Another Squidder 140

[Finest Kind]

Flat Top, I only have a Newell spool on one reel, a 100 Surfmaster. It's an excellent spool, and I think the Newell kits are all highly regarded. I have heard that the bars hold the reel in better alignment which I would think would make for a better free spool and casting. Good luck with the reels!
John

[Flat Top]

Thanks Finest Kind; I should be able to get the Newell Kit out by the end of the week and I have a OEM Squidder to compare it to. If it casts as everyone on here says it will that would be superb. My Delmar and Long Beach reels cast just fine for the kind of fishing I do, but I have few spots where I would like more distance and thats why I got the Squidder.

[ExcessiveAngler]

Those are a couple of nice reels Flat Top. It's great to know the reels history. I noticed that it looks like you have a Jigmaster handle 24-66 on the post reel and a 24S-310 handle on the Newell kit. Curious to know which you like better. I have both on squidders and surfmasters and I go back and forth as to which I like better. The only handle I don't like is the one it originally came with 24-155. Tiny little knob. I fished mine stock for many years. You kind of get used to your hand slipping off at the worse possible time, but I wouldn't recommend it. Also curious if the free spool is better on the Newell kit.
John

I thought that was just silly, they use that little white torpedo handle on the 146L!
I just picked up the 140L and 146L, the other day, and the one handle, is literally almost twice as big as the other one lol!
So they used the 24–155 on some bigger Reels as well?
I like the flat handles, that came on the mag 525 and GLS 25 reels, that's what I'm going to throw on the 146, till I get my new frame!
And yes, I love this place. I learn a lot of new things here every day! Lol.
Anybody know, what else those squidder bars fit on?
Or I guess what size Newell, they came off of?
I might know,where I can get a seat and bars really cheap, if there still there!

[thorhammer]

Those are a couple of nice reels Flat Top. It's great to know the reels history. I noticed that it looks like you have a Jigmaster handle 24-66 on the post reel and a 24S-310 handle on the Newell kit. Curious to know which you like better. I have both on squidders and surfmasters and I go back and forth as to which I like better. The only handle I don't like is the one it originally came with 24-155. Tiny little knob. I fished mine stock for many years. You kind of get used to your hand slipping off at the worse possible time, but I wouldn't recommend it. Also curious if the free spool is better on the Newell kit.
John

I thought that was just silly, they use that little white torpedo handle on the 146L!
I just picked up the 140L and 146L, the other day, and the one handle, is literally almost twice as big as the other one lol!
So they used the 24–155 on some bigger Reels as well?
I like the flat handles, that came on the mag 525 and GLS 25 reels, that's what I'm going to throw on the 146, till I get my new frame!
And yes, I love this place. I learn a lot of new things here every day! Lol.
Anybody know, what else those squidder bars fit on?
Or I guess what size Newell, they came off of?
I might know,where I can get a seat and bars really cheap, if there still there!

magpower and gls handle wont fit squidder. they have 4/0 size holes. 112H small flat blade power handle is nice on a 146 size squidder or 100. 24=66 with flat paddle is good on about all smaller penns. 24-49 is too large for squidder IMO. Ted's blade is the perfect the length for small Penns too.

[ExcessiveAngler]

Those are a couple of nice reels Flat Top. It's great to know the reels history. I noticed that it looks like you have a Jigmaster handle 24-66 on the post reel and a 24S-310 handle on the Newell kit. Curious to know which you like better. I have both on squidders and surfmasters and I go back and forth as to which I like better. The only handle I don't like is the one it originally came with 24-155. Tiny little knob. I fished mine stock for many years. You kind of get used to your hand slipping off at the worse possible time, but I wouldn't recommend it. Also curious if the free spool is better on the Newell kit.
John

I thought that was just silly, they use that little white torpedo handle on the 146L!
I just picked up the 140L and 146L, the other day, and the one handle, is literally almost twice as big as the other one lol!
So they used the 24–155 on some bigger Reels as well?
I like the flat handles, that came on the mag 525 and GLS 25 reels, that's what I'm going to throw on the 146, till I get my new frame!
And yes, I love this place. I learn a lot of new things here every day! Lol.
Anybody know, what else those squidder bars fit on?
Or I guess what size Newell, they came off of?
I might know,where I can get a seat and bars really cheap, if there still there!

magpower and gls handle wont fit squidder. they have 4/0 size holes. 112H small flat blade power handle is nice on a 146 size squidder or 100. 24=66 with flat paddle is good on about all smaller penns. 24-49 is too large for squidder IMO. Ted's blade is the perfect the length for small Penns too.

Darn it, John!
I guess, I rushed into this "like a bull in a China shop" lol!
This is very disheartening news to hear, as I was just about to buy two more 146s!
So, I took the handle off the 146, because I'm just a hard head, just have to see things for myself sometimes lol!
So I figured I would just go with the 140 sleeve, and it's the same size as the 146?
Looks like the brass sleeve is rounded off slightly, on both of them, and that really stinks! Why is there such a small sleeve on these on these reels?
Before I go any further with these squidders,
Is there an upgrade for the bigger sleeves?

[thorhammer]

Squidder came out in the 1930's and had small gears with small teeth, so everything within design limits. No bigger sleeve, but there is a stainless one. If you go SS sleeve and carbon drag with larger throw handle, you might easily defeat the stock brass gear, so you can hunt a steel one. Still small teeth, but at least steel. My Cortez squidders are easily some of my favorites, but IMO even a steel gear that small is way over matched and becomes the weak link in such a robust chassis. That said some large fish have been landed on stock Squidders and they were a drum mainstay at OBX for decades on a sweet honey Lami or Fenwick. I still have one hanging on a custom wrapped root beer Harnell.

[ExcessiveAngler]

Squidder came out in the 1930's and had small gears with small teeth, so everything within design limits. No bigger sleeve, but there is a stainless one. If you go SS sleeve and carbon drag with larger throw handle, you might easily defeat the stock brass gear, so you can hunt a steel one. Still small teeth, but at least steel. My Cortez squidders are easily some of my favorites, but IMO even a steel gear that small is way over matched and becomes the weak link in such a robust chassis. That said some large fish have been landed on stock Squidders and they were a drum mainstay at OBX for decades on a sweet honey Lami or Fenwick. I still have one hanging on a custom wrapped root beer Harnell.

Well, I had this idea, that I was going to build a few 146's as multi-purpose, do it all reels! Then, I could get rid of other gear and make my life a little easier!
As usual, I jumped in both feet first, without thoroughly checking things out first!
Hence my user name lol!

[Flat Top]

Both of my 140's have steel gears...were they swapped out or manufactured like that?

[thorhammer]

Some are OEM, depending on period of manufacture. Unless Black Pearl (Alan Chui) came up with a set of SS I missed seeing, I'm not aware of any such. Penn gears are steel or possibly moly steel; I can't recall exactly if they did that on Squidder and Surfmaster gears but someone else might know. Moly's are nice of you can't get SS.

Also, steel is noisier, just know that going in. 

[ExcessiveAngler]

Thanks Finest Kind; I should be able to get the Newell Kit out by the end of the week and I have a OEM Squidder to compare it to. If it casts as everyone on here says it will that would be superb. My Delmar and Long Beach reels cast just fine for the kind of fishing I do, but I have few spots where I would like more distance and thats why I got the Squidder.

So do your 140's have, or getting, upgraded gear sleeves as well?
I'm beside myself for not catching, that these brass sleeves were in such poor condition!
Looking at the diameter of them, they look way too thin, where the handle bolts on!

[Flat Top]

ExcessiveAngler, Thorhammer; I will double check those main gears/sleeves tomorrow just to make sure...I will let you know.

[thorhammer]

Note, surfmaster uses same gears and if you see a potential donor, you can easily check with quick take-apart plate, and they are cheaper than squidders.

[Flat Top]

I just checked....my main and pinion gears on both reels are steel (magnetic). The bridge is stainless with a steel shaft (shaft is magnetic) and the gear sleeve is bronze. The eccentric,  pinion yoke, and drag washer set are brass.

Thanks thorhammer! I will keep that info in mind.

[thorhammer]

Sweet! SS drag washers are nice for corrosion, but for my money greased carbontex on polished brass makes for really smooth drag and with quick take apart you can service if needed easily enough. I lap brass drags out on 1000 grit wet dry with some oil on it.

[Flat Top]

thorhammer; I have never had an issue with the brass drag washers as well and the carbontex really improves the smoothness of the drag. I did some side by side tests on some old Delmar reels that I have comparing the OEM drags to the carbontex and I could definitely feel the difference. For grins I took that same old Delmar and attached it to a hanging digital scale and pulled 29 to 30 lbs with the drag locked down....it didnt slip....I called it quits right there. I usually keep my initial drag settings on all my reels about 8 to 10 lbs (I use 40 lb braid for the most part) and that seems to work very well for my purposes.