lot on this reel, and I am always amazed at how well parts clean up, especially when they have good chrome. I am going to grease it up and reassemble it after I place another / future parts order with Mystic so it can sit on a shelf and just operate as designed. It will never fish again. Thanks again.

Rob

[Reel 224]

Cleaned up very nice.......................Joe

[JoseCuervo]

Cleaned up very nice.......................Joe

Thanks Joe. I wish I had better to work with from the start, maybe the next one.

I got an order today from Mystic and have about 4 other reels to tinker with / reassemble with clean / new parts.  

I edited the 140 cleaned parts pic above to one with more bling (actually not in the dark).

Rob

[Reel 224]

I recently bought a ultra sonic cleaner and that does a great job with cruddy parts..................Joe

[JoseCuervo]

I recently bought a ultra sonic cleaner and that does a great job with cruddy parts..................Joe

They are great. I think I will work on this 250 tonight. It just needs the drag washers that came in and some grease now. A beautiful tailplate, IMO-

[Reel 224]

very nice!...........................Joe