Over the years, I've upgraded my Penn reels with external and internal parts. Replacing the post frames with a machined aluminum frame is the first and best upgrade. Beyond that some were justified, with the reasoning of "what ifs". Others were just to make them stand out.
While doing maintenance on my reels, I took a unmodified back-up 505hs and played with it for a couple of hours. I wanted to smooth out some of the rough edges and increase its performance....without spending much if any.
The tools I used were; 6" files, safe flat, oval and round needle point. All fine cut. 400 & 600 sandpaper, waterproof backing. Oil. Mirlon abrasive x-fine grit polishing sheet. A Starrett square proved helpful in checking the parts. Last, a Dremel makes some polishing easier.
I pulled the side and this is what I started with.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0924021432_zps30c226b7.jpg)
First disassemble and clean the parts.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0924021457_zps02f24884.jpg)
Start with the flat file then move to 400 and 600 grit paper while carefully flattening the parts. You'll notice the hollows from the stamping process on the bridge, eccentric, yoke and the drag washers. On the eccentric jack you can use a small ball peen hammer to raise the hollow area up.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0925021209_zpsb5b3c2f1.jpg)
On the metal washers I just smoothed down the edges to allow more contact while increasing spring compression. The yoke was flattened and sanded smooth. The dog was flattened at 600 grit, top and bottom. The edges were chamfered. Do not try to smooth out the sides of the dog. You'll either change the angles or shorten the dog, either is a bad idea.
The bridge was flattened out, sanded to 600 grit. Use a safe file around the dog spring and dog posts to protect them. The gear sleeve post is polished with Mirlon. Check the gear sleeve post for squareness to the bridge.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0924021902_zps1f7e4936.jpg)
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0924021914_zpsdc4f8400.jpg)
The gear sleeve needs more attention. Flatten the base, remove the machining marks on the flats and smooth it down to 600 grit. On top of the cut gear notches, use your safe file to remove the machining marks and then chamfer all the edges. Be sure to leave the gear notches and angles intact. Polish the interior of the sleeve with the Mirlon.
The spur gear base is flattened and polished out. The interior drag washer cup is polished by using a Dremel felt pad and polishing compound.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0925021308_zpsa5392d42.jpg)
After the spur gear, sleeve and bridge were finished up, check them for interference and to make sure they are square and parallel to each other.
Use a needle file enlarge the oil holes a touch and smooth out the remainder with Mirlon.
All contact edges on the bridge, jack and yoke were chamfered. The pinion gear yoke cut was chamfered with an oval file.
The eccentric just needed the machining marks removed from the top flat.
After a couple of hours this is the result.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0925021326_zpsb37a935b.jpg)
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0925021327_zps04453ab6.jpg)
Putting the parts back together is straight forward. I replaced the nylon gear sleeve spacer with a HT100 drag washer (from a 850SS). On the clicker side plate, I glued down a couple of gold plated ⅜" N52 neodymium disk magnets. At 1/16" thick, they'll fit nicely under the clicker ring out to the spool edge.
Just for eye candy I finished up with some engine turning.
(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b491/herrscher/0926021359a_zpsbabda3b8.jpg)
The results are subjective, it is much smoother overall. Shifting in and out of free-spool is positive. Casting distance increased. Line speed increased which caused me to mag the reel. With the drag at max, it pulls 16 -18 pounds.
All this for about $2.00. The magnets are about fifty cents a piece and the drag washer a dollar.
I think it's worth the time and effort.
Erik
Wow, Erik, 1st post and it is AWESOME. Thank you for sharing your performance tuning.
beautiful work!!!!!!
Thank you for that INSPIRATIONAL post!
No matter how advanced machines get, we will never beat hand fitting and polishing. That is very nice work. I had the advantage of an old A&P professor putting his hand over mine and teaching me the trade. With drag washers, full contact and parallel faces are vital.
Again, really nice work.
Ron
Very nice work.
Nice work.
Over size dogs can be cut if you want to "polish" them to size.
vey nice first posr excellent work!
Love the look of the engine turning...great precision and detail work.
Erick,
Excellent hand tooling and craftsmanship by you. You and Sal and the other "master tinkers" need to talk (while I listen) about my favorite subject of "what if". Like that engine turning.
Leo
Erik!
What a beautiful job! You really know what you are doing!
I'm not a reel tool nut, but this site is slowly dragging me in that direction, question: What is a safe flat file??
Inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks.
Wayne
A safe file has a side that does not have teeth. This allows you to file with the flat flush up against a protrusion such as the post on the bridge.
Ron
Beautiful job! wow and your first post, welcome...I hope you stick around.
I'm already visualizing my tank with that finish on ss, all we need is a ss bridge plate and ss jack, we already have everything else.
There is lots of talent out there, very nice.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Sal
Glad you saw and responded to this Sal ;D Wait till Lee and the others chime-in. :o
Leo
Great work Erik - and a cracker first post.
The 'eye candy' is a nice touch ;)
Was that done with a dowel and drill press?
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Justin
It makes the changing of spools a much more pleasant activity :) .
Impressive work! :o Look at it shine. 8)
Quote from: TARFU on September 28, 2012, 03:56:33 PM
Love the look of the engine turning...great precision and detail work.
x2, thanks for sharing...
The engine turning is actually beneficial. It holds lots of lubricant and keeps it where you want it. I'd engine turn any surface that needs lube / protection and doesn't interface with another part.
Ron
A work of art right there! :o Just a shame your artistry has to be shut into darkness until it's next service. lol!
Justin,
To do the engine turning, I used a mop style wire brush (steel with a very light touch) that I wrapped with 10lb braid then over wrapped that with a version of duck tape. To square up the wires I spun it against a flat file. I used a Sherline miniature mill freehand. A drill press, lathe or even a hand drill held securely would work. A brass or even a nylon brush would be a better choice, they'll do less damage. A soft wooden dowel or a Dremel hard felt round with something like Semichrome Polish is good. A Dremel rubber polishing point works too.
The file that I used on the bridge is really called a Pillar file. The sides are parallel without teeth (safe) and the file tapers in thickness. The other files I've used are a barrette, slitting, joint round edge and round.
The pillar is used to file a really flat surface. A barrette can also flatten but the sides are chamfered from the top down and along with the top are safe. You have to watch the chamfered edge with this file because it will cut a notch into a bridge post if you file against it. A slitting files cross section looks like a diamond with teeth on all sides. The round files can either taper to a point or are parallel. On the joint round edge the edges are rounded and cut and top and bottom are safe.
The Barrette file can clean up the gears teeth or touch up a screw thread. The joint round edge file I've used to increase the grease notches on the gear sleeve post and putting a chamfer on the pinion gear yoke cut. A tapered round is great for opening up those oil holes on the gear sleeve and cutting small oil flow channels. I've used the slitting file in cutting grease retention notches into the bridge under the gear sleeve. Then cleaning those up with a round file.
Some of these don't matter one whit. They were done to see "what if" and to keep my hands busy and away from those honey-do's. (sorry babe, I'm greasy and can't stop now)
Just don't go overboard playing.
Erik
Thanks Erik - appreciate the detail.
Cheers, Justin
Quote from: herrscher on October 01, 2012, 11:10:00 PM
Just don't go overboard playing.
Eric is absolutely rite here. For instance, he opened up lubrication on the gear sleeve, someone who doesn't know what their doing can quite easily turn the sleeve into a useless piece of steel.
Ron
From the sounds of it..think we have a old school machinist in our midst :D
I've done some engine turning using a big round pencil (carpenter's work well) with a rubber eraser chucked in a mini drillpress and a little polishing compound, cheap, but it works well. you might be able to do it free hand with any drill.
Very Nice! One of the Best reels made by Penn and you just went beyond the usual! Fantastic Job!
SNAPPERHEAD
I feel reel lazy about now. I bought a narrow 4/O That looks a lot like that inside, complete with the bridge eye candy. I haven't even got around to posting a picture.
Brendan,
Post a pix of your reel, we all like eye-candy.
Leo
I hope this works, I bought this reel from my friend Richard. AKA Chard! I cant take credit for the work and this reel has about 5 years on it since he did it. Hope the pictures go through, tight lines Brendan.
Very nice work !!! I use a piece of Granite from an old counter top with emery paper to lap my parts on . they come down flat real fast
Dave