I mean the gearing, etc ... not bail springs, drags etc. I have never seen one. Not suggesting that it doesn't happen but I'm curious how many of you have come across "worn out" ones?
Out of maybe 3000 DQ reels I have worked on over the years —
There have been many rough ones — ie; occasional bearing shot, of course bent frames, bails, and cranks.
Springs, trip levers, etc..
However, I have yet to see a worn out worm gear, main gear, or any of the brass bushings that could not be brought back to 100%.
Best,
Fred
Of course when it comes to Dam/Quick reels, no one would know better than Fred.
With that said, I recently got into these reels.
Not sure why, I already have plenty going on.
Any ways, I was impressed on the design and had to have a few.
One year later and I grabbed roughly $1000 worth of parts from a shop.
I also grabbed a large box of broken reels and was able to save many parts.
The bins of new parts were loaded with pinion gears, but very little drive gears.
A clear indication those last a very long time.
I did see a few drive gears messed up, I don't believe it was from poor design of the gears, I believe it was lock of maintenance.
My take on these reels: they will last for a very long time, if kept after.
You can't just fish these and set them aside for some time, you need to fully break them down and service them at least once a year... if fished a few time course. All my reels get the same treatment.
The large bearings must be of good quality, many were loaded with sand or dryer up grease and felt as they were gone.
After cleaning them and adding a couple of drops of oil, they felt as new.
I have a bunch of bearings in my part bins that are new and feel the same, don't toss them until you've giving it a shot cleaning them.
My cleaner of choice for these is Naphtha. I get it in a spay can or add a little in a 3oz glass jar and keep them in there.
These are great reels, but can't be neglected.
Sal
I own maybe 30 D-A-M Quicks and have never seen any worn out gearing. Only encountered one bad pinion bearing and that was on a 60+- year old Super 270. Plastic drag knobs, handle knobs, spools, and ratchet wheels can crack. Axles, bail wires, angle levers, and handles may bend and reel feet may break if the reel is dropped on rocks or hard surfaces.
Quote from: Alto Mare on September 24, 2018, 06:58:09 AM
Of course when it comes to Dam/Quick reels, no one would know better than Fred.
My cleaner of choice for these is Naphtha. I get it in a spay can or add a little in a 3oz glass jar and keep them in there. Sal
Actually, there are many folks on here who know more than I do, and IMO — you are one of them, Sal.
I just switch around parts and restore old quality reels. Many of you guys do a lot higher level of manufacturing and testing work than I will ever do. And I appreciate your shared knowledge.
All I mean't, is that so far, I have never tossed a DQ in the bone bin for spare parts — every one has been saveable and perform 100% when restored. And I have never replaced a gear as of yet.
The combination of an oversized and robust steel worm gear — coupled with a phosphor-cut bronze main gear connected to a steel crank axle — has proven to be beyond needing any improvement over the last 60 or 70 years.
Much like the Penn Spinners — who also decided to use this solid and reliable drive train system.
Today, I am finishing up (5) restores on old DQ's — a 270 LC, a 221, another 221, a Microlite 265, and a 270 Super. Two of these were very rough — and now you would have a difficult time recognizing that they are not brand new. It is easy to restore old quality metal reels — the newer plastic based reel products are to a certain extent disposable and sad, IMO.
I will be picking up a can of that Naptha to try out, Sal. Do you just spray it on and wipe off, or let it soak for awhile?
Best,
Fred
:) ??? Nope , it takes 50 years just to break them in....
Just keep them clean and lubed . joe
Just found one , not worn out but strangely bent pin on drive gear with a shaved housing .
Talk about a little hard to turn .
Joe that is odd not sure how that happens really hard drop maybe? Only dam quick I have was a microlite 265 I bought cheap as a parts reel. Not because the gears are worn but because the base is bent most likely from a good drop.
Hard to beat the quality of b.bearings in somea the vintage spinners. DAM's, Shakespeare's and Abu's in my experience. Have yet to haveta replace one...
Imagine yourself hiking down a steep embankment, reel/rod hand facing uphill, and you slip. Your weight goes down on the reel hand before you can let go, lands on a rock.....
Quote from: Gfish on October 12, 2018, 06:46:47 PM
Imagine yourself hiking down a steep embankment, reel/rod hand facing uphill, and you slip. Your weight goes down on the reel hand before you can let go, lands on a rock.....
You paint a vivid picture. Did you come by this from experience ;D
Yeah. Bent the rotor arm ona Shimano Baitrunner(6000 B? Or D?). Discovered they were an odd melding of 1/2 graphite and 1/2 aluminium when I broke the arm in a vise tryin to bend it back. Got ridda the reel when I found that the stem was graphite and flexible under high drag stress.
yeah, made in germany
although these new ones aren`t good at all for variety of reasons..
those old ones really show why we all want things and especialy tools to be made in germany.
Quote from: Rivverrat on October 12, 2018, 07:02:01 PM
Quote from: Gfish on October 12, 2018, 06:46:47 PM
Imagine yourself hiking down a steep embankment, reel/rod hand facing uphill, and you slip. Your weight goes down on the reel hand before you can let go, lands on a rock.....
You paint a vivid picture. Did you come by this from experience ;D
That could very well be what happen to this one , a little twist. ::)