Penn 720 & 722

[handi2]

I only have two left but I have 722 reels too!

[Gfish]

Getting back on topic, if memory serves me correctly (not great odds ), the post is cast right into the pot metal 72x main gear.  Cheap and effective, but now the post is not very durable.  If the post is some nice hard stainlesss, then the crosswind could be metal.

I think you're right, the post is cast into the main gear.  This makes me wonder.... Could that post be machined off and a stainless pin pressed in to replace it?

Chad:  If you ever decide to print some 72x crosswinds, let me know.  I can send you the CAD files and/or an STL for printing.  May save you some work.

Thank you!  I will definitely take you up on that if I get my hands on one!

"Could that post be machined off and a stainless pin be pressed in to replace it?"
Chad are you back to fabricating parts(or at least thinking about it?)? Your mag. stuff was awesome!

[xjchad]

"Could that post be machined off and a stainless pin be pressed in to replace it?"
Chad are you back to fabricating parts(or at least thinking about it?)? Your mag. stuff was awesome!

Thanks G!  I still like to play around with stuff, mostly just my own gear now.  The kids keep us so busy that I don't have time to any extra work now.  Maybe someday...

[jurelometer]

These upgrades are made out of a Polymer material —- which is so much better than the original plastic blocks from Penn.

Can't help but to nitpick a little here. 

I think the original Penn part is a polymer too (probably ABS).  Hemp and sheep wool are polymers Most of the common plastics are also polymers.  Lots of polymers out there. Combine two or more substances that result in a repeating chain macro-molecule and you have a polymer.  Or something like that.

Tom at Cortez uses Ultem (PEI) which is a fancy high tech plastic that is very strong and is frequently used for fancy mechanical parts around electrical stuff and also medical devices. He definitely wasn't going the cheapest materials rout. His crosswind block is probably stronger than the main gear.

-J

[foakes]

Yeah, J —-

All I know is that after 30 or 40 years —- the Penn factory X-Wind block will break in half.  Very few exceptions.

Just by comparing Tom's to the original factory block —- I also cannot ever imagine Tom's breaking.

Best, Fred

[Gfish]

Cool. Keep nitpickin' J!

[jurelometer]

The risk with drilling out the main gear and pressing in a pin is that the pin won't wear out, but the hole could get loose.  Depends on how thick the cast  metal is at the spot.

[Woodpuppy]

The teal & gold reel I assembled above lacks a XWB. I cleaned it and relubed it, reassembled with a salvaged part out of a parts reel, and a week later the block was broken in the reel. So I have a Cortez part inbound from Mystic. I'm eager to see how it does. The only question... will I keep the reel? 

[xjchad]

The risk with drilling out the main gear and pressing in a pin is that the pin won't wear out, but the hole could get loose.  Depends on how thick the cast  metal is at the spot.

Good point J!  I cannot speak to that since I don't have one.  But it's sure fun thinking of all the different ways to modify and upgrade things.  I love brainstorming, trouble shooting, failure analysis, and problem solving!  Even more, I love learning more about this kind of stuff from you guys with so much skill and experience in all these different areas!

[Woodpuppy]

The Cortex XW block arrived today from Mystic. I did need to drill out the connector staple holes, but otherwise it popped right in and has restored function to my old 722. This reel was in the worn out/ broken box when I was a kid; while I fished many other 720/722 reels, I've never used this one. I'm very pleased to have been able to restore it, and am quite confident in the quality of the part. I had planned to fix and sell this reel, but now... I think it needs to go on an old Rick Berry Fenwick custom that I fished with a popping cork for mangrove snapper 

Thanks Cortez and Mystic!