Greetings,
The handle has a bit of "play" in it, mostly in and out but also back and forth. Wondering if there is something loose? Bridge or gear sleeve?
Thank you in advance for any help, Clint
Welcome to AT.com Clint. When you say handle play, I will assume you mean the arm and not the knob. There will be a little play due to the gear sleeve moving on the post. If you find the play excessive, a shim can be added under the gear sleeve which will help the in and out play. Back and forth can be helped a little by the shim also. You might check the gear sleeve post on the bridge and confirm that it is still firmly attached to the bridge.
A good (and probably the only) upgrade to this fine reel would be the addition of a Cortez Conversions bridge assembly, which includes a stainless steel gear sleeve and tighter tolerances. Cortez Conversions can be found on the interwebs at cortezconversions.com He doesn't monitor much traffic from the AT.com PM's, best to check in through his website. The bridge assemblies are spotty on availability but well worth the wait and price. Bill
I have a similar problem with a squidder. The handle slop appears to be due to a larger-than-desired gap between the bottom of the gear sleeve and the bridge plate. Will a cutout from an aluminum soda can work as a shim?
It will work but you should use something like brass that is a little tougher. Rudy
What Rudy said......McMaster Carr is where most buy them.....Bill