I wanted to try something a little different for my extra narrow Jiggy project. I thought the S model would be a great building platform, as savy Penn fans know this Jigmaster is constructed from some of the best stock parts produced over the years. I also needed to keep the cost down on this project, and by using the S as the donor, most of the quality parts were already sourced. I harvested the handle from my stock stash, so I saved a few bucks on that also. Considering the P21XN kit from Randy is only $134.70 shipped, I put this beauty together for about $200!
I started with this fairly clean 500 S. I was hoping it might have new CF drags already installed, but it was loaded with the period correct brake lining discs. It didn't appear to have been used in saltwater...if it was...the owner rinsed his gear very well after use.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50221860091_72f52d10e4_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvWaiv)
I used the stock S model internals except for a stainless steel gear sleeve, carbon fiber drag washers(including Bryan's under gear washer set), and a double dog modification. Why would anyone fabricate a double dog bridge for a Jigmaster when Alan Chui sells one for 22 dollars? I'm the last American Hero...that's why. :D Actually...I just plain enjoy the crafting work. ;D
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I don't think I've seen a tutorial about double dogging a Jigmaster S, so I'll highlight a few steps here. Of coarse the Dremel will be needed, along with plenty of calm, slow and steady wins this race.
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I wanted to remove as little material as possible, so as to keep the bridge supported as much as possible. I trimmed very close to the bridge screw hole, leaving a bit of support directly behind the bridge screw/AR dog.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50222080687_db06a2eabd_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvXhST)
The blue arrow indicates how I ground the dog to fit within the confines I made.
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A cigarette lighter provided the dog spring, and I notched the dog so that spring could get under the bridge to prevent flipping into orbit. The green arrow points to the notch I ground in the plate to hold the opposite end of the spring.
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The spring clears the spool well, and the dog clicks nice and snappy. I used a #15-60 dog shortened just a tad for simultaneous dog operation.
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Here is the engine all assembled and looking for a fight.
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The photo below shows the stock very short stand screws. Beside them I have some longer screws I've selected. There is no sense in using the short screws when the screws no longer have to sit flush with the stand. I like to take advantage of the frame's ability to accept a few more threads of strength.
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Same story with the plate screws. the longer screw on the left gives me more confidence than the stock screw on the right.
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I had a suspicion the S model plates might present a hiccup or two for the Tiburon kit, so I wasn't surprised when one arose. In the pic below the red arrow shows how the rivet protrudes a bit above the ring surface. This needs a "hole' to settle into on the frame. The white arrow points to the mark I made where our hole needs to be.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50222080342_df7bab600a_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvXhLW)
Nothing is more unnerving than taking the Dremel to a brand spankin' new Tib frame! :o
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Wow, a little red Sharpie marker and it looks factory fresh again. If you fish in the salt, you better paint over that hole. I'll also grease it well.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50221208723_54e0a94c63_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvSPF2)
Speaking of grease, Tiburon advises you to grease the screw holes before assembly. A little preventive grease now helps avoid a huge corrosion issue later.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50221859486_4a8ed790a9_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvWa85)
Holy Buckets! Bolt on a vintage Penn #24-56 power handle and the thing rocks. Thanks for offering so many Tiburon kits Randy...they are fantastic! 8)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50222080097_81f7bd0159_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvXhGH)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50221208563_ea03b6bf8f_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvSPCg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50221208508_5270ab3668_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jvSPBj)
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Great job, Mike!
Best, Fred
Another beauty, Mike, well done buddy!
Very nice.
Brendan.
Nice work Mo
Nice job, clever way to gets second dog in there supported by a bridge screw, should be nice and strong. Good looking reel!
Good job showing the red on red example. It really helps seeing different combos.
I was just looking thru my Jiggy's yesterday. When I get my delivery I'll be trying mine on an early dark maroon side plate set. I have a red frame with black plates put together already.
May be going rock fishing this week end so I may get to check it out in action.
Great job brother,
Sal showed a reel once that used a 500S head plate and a 500 tail plate to not have the swap spool feature. One of these days I'll build a few of those.
Ronald Jones
Very nice Mo!
Love it Mo! Thank you for your business, and for the plug.
Randy
Nice work Mo. The 2nd dog looks just right. You say cost was $200, but factor in the leftover spool, seat, and bars from donor and say $25 easy sell. So $175 is your final cost. The power handle is awesome and 100% early 50's. The huge oil port on the knob is the tell
that's a great looking reel, and very well engineered. thanks for posting that beauty. the 500s is my favorite jigmaster.
Clean work on the dog Mo and a good color match between the plates and the tib kit - nice reel.
Mike
Nice work and a very sharp looking reel. Thanks for posting.
Ay Mike, great engineering, thanks for explaining it in detail, keep well stay safe, cheers Don.
Exellent Mo.
Still somea the best pictures on this site.
Never thought a that; with the Tiburon frame you can increase the strength by using longer screws, especially on the bottom.
I love Mo's tutorials...........
Again, another perfect reference to fall back on...
Thank you Mo....
Col
I just read back through the comments, and I want to thank everyone for the kind words. 8)
Good work MO !!
Regards
AC49
Nice 500S rebuild. Can't wait to see your build with the 26 plates.
Mo, that was a work of art. Terrific. Dominick
Quote from: Porthos on August 17, 2020, 10:40:58 PM
Nice 500S rebuild. Can't wait to see your build with the 26 plates.
Hey Wai,
You must have missed the 26 posting...I made it back in March! The reel turned out very nice. Cranks super smooth and casts fantastic! 8)
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=30533.0
Quote from: mo65 on August 18, 2020, 12:36:57 PM
Hey Wai,
You must have missed the 26 posting...I made it back in March!
Yep! Totally missed it. Was totally distracted by some financial matters that needed attention as the pandemic started hitting SoCal.
Base on my experience with 50lb hollow core on the 27, you may be able to get 300+ yds of 50lb hollow core on your 500S XN...plenty for the Dodos, YT, schoolie YFT and BFT in the SoCal fishery if you have plans to come out here for multi-day trips.
What a sweet little reel Mo!!
I love the way it came together, beautiful!!
Well done sir, it looks amazing!!
I'm a sucker for the 500S and narrow spools and you combined them.
I don't know why I never thought of that but I know what I'm gonna do next.
Go ahead and take my money Mo! Beautiful build, well thought out and executed. Bill
Nice one bro!
Thanks guys! I think the S model plates are the best designed of the various Jiggy plates. I like the way they moved the quick-take-apart feature to the tail plate. That removes the possibility of the head plate "popping off" while cranking hard. 8)
Only major difference with the 500s is the sideplates are made of Lexan and there must have been some issues with the material because Penn stopped using Lexan sideplates for jigmasters after a few short years
Looks like a winner !!
Quote from: Maxed Out on August 19, 2020, 08:00:18 PM
Only major difference with the 500s is the sideplates are made of Lexan and there must have been some issues with the material because Penn stopped using Lexan sideplates for jigmasters after a few short years
I'm thinking the issue must have been cost or something. I haven't seen any failed S plates yet. I know I liked the way it "worked" while I was milling the double dog mod. It didn't seem to be brittle at all. Maybe it flexes too much, but screwed to an aluminum frame, I doubt it will flex much.
I've also seen no failures with the Lexan sideplates. They sure bragged about the "new Lexan sideplates" when the 500s first came public. Perhaps it was a cost issue. I for one am a fan of the 500s for the same reasons brought up by Mo. Plus the sexy red aluminum spool most came stock with is a nice bonus
Could it be that the Lexan won't swell or crack as easy as bakelite?
Lol, Funny guy G...... I do see faded 500s reels. Perhaps the Lexan was not UV resistant. Why didn't Penn use Lexan for the red 113h ?? Lots of unanswered questions about the short lived time span of Lexan
Mike C. can chime in on my memory here, but I spoke to a gentleman named Mike Quinn at Penn maybe 20 years ago about the 500S- he had been there for decades I think (Mike C. knew him), and knew more than most of us will ever find out- amazing gentleman and I believe he told me they ran from 72-74, give or take, but there were complaints about the Lexan chipping easier than bakelite. My fav of the 500's, by far.
John
Wonder why they sell so cheap most times.
Dunno but I've found them for $15- I hope those guys don't find this site :)
Great job Mike looks good
Kim
Quote from: Rancanfish on August 28, 2020, 09:59:36 PM
Wonder why they sell so cheap most times.
For the same reason a South Bend Classic sells for only $30...because all the tools and googans on Stripers.com are dreaming of a Penn Spinfisher greenie. :D
Quote from: Rancanfish on August 28, 2020, 09:59:36 PM
Wonder why they sell so cheap most times.
They can be a good source for parts. My 500S is a dust collector.
Usual disclaimer about not being an expert, but I have played with the stuff a little bit.
Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is only moderately UV resistant, so UV inhibitors have to be added. UV inhibitors can have a limited lifespan, dunno what inhibitors are used in Lexan.
PC is highly impact resistant, so it does not chip easily. Moderate water absorption. It scratches easily, and can stress crack over time in places like screw holes, especially in the presence of salt water.
It has some limits in terms of chemical resistance. For example, it is susceptible to damage from Acetic acid (vinegar). I think that Isopropyl alcohol is OK. I would check a chemical compatibility chart before exposing it to anything that might behave as a solvent.
It is great stuff to work with, and a strong very clear plastic. In addition to injection molding parts, you can 3D print it, and thermo/vacuum form sheets of the stuff. It can be machined as well. If you are printing or thermoforming polycarbonate, it has to be dried in a low temp oven immediately before working it or you will get water vapor bubbles and crazing. Same issues probably for injection molding. It is definitely going to be fussier to mold than fiber filled nylon (what we call graphite in reels), which is the go-to plastic for cheap but strong and stiff molded parts in the post Bakelite era. Lexan was probably an "exotic" material at the time.
For Lexan sideplates, I would be careful about what solvents come in contact, and not torque down the screws more than necessary. Dunno if there is something that can rubbed on to provide a fresh UV protective coating.
-J
Not sure if this is scientific, or not --
However, I have seen more "S" plates chipped, cracked, spider cracked at screw holes or bearing points than all of the typical 500/501/505/506 Jigmasters that I have worked on for 40 years.
And I have worked on typical Jigmasters about 20 to 1 -- over the 500S.
Seems like the bakelite is tougher than the "S" plastic.
Must be a reason why the "S" was discontinued so soon after intro.
Best, Fred
Thanks for the info on the Lexan Dave...the properties are just about what I had envisioned them to be.
Got a chance to fish the XN Jiggy last weekend. It was flawless...smooth as silk...the nicest Jigmaster I ever held. Maybe I'm biased since I built it? The world will never know, 'cause I sure as hell ain't selling it! :D I caught a few decent Flathead cats on it, no true test of the drags, it never even broke a sweat. My brother got "big fish" honors with a 40lb. Flat, and Rob got "honorable mention" with his trophy catch. The last pic is our rod spread.8)
Mo, that's great that you finally got to put that reel to good use and are happy with it. Those are some beautiful fish, and it's no wonder that you guys catch 'em with that huge spread of rods. You really cover a lot of water! If any of your friends or family want you to build them an XN Jigmaster, I have a half-dozen kits left that I need to sell.
Randy
Nice going you guys. We all wish every day could be like this. Love that last pic. It's like a fisherman's Christmas tree !!
The jigmaster has earned it's way to " my favorite reel" status. Also most versatile amongst all my reels
Quote from: mo65 on October 05, 2020, 05:40:42 PM...The last pic is our rod spread.8)
Mo,
You didn't bring enough setups...can see one rod holder starboard empty...that's grounds for expulsion from the Grand Order of Tackle Ho's...you'll need to turn in your membership card.
:D :D :D
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