Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Having sorted out the Slosh 30 thanks to you guys  , the fella that butchered it asked if I would look at his Penn 525GS.  I am fairly familiar with the Penn 525 as I have two 525 mags so I agreed to have a look.  I picked up what was supposed to be one reel but turned out to be 1 1/2 reels in bits.     It transpired that the original reel had the frame broken by someone dropping it so a doner reel was found.  The guy I got it off had tried to make one reel out of two but failed miserably.  Everything was locked up!  Not letting this put me off I decided I was up for the challenge.  After completely stripping the reel and making sure all the components were available I started to rebuild it. Not too long into the build I found the screws which held the bearing retainer plate (173) at the bottom of the gear stud (134) had been over tightened and stripped the thread in the frame.

Hoping there was enough thread to hold it I rebuilt the reel only to find as I increased the drag everything tightened up.  After closer inspection the gear stud had lifted the retainer place because the threads hadn't held.  My question after that little ramble is.  Can anything be done to save the situation?  I have thought of epoxy glue on the threads but cleaning out any grease or oil from the hole is going to be a nightmare.  The only option I can see is a another frame needs to be purchased.  Am I being over dramatic or is there a simpler solution?

i have found that a thin copper sheet from the hobby store works the best in graphite frames to hold the screws in.  the copper is harder than the aluminum from a soda can and it work the extra effort.  also, be careful not to overtighten the side plate screws.  that can distort the frame and make it rub against the spool.  good luck! 

Thanks for your reply Alan.  I'm now trying to distance myself from this project as it was a favour to a friend of a friend.  I think the person who had played with it prior to me had overtightened the end plate screws as the spool was rubbing.  I advised the owner that a new frame would be favorite.  I don't want to get into trying to bodge it even though my username would imply I do.  If it fails after I tried I would never hear the last of it so the ball's in his court.

Thanks again

BB

If you are equipped to handle the job, a Heli-coil is the awnser. In fact, I think that any screw hole in a graphite frame should be heli-coiled as a matter of course. Sort of belt and suspenders but that's great if you are doing a repair in the middle of the Pacific.

Ron

Quote from: BillBodger on April 24, 2013, 02:06:44 PM
Thanks for your reply Alan.  I'm now trying to distance myself from this project as it was a favour to a friend of a friend.  I think the person who had played with it prior to me had overtightened the end plate screws as the spool was rubbing.  I advised the owner that a new frame would be favorite.  I don't want to get into trying to bodge it even though my username would imply I do.  If it fails after I tried I would never hear the last of it so the ball's in his court.

Thanks again

BB

no good deed goes unpunished.   

Quote from: noyb72 on April 24, 2013, 07:16:18 PM
If you are equipped to handle the job, a Heli-coil is the awnser. In fact, I think that any screw hole in a graphite frame should be heli-coiled as a matter of course. Sort of belt and suspenders but that's great if you are doing a repair in the middle of the Pacific.

Ron

Thanks for that Ron.  I'm not really equipped for heli-coil and to be honest I can't be bothered with the hassle of trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.  I appreciate your reply.  Thank you.

BB