Reel Repair by Alan Tani

This thread is getting way more interesting than I expected. And now I have new rabbit holes to dive into.

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 02, 2024, 02:56:10 AMThis thread is getting way more interesting than I expected. And now I have new rabbit holes to dive into.

I'm seeing it as pretty much obsessive-compulsive. 😳 🙄 They're just fishing reels. 😉 😁

Quote from: Midway Tommy on October 02, 2024, 03:18:37 AM

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 02, 2024, 02:56:10 AMThis thread is getting way more interesting than I expected. And now I have new rabbit holes to dive into.

I'm seeing it as pretty much obsessive-compulsive. 😳 🙄 They're just fishing reels. 😉 😁

You're not wrong. I could catch a fish with a sharpened stick or a net. In the end it's all about making excuses to play with our toys in different ways.

I'm trying to make a fast retrieve reel thats reliable and maybe even feels like a vintage reel. all while giving me something to tinker with for longer than I expected.

I'm loving this.

Using vintage materials and techniques you will have a hard time getting much over a 4:1 gear ratio.  With a higher gear ratio you just about have to flick the spool with your finger to get it started.  I'm not sure why that is but it may be the straight cut gears or spool weight.  In it's day, a quadruple multiplying baitcaster with a whopping 16 IPT was all the rage.

Quote from: Midway Tommy on October 02, 2024, 03:18:37 AM

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 02, 2024, 02:56:10 AMThis thread is getting way more interesting than I expected. And now I have new rabbit holes to dive into.

I'm seeing it as pretty much obsessive-compulsive. 😳 🙄 They're just fishing reels. 😉 😁

I was going to say that early on this thread but, man ! half of the at.com threads apply for that sentence    , that said, lets continue with the theme   

So most of our shenanigans on this site relate to attempting to modernize an old reel. I think what makes this one interesting is I'm trying to go the other direction.

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 02, 2024, 05:07:32 PMSo most of our shenanigans on this site relate to attempting to modernize an old reel. I think what makes this one interesting is I'm trying to go the other direction.

My view , it should be interesting . Can a modern day reel hold the tolerances for bushings , or will it twist and tork and bind up ?

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 02, 2024, 05:07:32 PMSo most of our shenanigans on this site relate to attempting to modernize an old reel. I think what makes this one interesting is I'm trying to go the other direction.

there is a reason why those "old reels" are still here with us, so you can still play with them, they use better quality materials than current moderns reels, I see nothing wrong for trying to use "old" techniques or materials on modern reels, you're not the 1st to un-modernize a fishing reel, me either.

kinda related to your attempt on this thread, I had switched the tiny bearings located under the shaft on some saltwater low profile reels (curado 300, tranx 500, komodo,etc) for those oilites Bearings, the tiny bearings under the shaft are very prone to corrode because they sit inside of a "cave" of the sideplate which trap saltwater, a bronze bushing will not suffer as bad as those super tiny balls on the SS bearings, the reel might not be as smooth as before but surely it will have a longer working life

The "modern" reel trend is high speed and a lot of roller/ball bearings.  High speed is great for some fishing, not so good for others and roller/ball bearings tend to fail more often than plain bearings.  In my opinion ball bearings in a reel handle is foolish.  AR bearings are nice but they also tend to fail.

My favorite semi local (Oregon coast) fishing is for pacific halibut and deep pacific rockfish, neither benefit from a gear ratio higher than 4:1.  Try dragging up 36-48 ounces from 300-700 feet deep and sometimes deeper with a high speed reel.  The 3.25:1 gear ratio "high speed" 349H is perfect for this. 

At 72 years old with severe arthritis in my wrists and a bad back I have reluctantly gone to e-reels for these fisheries.

Now that those troublesome ball bearings are gone, let's remove the drag washers and anti-reverse dog.

Not quite the same thing.  I have a few old "knuckle buster" reels and they really suck.  Semi modern drag stacks and AR dogs seldom if not never fail. 

BTW, before I got "smart" and tossed my spinners I often disabled the AR dogs on these reels.

Disclaimer, in the last several years I reluctantly started using spinners again when my needs/ uses made them the better choice.

Quote from: steelfish on October 02, 2024, 05:41:52 PMthere is a reason why those "old reels" are still here with us, so you can still play with them, they use better quality materials than current moderns reels, I see nothing wrong for trying to use "old" techniques or materials on modern reels, you're not the 1st to un-modernize a fishing reel, me either.

kinda related to your attempt on this thread, I had switched the tiny bearings located under the shaft on some saltwater low profile reels (curado 300, tranx 500, komodo,etc) for those oilites Bearings, the tiny bearings under the shaft are very prone to corrode because they sit inside of a "cave" of the sideplate which trap saltwater, a bronze bushing will not suffer as bad as those super tiny balls on the SS bearings, the reel might not be as smooth as before but surely it will have a longer working life

That's part of the plan. How have those reels held up? And is there a noticeable difference in smoothness?

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on October 02, 2024, 06:07:47 PMThat's part of the plan. How have those reels held up? And is there a noticeable difference in smoothness?

they are still going strong, still fishing with the same bushing after some years. all I had done on their annual service is to clean the bushing and gave few passes with the polishing/buffing dremel wheel.

as I said on my previous post, the smoothness is noticeable less than before (BB) but nothing that cant be compared to a mid-priced fishing reel.  example, smoothness while turning the handle on a store between a gold gen trinindad Vs grey Torium reels, you can feel the "flagship" trinidad reel feels 2x more smooth than the Torium but still, the torium reel "feel" pretty smooth, right?
more BB on a reel dont make it a better reel but a reel to service more often to keep its smoothness in good shape and just make it more expensive to repair.
I also had switched the Ball Bearings under the reel shaft on gold trinidad reels for bushings, I know its like re-badging the reel to its lower mid-priced brother torium, but I prefer that to had the reel broke on me while using it on a long/expensive fishing trip.

Steam turbine governors use plain bearings and seldom fail.  When a steam turbine governor fails bad things happen.... I have seen a 1000hp steam turbine feedwater pump fail and it was impressive,  and I almost lost friends when it came apart.

Quote from: Keta on October 02, 2024, 06:04:31 PMNot quite the same thing.  I have a few old "knuckle buster" reels and they really suck.  Semi modern drag stacks and AR dogs seldom if not never fail.

That's understandable seeing some of the fish you catch Lee.  But a knuckle buster can make inshore small game a lot more exciting.  Take your thrills wherever you can find them.

I will forgo an anti-reverse and drag to spice things up.  But, I won't forgo a free-spool because of that couple of extra feet of casting distance.