Hi, !
Somewhere on here, I saw someone (maybe Sid ?) had a trick for patching chips in bakelte....mixing bakelite "fillings" with epoxy. I *assume* you use a clear setting epoxy, but, after that....a 50 /50 mix of dust to epoxy ? More dust than that ? Any advice would be appreciated ! I have a 100 Surfmaster with "chips" almost everywhere...both end caps, and also on the edge of the spool. It appears to be a pretty old one...no part #'s on the stand, or handle....and I thought it might be one to "experiment" on. Thanks !.......Crow
Hi Crow, yes Sid was the one that did a post on repairing side plates. He also repaired a aluminum spool edge for me. Send him a PM and I'm sure he can steer you to the tutorial on it. Rudy
The ORCA Cleaning, Restoration & Repair Book (http://orcaonline.org/orca-store/reference-books/) , third from the bottom of the page, is chock-full of tips from many of the most knowledgeable reel enthusiasts in the world. Every serious collector of older reels, or those who repair them, should have a copy at arm's length.
Here's a few pix of what I want to try to "patch"....the endplates, will, I *think* be fairly straightforward....the spool...maybe not so much !
The reel mice have been busy ;D
They surely were ! I did have a "brainstorm" about the spool....I have a "busted up" 190......and the spool is the only thing any good on it....and it's the same, so, even though I'll probably try patching the spool.....I have a good one, to use ! I bought the 190....with a busted up head plate, because I needed a reel stand, and it had a handle I needed. I plan on using that busted up end cap for my "dust".
All of that is doable, but the side plate repairs will have to be done in stages, and the spool may not be balanced well enough afterwards, depending on the density of the patch material....
Somewhere in my memory banks something tells me stuff does not stick very well to Bakelite, but if Sid says so then my memory is probably not very accurate. ;)
Looks like a challenging job to fix that spool.
Well, my "body work" is done ! The spool was actually the easiest part to repair ! I made a "dam" with tape ( or, maybe "form" would be a better term ?) along the "outside" of the spool, and flowed the epoxy into it. when set, I ground the "inside " of the spool, to get the material to clear the "click button".....and things seem pretty good. Side plates patched pretty well, too, with the exception of "color"....they were the first things patched....and my "mix" turned out a "different color black"....but, it's "good enough for who it's for" ! Thanks, again, for the tips !!
Nice bondo job! Wanna come over and do some 'tin-knocking' on my jeep?
-Mike
Wow, nice work. I hope it holds up.
That is impressive.
Well done!
Very nice job on that spool. I've got an aluminum spool for a 146L that's got a chunk out of the edge, and will try something like that. The chunk is bigger than you were dealing with, and I've got my doubts that the repair will hold, but these spools are rare. Nothing to lose but a little time and epoxy.
--Mike
Perhaps, if before you try the epoxy, you would put some modeler's clay on the inside, around the rim, install it, and give it a "spin", ...that way, you could check clearances to the click tongue (or bridge, if it's the other side of the spool). That might give you an idea if there is enough room to "build up" the entire inside rim a bit. I think the "patch" would be much stronger, if it was "bridged" inside by another layer of epoxy ?!
I had room for *about * a 1/64" layer, all the way around the inside rim. I could let it "extend" down from the rim about a 64th, too. I started with *more than that", and had to grind most of it away, for clearance...I wasn't smart enough to think of the clay BEFORE I added the glue :(!
Good idea. And if I have the room, I will embed a small piece of thin fabric in the epoxy bridging, to create a laminate.
Or, instead of fabric, perhaps a "circle" of fine, stiff wire ? A person could "scratch" the wire, so the epoxy would have a "tooth" to bind to.
Well, I tried it again...different reel, different problem. I have an "e-bay 99" that is "just up my alley"...CHEAP ! Less than $19 bucks, to put it in my hand. The only "reel" problem is the eccentric / lever....it must have : A, never been lubed, or B, used in the sand...a lot! The raised "boss" around the eccentric lever was ground down, to the point the lever was dragging on the end plate. It had a pretty good groove dug, and the "slop" was allowing the pin on the inside to jump out of the slot (about half way) causing it to jam.
I "formed the inside of the bore with Scotch tape, and made my "pour" around the worn areas...filling the "grooves and scratches" as best I could. After filing, and sanding (and a little scraping , inside the hole) things are "mechanically" working...."cosmetically" ....not so hot ! Along the "deep" areas of the scratches and grooves, the epoxy bonded well, and except for the "color difference " blended in very well. Different story on the areas that needed "feathered in"....when I get the epoxy down to the original level of the bakelite...it starts to "flake away"...so, I quit trying, before I screwed it up, too bad ::).
Im liking what Im seeing brother.....May have to send a few your way for repair :D....Bill
I have a few other "messed up" sideplates to experiment on....I just can't seem to get the "color" correct ???, or, maybe it's the "sheen", anyway, there is a noticeable difference. I think if I spent more time "polishing", it would help, too. I just picked up a 4/0 special...in a bag!...that has some serious "structural damage" to the head plate, so as soon as I can find a red plate for 'donor material", I want to see if the "patching" will be strong enough to stand up .
This isn't the time of year I usually work on "inside" projects, but my wife is recovering from some surgery, and , I need to stay "close", so I've been "doing reels", instead of "using reels" ;)