I am in the process of doing the narrow Jvariance conversion on my Penn 113h and have a couple questions for anyone who has done them before. (actually same question for two different parts.)
Is it normal for the clicker button and the eccentric lever to feel loose and kinda out of place? The clicker actually raises up on one side when I engage it and is slightly scratching the sideplate finish. And the eccentric lever is fine when in gear but appears very loose when out of gear. Are there some easy fixes for this or is it just the way the Jvariance side plates work?
Thanks
I have done a few and never had that problem. Did you install the teflon washers that came with the kit to protect the plates on the clicker and the eccentric lever? In case you didn't the clicker washer might give you a tough time, in most cases you will need to file it down a bit, unless you can get a thinner one. I use a flat file and it works great, if you don't have a file a sheet of sand paper will do. Any more questions, just ask. Sal :)
thanks for the reminder. i just went to mcmaster.com and ordered sheets of teflon in 5, 10, 15 and 20 thousanths thicknesses. now i just need to find a punch set.
Hey Alan, Let me know what sizes you need and I will punch them out for you, gratis. Just toss the teflon sheet in the mail. I have most OD & ID Dimensions.. Unless you need thousands of them..then we might need to barter. ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: alantani on April 05, 2011, 11:55:14 PM
thanks for the reminder. i just went to mcmaster.com and ordered sheets of teflon in 5, 10, 15 and 20 thousanths thicknesses. now i just need to find a punch set.
What will you be doing with teflon Alan? I already know that you don't like teflon drags, will you be using them to protect parts?
ReelSpeed, will you be my friend?
every once in a while i look at a part, perhaps a freespool lever or a gear sleeve, and see way too much slop. then i start thinking that it would be really nice to have a tefon washer to take up the extra space. this one application is a perfect case in point. if we had this jvariance in hand, a few sheets of teflon, and an assortment of punches, we could take a minute to cut a shim washer and take out all the slop.
Gotcha! ;)
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 01, 2011, 07:33:03 PM
I have done a few and never had that problem. Did you install the teflon washers that came with the kit to protect the plates on the clicker and the eccentric lever? In case you didn't the clicker washer might give you a tough time, in most cases you will need to file it down a bit, unless you can get a thinner one. I use a flat file and it works great, if you don't have a file a sheet of sand paper will do. Any more questions, just ask. Sal :)
Right on. It was the teflon washers. I was doing an open box conversion for a friend and he didn't include the washers.
Now for another question... I have the Newell gears I am puting in as well (along with the yolk). Is it normal for them to be a little noisy? They just don't seem to be as smooth or quiet as the stock pen gears.
Yes, it is normal for the newell gears to be noisy. Any more questions, just ask. Sal
Ok... Everything is working great. Spool not rubbing. Drag is very smooth. Handle spins with ease. I guess I just have to get use to the extra noise factor.
Thanks for the info.
Not a problem, eventually you will get used to the noise and feel of it, I know the fishies won't mind ;D. How about going all the way and install a stainless steel gear sleeve on that tank?
Quote from: Alto Mare on June 01, 2011, 10:43:57 PM
Not a problem, eventually you will get used to the noise and feel of it, I know the fishies won't mind ;D. How about going all the way and install a stainless steel gear sleeve on that tank?
Is the stock gear sleeve that weak? I know Mr. Tani sugests changing them out but What are the chances the originals would round out? Oh why try to fight it... I'll end up doing it sooner than later.
The answer is in the type of fishing that you do. That custom reel can be pushed to it's limit, the only weak part is the tip of the gear sleeve. If you fish it under 15 lb., I wouldn't worry anbout it. I have the stainless steel gear sleeve and a nice power handle in all of mine. Take care, Sal
Quote from: Alto Mare on June 01, 2011, 10:43:57 PM
Not a problem, eventually you will get used to the noise and feel of it, I know the fishies won't mind ;D. How about going all the way and install a stainless steel gear sleeve on that tank?
Now, you have to post some pics........ ;)
Pics? I just happen to have some.
Started with a new Penn 113h. Got it on sale for 75$ What a bargain. Jvariance narrow conversion kit came in the box on the right.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/Board4life75/Jvariance01.jpg)
Contentes of the boxes. With the Newell gears and steal yolk. I also have the carbontex drag washers as well but forgot to include them in the pic.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/Board4life75/Jvariance02.jpg)
Now the fun begins... I figured since Alan has everything all lined up in his tutorials, I might as well follow along. I think it worked too. First time I did a project and didn't have extra parts.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/Board4life75/Jvariance03.jpg)
Unused parts on the left... Finished product on the right. The silver one is the one I did for myself. Notice I didn't have the Newell gears in yet. I was worried about the sound and different feel.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/Board4life75/Jvariance04.jpg)
I was going to get one of Alan's handles but went with the bling factor instead. I think my friend will end up getting one of Alan's though.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/Board4life75/Jvariance05.jpg)
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/Board4life75/Jvariance06.jpg)
The End
Very nice set up. How's the tolerance between the frame, side plates, and the spool? Can spectra bind between any of these areas?
QuoteUnused parts on the left... Finished product on the right. The silver one is the one I did for myself. Notice I didn't have the Newell gears in yet. I was worried about the sound and different feel.
I haven't seen one of those silver anodised handles yet. I have one of the (same design) black ones from the same company. I like the match with the silver kit, looks good! With the Newell gears they respond well to being lapped in (ie; using an agent such as dedicated lapping paste - available from many auto supply stores, or you could do what I did and use toothpaste - does the same thing and I daresay smells a bit better). Just install the gearset in the reel and place a bit of paste on the gears and wind the reel for a while (don't forget to load the spool up a lttle with gentle finger pressure). I actually used an old brass sleeve that I had finished using in my reels (I have replaced them all with stainless sleeves from Alan now) and used a battery drill attached to a bolt in the internal thread of the sleeve to wind the reel for me while I kept finger pressure on the spool to keep the gears slightly loaded. After about 10 minutes I pulled the reel back apart, thoroughly cleaned the gears, lubed with Cals and have had a much quieter gearset ever since. They are still more noisy than the standard Penn gears, however I wouldn't have it any other way now. After lapping they are a fair bit quieter (and smoother!) than the un-lapped Newell gears I have in another reel though.
Bryan. I have a full JV narrow 4/0 conversion (plates, frame and spool) with the stainless sleeve, Accurate 4:1 gears and handle, 5+1 carbontex drags on which I run around 600m (I think around just shy of 650 yards) of 50lb Suffix braid (and a short heavy leader) on and have not had any issues with the line getting caught anywhere it shouldn't to date. No more so than any of the Accuframes/plates or Tiburon kits I have either. Looking at a JV sideplate/topless Tiburon frame/standard Penn spool set-up I have only recently put together the standard spool seems to work well with the JV sideplates as well.
Hope that helps.
Dave
Bryan... It is very well machined. Everything fits perfectly and I don't see any future problems with spectra.
Taily... Yeah I liked the way it looked as well with the matching handle. I was going to go with an oversized handle but actually liked the feel as well as the style of the round knob. I am very happy with the outcome.
I assume you would clean all grease off before you would lap the gears. What about the toothpaste or lapping material getting on the bearings or other surfaces of the reel? Would that be a problem? Also would the gears just eventually "lap" themselves with time and use? "Place a bit of paste on the gears and wind the reel for a while", what do you consider "a while"? Sorry for all the questions but I want to get it right.
Thanks again.
Quote from: Board4life on June 04, 2011, 03:24:52 AM
Bryan... It is very well machined. Everything fits perfectly and I don't see any future problems with spectra.
Taily... Yeah I liked the way it looked as well with the matching handle. I was going to go with an oversized handle but actually liked the feel as well as the style of the round knob. I am very happy with the outcome.
I assume you would clean all grease off before you would lap the gears. What about the toothpaste or lapping material getting on the bearings or other surfaces of the reel? Would that be a problem? Also would the gears just eventually "lap" themselves with time and use? "Place a bit of paste on the gears and wind the reel for a while", what do you consider "a while"? Sorry for all the questions but I want to get it right.
Thanks again.
I would clean the grease off with something like carb cleaner or the like (old fuel with a small brush if you haven't got any carb cleaner). I only use just enough toothpaste to lightly coat the gear/pinion mating surfaces. A small dollop about 5/16in (8mm) round would be enough to spread it most of the way around the main gear and wouldn't be enough to work its way into any bearings or other workings of the reel. I only lap the gears for around 10 minutes or so using the battery drill, varying the resistance to movement (using my thumb on the spool, so as to load the gears up a bit) from fairly light resistance to begin with and then max-ing out around the half way mark and then tapering the resistance off so that the gears polish up nicely towards the end. I then dis-assemble the reel again, clean and lube everything and put it back together. From there you're good to go!
You could even do the same thing if you manually load the line on your spool using that opportunity to lap the gears by hand. I would suggest it would be better to have a full spool of line on if you are going to use a battery drill as you don't want to damage the anodising of the spool from the friction of your thumb on it.
That is just the way I do it, there are other ways to skin the proverbial cat. ;)
Regards,
Dave
Well that sounds easy enough. I will have to give it a shot. Prob when I order my new gear sleeve. Thanks for the info.
Stainless steel gears will still make noice no matter what, I would lightly coat the gears with grease and let them go. The connecting point on gears is soo thight that most material gets squished out anyway. I've done a couple of dozen of these custom reels, some with two tone, some standard, some yellow tail special and some wide. If you keep on customizing with that kit ( great kits by the way ) eventually you will run in to some problems, like the spool rubbing, the tolerance is very tight on those kits; everything can be adjusted though, just drop us a line if needed. One thing I do want to point out is for you to install a rubber cap on that eccentric lever so that you won't domage the plate. Take care, Sal
Rubber cap... great idea. Was wondering about that. If it would damage the finish or not.
Thanks guys. I wonder it they would consider making a kit that is the size of a 2/0 reel, with 4/0 guts and alternating double dog system (one is active at a time) so there's not so much handle play. That would be a great size reel with spectra.
Quote from: Bryan Young on June 04, 2011, 06:43:38 PM
Thanks guys. I wonder it they would consider making a kit that is the size of a 2/0 reel, with 4/0 guts and alternating double dog system (one is active at a time) so there's not so much handle play. That would be a great size reel with spectra.
+1 to that. I would be interested. I have two more penns laying around I can play with.
Or how about a narrow 4/0 with 6/0 drags and high speed gearing?
Quote from: Bryan Young on June 04, 2011, 06:43:38 PM
Thanks guys. I wonder it they would consider making a kit that is the size of a 2/0 reel, with 4/0 guts and alternating double dog system (one is active at a time) so there's not so much handle play. That would be a great size reel with spectra.
Quote from: Bryan Young on June 04, 2011, 09:31:09 PM
Or how about a narrow 4/0 with 6/0 drags and high speed gearing?
Either one would be great!! :) :)
You guys are never happy. ;D ;D
Quote from: Alto Mare on June 04, 2011, 10:18:22 PM
You guys are never happy. ;D ;D
Haha... Always want more... that is what keeps progress moving.
Quote from: Bryan Young on June 04, 2011, 06:43:38 PM
Thanks guys. I wonder it they would consider making a kit that is the size of a 2/0 reel, with 4/0 guts and alternating double dog system (one is active at a time) so there's not so much handle play. That would be a great size reel with spectra.
Bryan, I think Accurate came out with a kit for a Jigmaster with 4/0 guts. Every now and then I see them for sale, but they're always way out of my reach.
I would love to see one within reach... ;D
Aloha everyone. I've been lurking on this site for quite some time, trying to digest the immense amount of information available. Now I've got a few questions I could use some help with, hopefully this is the relevant thread to post them.
About a year ago I purchased two used Penn 113 HLW's. With the help of Alan's tutorial (Thanks, Alan), I opened them up check the internals and decided to convert both of them to the Jvariance standard kit. I purchased the aluminum spools and some extra penn parts from Scott's B&T. I put SS 4:1 gears in one of the reels and plan on doing the other as well (even though it looks like I'll have to pay a much higher price). Everything is working fine on both of the reels, they haven't been fished much, but they will be seeing a lot more action this summer. I need some clarification/information on the following.
1. Adjusting the bearing. I don't want to damage my bearings and I've read/heard different opinions on how to set it. Locally some guys have said you rig up your pole, tie the weight you intent to cast on the line and adjust the bearing screw so that the weight gently falls when you put the reel in free-spool. Contrarily, I've read that this bearing is not a cast control bearing and it will get damaged using it as such. Which is it? I know that setting the screw too loosely almost always results in a birdsnest mess.
2. When I last took the reels apart for cleaning, CharkBait was out of stock for the drags. What drags do you recommend and what specifically do I need to order?
3. I am going to order two of Alan's SS sleeves, but does anyone have info on SS dogs?
4. Lastly, I want to upgrade the handles. I know Alan has some, but does anyone have experience with these handles:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JUMBO-T-Bar-Handle-with-SILVER-Knob-for-PENN-4-0-113H-113HL-113HLW-Reels-/220983294950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3373a17be6
Thanks in advance for any advice/info you guys can give, I appreciate all the information here, this site has helped me out a lot.
I am a big fan of T-Bar handles made by Tiburon. I have them on many of my Progear and Big Penn reels.
John
you can use the bearings as a cast control mechanism, but only to a point. do what you have to do. if you crunch them, then can always be replaced.
use ht-100's inside the main gear, but get a carbontex drag to go underneath the main gear. since you've got dawn on the line, you may as well order the entire set from her.
i have some dogs and a bunch of gear sleeves.
you can get the handles from http://smoothdrag.com/handles.html. they are very nice.
send a pm for any parts that you want.
Lois at 5Oceans7Seas has 2 113H SS gear sleeves and 2 SS dogs if you want to purchase them locally. I believe they also have carbontex washers as well.
Thanks, for the info Alan, Bryan and John. I'll have to make my way down to 507S. If they don't have something, Alan, I'll send you a PM. Aloha.
Quote from: Board4life on June 04, 2011, 06:06:21 PM
Rubber cap... great idea. Was wondering about that. If it would damage the finish or not.
Heat shrink tubing works well too, and it's super tight, just my 2 centavos