115 (9/0) Side Plates Swelling. Why?

[Alto Mare]

I think I heard of frozen plates and heated rings in the past to get them to fit, but never tried it myself.

[Bruce]

I have used variations of that method on auto or equipment pieces difficult to remove, but what I was wondering is if heat,drying had been tried on the sideplates to shrink them
Used liquid nitrogen to remove camshaft dowel while cam in engine.

   Buzz

[dogdad1]

Good thought, Sal.  I considered freezing & heating the pieces too to refit them, but then started worrying about why/how they got that way in the first place.  And that made me shy away from doing it because I wasn't sure if they'd just keep swelling over time and break my new rings or cause something else to bind or crack.  In any case, I never thought to measure the before-and-after dimensions, but based on the amount of dust I created I'd say it was quite a bit.

I'd have to assume that all of the plastic (feels and smells like Bakelite, is it ?) must have grown a little, but as far as I can tell none of the smaller holes or spaces were affected enough %-wise to make any difference as I re-assemble the reel.

[Mandelstam]

Did a little google research about phenolic plastics (bakelite amongst others).

Wikipedia states: Note that phenolic resin products are apt to swell slightly if they are used in areas which are perpetually damp. Varnishing the product helps to prevent this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite

Also found an experiment made to Walther P38 pistol grips made from bakelite and their resistance to oil:
http://p-38.info/pdf/bakelite_experiment_plus_1_rev_1.pdf

It seems that the problem is water and dampness, not oils or lubricants. So drying them out and applying a varnish is maybe the answer. What kind of varnish you should use I have no idea though. Linseed oil maybe? Good penetration and hardens in sunlight to a really hard surface.

To my understanding Penn switched from bakelite a few years in the 80's but switched back again after a few years. But if they still are using bakelite or some other more modern phenolic or have switched to a totally different plastic I don't know.

[Norcal Pescador]

On a semi-related note, I've usually seen the reel described as a 115L (with the "L") which I think signifies it has an aluminum spool.  I have the chrome spool, so does that mean it's a 115 (plain)? 


Thanks in advance!

You're right, Ron. When Penn started selling reels with the aluminum spools, they added the 'L' for "Lightweight" and the chrome/brass spools were marked 'M' for "Metal". Before L spools, the reels weren't marked with a letter. Somewhere in time, Penn marketed the 'SP' spools which are intended for wire line. At least that's how I understand it. (Broadway) Dom or Sal can probably shed some light on the SPs.

Rob

[Alto Mare]

You are correct Rob, "SP" is for Special Senator.... wire line. If I remember correctly, I believe the earlier model Senators had the letter "L" on left hand models, it is now used for lightweight...aluminum spool.
Keep this link for future references:
http://www.stripers247.com/phpBB2/showthread.php?t=4435&highlight=trolling+wire
Sal