Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I was just sent this reel today, from a guy in Florida- the cranking was rough, loud and stuttery- so much I only turned it a few times before opening it up. Looks to have those fancy new affordable stainless 4;1 gears that are being sold on Ebay. The slot in the pinion for the yoke- tolerance is too tight, I can barely slide the end of the pinion into the slot- my other pinions work fine with his yoke, my other pinions no want to fit into his pinion's slot........

not sure how to proceed, I think he should get seller to send him a new pinion or set. i can use a fine stone and relieve it ever so slightly but i'd rather he got what he paid for before paying me to make them right


I guess these gears are made in Taiwan by an "injector manufacturer"

I hate to hear it. I put a set in a 113h wide and other than being a little noisy they seem fine. I hope the seller makes it right. Bob

I popped mine in here:

Idid not have that issue, I was actually impressed with the way they were machined, but do not have a bunch to compare  , I only purchased one set.
The reel is working nicely though.

SS on SS gears tend to be noisy and feel "grity".

Quote from: Joel.B on February 05, 2013, 01:08:06 AM
The slot in the pinion for the yoke- tolerance is too tight, I can barely slide the end of the pinion into the slot-

I'd rather have it tight and then hand fit it with a file.

Does not sound good.

QuoteI'd rather have it tight and then hand fit it with a file.

I'd prefer to have it perfect to begin with. 

I copied the picture so I could zoom it, I didn't see anything. You can only zoom a little,  it gets out of focus quickly. Can you take a shot so we can see what you're talking about?
I measured and weighted the gears before installing them, if I remember correctly, the pinion was a little heavier that the accurate pinion, the main gear was exactly the same. I have pictures and notes somewhere, but can't find them.

I've got old eyes so I couldn't see anything either. I haven't fished mine yet. I guess the real test will be afterward when I open it up. Bob

I believe that the problem with this gear set is the SS material. The seller should never use 304 graded SS. It is just too soft SS for fishing reel.

The main gear should be softer than the pinion.

Nice shot Joel, now I see what you're talking about. I'm not really concerned about the burrs, looks like that one got missed form getting cleaned. The finish peeling off got me worried, Why would the plating be there
Looks like we might have contact this guy, even if the gears look good, I'm not crazy about that plating. If any of you that have purchased these gears and didn't install them yet, would you mind checking them out? I hate to take that reel apart again.

The pinion looks plated, not SS.

Put a grinder on it and see if it sparks orange.

If the guy is not using SS pinion gear, that will be very bad for him. I can tell you that he probably has these gears made in China. He his making a killing for around $53.00 (after paypal and Ebay fees) on these 304 SS main gears and whatever material for the pinion gears.

Quote from: Keta on February 05, 2013, 09:25:08 PM
Put a grinder on it and see if it sparks orange.

Okay Lee it's about time for you to become proffessor Lee.  Tell what would it mean to see orange sparks?  In your answer I want to know what the chemical changes taking place that make the sparks orange?  Come on take the challenge and run with it.   Dominick