Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Alan, thanks.  Yes, the drag is in open position (partly as that's the only position in which I can remove the drag lever.  I've disassembled the reel again and will continue to tinker with it. I still get the faint clicking at the pawl (not loud like my other TLD) but the lack of clicking doesn't seem to affect the operation of the reel.

I've ordered the carbonex drag washers as you recommended and will install those shortly.

This may not be the right thread to ask this but...how does upgrading to a larger [belleville] washer increase the drag range?  I tend to repair things better when I know how it works (I'm not the most technical of folks).

As I understand it, this thread talks about 2 smart upgrades:
a)  "improve the strength of the drag":   you do this via upgrade to the carbon fabric washer that sits adjacent to the spool, replacing the khaki-colored OEM fabric washer.  That's simple, easy to do, requires 1 part from smooothdrag.com.  Alan's tutorial above is great.
b)  " improve the range of the drag"  you do this via upgrade 1 of the left-side spool washers (only 1, and you also should remove 1 small spacer to accomodate the fit) using one from a TLD20/30, referred to in various threads as a belleville washer.  That requires 1 part avail from vendors like Mike's reel repair (pn listed above).  Alan's pictures and descriptions above are great.

I may have this wrong but, by increasing the size of the spool washer, doesn't that decrease the distance between it (which sits on the left side of the spool) and where the drag is applied (on the right side of the spool)?  Logically, it seems like by decreasing that dimension, it would decrease the drag range, not increase it.

I definitely plan to make the upgrade and don't want to sound like a contrarian.  I'd just value hearing from others on how this actually works.

Much thanks.

stiffer bellevilles, or just a stiffer configuration will ramp up the drag faster. 

ah, ok.  It isn't the slightly wider [thicker] dimension the bellevilles offer, it's the stiffer characteristics they offer to the drag.

thanks!

Quote from: alantani on June 24, 2018, 03:35:38 PM
the heavier bellevilles take up the space. 

So what behavior would I see if I didn't remove spacers to allow for thicker Bellevilles? And what would happen if there was too much space created after removing spacers?
I have tried leaving a spacer in and everything seemed to still work fine.

As long as it works........

Quote from: alantani on September 04, 2011, 04:51:00 AM
any chance i can temp you with a stainless steel handle arm and a 4/0 kolekar grip?

Do you still make these handles and grips for sale?

Got the arm with a 3/0 grip.

Quote from: alantani on August 20, 2018, 03:05:23 AM
Got the arm with a 3/0 grip.

And what do those run? Thanks

They're  $40 plus shipping.  There is also a $15 carbontex drag washer from smoothdrag.com.  Let me know if I can tempt you with one!

it's possible to shim the spool of the tld 15 as well, though it's not really needed.  the "kit" would be a pair of heavy duty bellevilles from the tld 20/25 or 20/30.  you would also shim the right spool with a combination of washers that have a 12mm outside diameter and a total of 1.85mm to 1.90m thickness. 

Guys I am putting back together a tld 10 and have a small brass spacer and small black plastic type spaced that I cannot seem to figure out where they go. Will post pics if I can figure it out

first guess, under the drag lever? 

Sent you a email Alan maybe you can post pic for future users with same problem. The black spacer is plastic and has a little screw hole in it like It should go on the right side plate somewhere but I got no extra holes to fill 😬. That brass spacer must go on spool shaft somewhere with that small washer.

Hi folks, I just bought a pair of secondhand Tld 15 reels and both feel a little rough/grinding when turning the handle, especially as drag is increased. I'm thinking that the pinion bearings need replacing? When I take the side plate off, the pinion gear is stuck in the bearing- should it pull out with ease or does it need wd40 and/or more force? I'm probably missing something obvious! Thanks in advance, Tim.