Penn 309 spool

[Gulfyakr]

Thanks again for your comments, I think I'll try to straighten the spool without attempting to disassemble. Still can't figure out how it became bent. Bought the reel used and very dirty, but the remainder of the reel parts don't seem to have been damaged. Perhaps the spool was dropped or crushed during a cleaning in the past.

Cheers!

[Keta]

Mono reeled on tight will warp spools.  Dacron or Spectra backings helps reduce this.

[Gulfyakr]

Now that makes sense. Thank you, Lee.

[Gulfyakr]

With a help of a good friend who was willing to break out some vernier calipers and volunteer some time, I was able to straighten the bent spindle on the old 309 spool. We measured the spool from flange to flange in several places around the radius of the spool and the measurements were very consistent, so that ruled out a bent spool. We then measured the spindle end to spool edge distance in several places on the driven side of the spool and found a spot where there was .012" difference between one side of the spindle and 180 degrees opposite...so the spindle end was .006" off of center. A cobbled-together jig with some pieces of 1/16" sheet metal with a couple of holes drilled in it(to hold the spindle on both sides) enabled us to spin the spool and watch the movement. One tweak with a pair of cushioned pliers and the spool is spinning nice and straight again.

Thanks again to all of you who took the time to reply to my questions.