Stuck, stuck, spool.

[Rancanfish]

Servicing two 454's and one spool is stuck, stuck in the bearing cup and won't come out of the frame. 

I had a ProGear with this issue once before, but darned if I can remember the clever solution I came up with.  .

I know it didn't involve CorrosionX because I don't have any.

Rainy day project.  I told him it's going to take some time to correct lack of maintenance. 

[Bryan Young]

Have you tried unscrewing the bearing cup?  The is what I would do. Screw in the bearing cup as far as it could go so there's a gap between the spool and the frame then insert some wire ties between the frame and the spool the unscrew the bearing cup and it should work its way out slowly.

[Rancanfish]

Thanks Bry.  That, as it turned out was the easy part. 

I have ss seat screws that twisted off and left two 1/2" nubs frozen into the frame now.

Heat, PB blaster, tapping..........and nothing. I can see the screws trying to twist off again. 

I'm worried they will snap off in the aluminum frame so I'm backing off for now.

[eguinn]

 Soak those area's where the screws are broken off in Corrosion X for 24 hours, then take a very small center drill smaller than a easy out & carefully drill down until you get a start for a smaller drill than the easy out, if those are SS screws that broke off in there use a black coated drill & use a slow RPM, run that drill too fast & it will work harden the top of the screw & you will really play hell trying to get those screws out. If you are not comfortable doing this take the frame to a good machine shop & pay them to drill out the screws. You have to be centered real well over the broken screws before you attempt to do this procedure. Good luck

[Bryan Young]

I hate when it happens Randy. That is no fun.

Hmm.

I have soaked the frame in simple green for 4 hours to clean off as much oil and grease. The after rinsing, soak in salt away or the like to dissolve any salts. Rinse again the soak in something like CLR.  I watch it and manually vibrate the liquid until the bubbles stop the rinse. I then hold the frame in a heat resistance glove the heat the frame slowly with a propane torch. I then spray corrosionX at the screw.  Wipe and repeat the process then after the third time I double nut the screw then try to wrench off.

I hope this helps/works for you.

Thank you,
Bryan

[Rancanfish]

I soaked them all afternoon in PB.  Then I just tried spinning them with a pair of Vise grips.  Mistake.

Now my 1/2'' nubs are 1/4".   

I'm going to have to take a trip to the store and try CLR next.....

[Tightlines667]

A smaller diameter reverse taper tap makes a good screw extractor.  Or you could come from the inside with a standard tap.  Carefully drill a large enough hole in the remaining SS bolts first.  I have had this happen a number of times on older Internationals.  I now leave corroded stands, screws, and bolts in place during typicsl service

[Rancanfish]

When I used to service lots of commercial brass valves I was pretty good at getting stainless parts out.

I've been a bit clumsy here. I'm letting the parts soak alot. I'm doing slow & steady with no luck.  I'm itching to just go gung ho.  But haven't felt like the drilling and tapping hassle yet.

There was white corrosion on every screw on the reel foot. They came out with a bit of grunt. These clamp screws are the first Pro gear screws I haven't been able to solve.

I couldn't leave them alone. My buddy has no tool experience. Now I'm a bit concerned I won't get this back together cleanly.

I haven't even addressed the drags and internals.

Oh, the label on my calcium-rust remover said 'not for aluminum', so that's out.

[Rancanfish]

Well, I don't like threads where there is no ending so....

I will say that if you find yourself in the same position, take it to your machine shop pal.  I completely bumbled the job.  I only proceeded after my friend told me I could have the reel. I wasn't charging him but I told him I would have a few hours into it.

This was after I showed him the corroded main gear, the pinion gear frozen to the spool, the drags needing replacement, the eccentric that needed replacement and both spool bearings that were the crunchiest ever. Surprisingly, one spot of corrosion on the inside by the main was all I found.

I put it back together with another set of ProGear main & pinion, five stack drag, new eccentric, two new bearings, a Cortez bearing cup and a new gear sleeve. Pretty nice reel now.

Not a perfect ProGear, (no clamp), but it'll catch Albies all day.  I may do a JB weld / retap at some point.

[foakes]

Looks like you did as well of a job, as anyone could expect given what the issues were -- good job, Randy!

I generally uncover these issues upon the initial breakdown after a visual and mechanical operation test.

When this happens on an expensive frame or reel -- I let the client know up front that there may issues that will not turn out pretty.  And I will either proceed to make the best of a tough situation -- or they can have the reel back as is -- this covers me in case the whole deal goes South.

99 times out of 100 -- just like you did very well -- a good, serviceable reels emerges from the ashes.

This is the perfect example of why we grease the screws, bolts, clamp hardware, sideplates, rings, places where disimilar metals are joined, and other non-moving parts of the reel.

Prevents most of these corrosion and fusing issues that we all hate to see happen to a good reel.

Appreciate the effort and awareness for all who see this thread.

Best,

Fred

[mo65]

This is the perfect example of why we grease the screws, bolts, clamp hardware, sideplates, rings, places where disimilar metals are joined, and other non-moving parts of the reel.

   Exactly Fred...I've made an effort to remember to grease fasteners on reels like I was going to dunk 'em in saltwater. Great effort Randy, you salvaged a fishable reel from a mess, and that qualifies as a success.

[PacRat]

I used to know of a guy with an EDM who would remove broken taps and EZ-outs. He called himself the Tap Dr. He had a shop in Santa Fe Springs, CA. I'll look for his business card and see if he's still doing it.
-Mike

[handi2]

A smaller diameter reverse taper tap makes a good screw extractor.  Or you could come from the inside with a standard tap.  Carefully drill a large enough hole in the remaining SS bolts first.  I have had this happen a number of times on older Internationals.  I now leave corroded stands, screws, and bolts in place during typicsl service

Same here. When I see them corroded into a frame on the International reels I dont touch it. They are brass and will break too easy.

Any other screw its heat with a little torch and Kroil.

It will work just fine now so your stress is over..!!

[Rancanfish]

Thanks guys for all the comments.

On to reel #2!!!  Had a frozen screw that holds the handle side plate on.  Stared at it hard yesterday, then drilled the head off. That left a nub stuck in the one piece frame that I was sure was going to give me grief. Sprayed it with PB and left it.

When I got home today I was considering cutting a slot in it for a screwdriver, welding a tube onto it, etc.  But then I grabbed a pair of needle nose with some grip, and was surprised when it turned right out!  Put it all back together doing the same treatment with a new 5 stack, new bearings, etc.

Fantastic free spool.  But when it's out of gear and I turn the spool it tries to engage???  It's like the pinion is catching the spool intermittently.  If I back off the bearing cup and tilt the reel so the spool is away from the gear train it's fine.  I was feeling pretty cocky for about a minute on this reel.  

I know I've heard of this happening before to someone but don't recall what it was...........weak pinion springs?

And I need one ProGear side plate screw if someone has a spare.    They are smaller diameter than a typical Penn screw.  

[RowdyW]

Randy, it seems like either the bridge screws are sticking beyond the bridge when tightened down or the spool might be touching the bridge. Also try a new ecc. jack, it might not be lifting the pinion far enough away from the spool. These are a few of the things that I have run into.             Rudy