The photos below show two main gears from different Mitchell 408 reels.
I picked a reel up on ebay many years ago. It was listed for cheap with a reported skipping gear issue. As seen in the Bad_Main_Gear picture, the gear on the right had its main gear teeth damaged. Thus, the rotor stopped turning or would skip when the pinion gear meshed with those teeth. I found a used main gear, repaired the reel and passed the reel on to my brother. Having a mindset of not throwing away things, I still have the bad gear.
The gear on the left (in the Bad_Anti-Reverse_Gear picture) came from a parts-only ebay listing with a bad anti-reverse issue. Thinking the anti-reverse spring was broken, I bought the reel. Upon tear-down, the situation was much worse than I expected. Someone must have continued abusing the reel as the anti-reverse dawg had mangled the anti-reverse gear.
At first, I thought I could repair the anti-reverse gear using JB Weld -- Thinking that I could recreate the teeth using a dremel tool. I slathered on some epoxy and attempted a repair. As seen, it didn't go well -- a complete fail.
So, I decided the second reel would live on without the anti-reverse function, removed the anti-reverse level and fill in the frame hole left behind.
Not having a machine shop at your disposal, what would you have done differently?
408's are valuable reels, John —-
Fix would be a new main & new A/R dog.
Sometimes the pinion bearing/gear needs to be replaced at the same time —- since the (2) gears have worn evenly, and a new main with an older pinion will not mesh as well, and be noisy to the point it can be felt in the operation of the reel.
You made a great effort, but that is a nearly impossible task to do by hand or with a Dremel.
Best, Fred
Am I crazy for wondering if the AR ratchet (which appears to be of a different metal) can be removed from the gear with busted teeth and added to the reel with a bad ratchet?
Before it got all gummed up you could have used the good ratchet to make a mold that would be get a dab of JB and then fit the chewed up ar into it. Hard to describe but I think you get the idea. But that ship may have sailed.
It's all a learning process. At least for me. One day I may make a fail gallery of all the things I destroyed chasing novel ideas.
I think you're correct Jason. Those things are pressed on.
One thing I have learned over the years is JB Weld is useful for repairs that don't receive a lot of pressure, torque or stress. It gets hard but not near hard enough to withstand those types of abuses, plus it doesn't holdup under high heat.
Its great to repair things when possible,
but if Fred has the parts the 408 is worth buying new gears.It will probably never need gears again.
The one thing I learned about the Mitchell 408 is the main gear is the weak spot.
The gear is cut with very thin tooth thickness and while curved, it is susceptible to damaged by the fisherman. Especially, if the fish is large and strong and the drag and line strength are not matched properly to the specification for the ultra-light reel.
Looking at the gears, the shaft looks like it was pressed onto the main gear. So initially, I thought I could remove the shaft from from both gears and create a one good gear. If I had a press, maybe it would be possible. My attempt at using a vise, punch, and large hammer didn't budge the shaft. After 3-4 heavy blows, I noticed the punch imprints on the surface, so I didn't continue pursuing that thought.
I also thought of creating a gear template for the anti-reverse gear. but didn't have the resources on hand to do so, so I nixed that thought.
The JB Weld-Dremel tool was the third thought and since I had those items on-hand, I gave it a try. Like I said it was a total fail.
A new gear is the way to go, but it's fine for trout fishing as it is. I have 5 or 6 other Mitchell 408s and maybe an equal about of 308s, so I'm not concerned about it.
So thanks for looking and responding. I was just looking to see how others in this forum would approach the repair.
I'd a done what you did. Now you have a back-up 408 and if needed, you can grab the rotor to stop the system from reversing. Holding the handle will work, but from your description the gears(aluminum?) are too delicate for excessive pressure. I like these reels but I don't like the drag systems. Sticking my finger up on the underside of the rotor with the A/R off works better for me on a running fish.
For a non machine shop fix , and using J B weld . After mixing wait about 2 hours or so and cut the pie shape notches with a exacto knife . There is a time when the J B weld is like cold butter . After that time , it is somewhat hard and will gum up sand paper and files ,until it fully cures .