It’s good that I had my latest Pixzilla project or I would have been another victim of the winter doldrums. You got it, a long-cold spell …the water froze early last year but the ice hasn’t been suitable for any serious fishing. I’ve read all the books that I can stand, and surfing the net doesn’t help either.

At times, it almost seems like I spend more time shoveling snow than in my workshop, regardless of what my wife says about it. I’ve already got most of my rods, reels and other tackle ready for the new season; but it’s still too cold to get serious about the boats.  I’m chomping at the bit to hit the water with my latest addition to the arsenal.

So, lets spend some time looking at my new custom +R tuned Pixy.  Along the way we’ll  cover some things like getting a reel painted, doing a smoothdrag.com drag kit upgrade, +R tuning a Pixy spool, and a few other goodies. Of course, there will be plenty of pictures, tips and lots of detail for those considering similar upgrades. An Aside: Little did I know when I started planning in November that the Pixy project would end up being my answer to the new Daiwa PX68. It’s expected to hit the shelves in a few more weeks!

Oh By The Way: Yes, that’s snow and ice in the background of some pictures, it was just starting to flurry when I took them. You didn’t think I’d let you get away without sharing some of it?

Background

Come-on, get real; how can you make a Pixzilla any better?!? It already approaches perfection for lighter presentations, and excels at pitching and casting a wide-range of lure weights.  It’s no wonder that I have many of them now; they are fun to use, don’t hardly weigh anything, and the profile is easy for my crippled old hands to palm.  If you’re a modder, there’s plenty to tinker with too! A Note: A stock Pixy is no slouch, many users outside of TackleTour have never heard of a Pixzilla! Just try buying a NIB LH Pixy – they don’t come up that often.  However, if you are patient you can snag a used one! That’s exactly what I did, so read on…

I love pitching, roll casting and side-arming a Zoom Lil-Crit for smallmouth and can never seem to get enough of it!  Most of the time I use them weightless on a light #1 bass hook rigged weed less.  But sometimes I’ll put a 1/64 to 1/16 oz bullet sinker above the hook when in a little deeper water, pitching to specific weed openings in the wind, or as the smallmouth just begin to move in for the coming spawn. In early winter, I’ll even use them on sharper drop-offs near deep water; for some reason a smallmouth can’t resist that super-slow natural fall!  Unfortunately, if you’ve ever pitched or cast a Zoom Lil-Crit this way you already know what I’m talking about – everything together doesn’t weigh more than 1/8 oz., and has about the same aerodynamic characteristics as a cotton ball! A Note: Although the Pixzilla does a fair job with the right rod, line and reel adjustment; I still wanted a little more.  Remember my previous blog about always wanting to crank everything I can out of a reel? Well, here’s another example! Enough said for now.

~3” green pumpkin Zoom Lil-Crit TR with 1/32 oz bullet weight.

I’ve grown addicted to swept 4-bearing handles; they seem to be so much easier on my wrist, although I really don’t have a preference in carbon vs. aluminum. I also like the feel of Reel Grips and have them on all of my reels, especially since the profile seems to work better with my fingers.  (O.K. you guys can laugh, I even use them on handles that have cork knobs!) Then you have the level wind upgrade; swapping the bushing for a new bearing and a small spacer sleeve, for better level wind performance and line lay.  Of course, how could you ever have a Pixzilla without a Carbontex drag upgrade? And what about upgraded spool bearings and polishing a few key components in the reel; you already know where I stand on them if you’ve followed my blogs.  Last but not least, I like a stealthy look. An Aside: Maybe I’m getting a little finicky in my old age, but I occasionally get wild with a bit of bling at times.  O.K. I admit it, red shad has always been one of my favorite color schemes; and if there is black/green/white sparkles’ mixed in with the black it really catches my attention. Hey, red shad is kinda-sorta stealthy, isn’t it? A Note: I decided not to do the standard TD-Z level wind line guide mod as I was reassembling the reel.  I’ve never really noticed much difference with or without it – so I stayed with the standard Pixy guide. (I admit that I typically use lighter and more-supple types of line, and suspect that is probably why the longer line opening hasn’t been much of a factor.)  So, I’ve slowly started to migrate back to a stock guide in my Pixies anyway.

So there you have it, my specifications for the make-over. A Blog Note: I don’t intend to cover much of the “hands-on” side of the reel make-over, except for the drag upgrade.  Instead, I’ll focus on things from a higher level – besides I’ve got other blogs that get into much of the actual detail.  There’s even more information in the Maintenance Section of the TackleTour forum.

Custom Paint Preps

Although the Pixy I purchased had a little boat rash on each side plate and the frame, it was lightly used and in excellent mechanical condition. So, how could I have a new “Super Pixzilla”, without a custom paint job? Fortunately, if you’ve been around TackleTour, it doesn’t take long before you hear and see the reels that Calfish has painted! I drool all over my keyboard every time I see them.

Red shad color in winter sunlight!

Let me start by saying that Calfish did an excellent job on painting the reel, it exceeded my expectations:

• All different parts of the reel are the same shade, depth and glossy finish. Nothing that was painted appears abnormal or out of place and everything looks better than any stock reel I’ve seen. It was obvious that plenty of time, attention to detail, etc. was put in to the painting.
• The finish cured extremely hard and really shines! Smudges and fingerprints, wipe off easily with a very light spray of Eagle One Nanowax and a micro-fiber rag. There were no chips or scratches after I reassembled the reel.
• You could tell that he put a lot of effort into controlling overspray, taping and ensuring that excess paint did not affect how the spool fits in the frame and mounting of other components.
• There were no runs or missed spots, or hint of blemishes from the original boat rash.
• Periodic communications throughout the process kept me up to date on the status.

An Aside: The pictures of the reel just don’t do his work justice, the dark red plates and contrasting black frame are hard to capture with a camera, and especially during a cold and snowy winter day. They become very vibrant in direct light and you can see tiny sparkles and depth within the paint. However, the colors gradually change to a deeper and darker shade in reduced light – almost becoming dark maroon and stunning black in the process.  Both the red shad and stealth look I was hoping for!

Indirect light gives a stealthy-red look!

You’ll need to disassemble the entire reel before you send the parts to Calfish.  Everything! So in the case of a Pixy, don’t forget to: remove the clutch lever plates from the frame; the A/R bearing, tension o-ring and white spring plate from the handle plate; and the adjustment knob when you remove the other magnetic braking components from the palm plate. I only point this out because these components seldom get removed in normal situations. (You’ll also want to store them in a safe location after you remove them, along with the rest of the reel parts!)

A Tip: If you’ve never removed an A/R bearing from a Daiwa handle plate, stand-by! Sometimes they will just slide out of the socket in the plate with little effort, and it isn’t a big deal. However, most of the time they are pressed-in and getting them out is more challenging. Occasionally they are pressed-in along with epoxy – and things can be a major challenge. Search the Maintenance Section of the TackleTour forum if you encounter the last two cases and need help!

A Big Note: If you don’t have the skills, tools or desire to completely disassemble and reassemble the reel, you can have it done by a reel tech. Review the posts on TackleTour to find techs that have worked closely with Calfish in delivering a completed reel. (You’ll find them mentioned in the Show and Tell or the Maintenance Section of the forum.) It’s a great way to get to the same point, and there’s nothing wrong with this approach (although it costs a bit more). Another Note: When you send the parts you’ll also need to include the spool and the spool bearing that is pinned to it. Calfish will ensure that the sides of the spool are not affected by any paint on the frame!

You’ll probably want to clean and inspect the parts before you send them for painting. I used a small tooth brush and a 20:1 dilute solution of Simple Green to scrub the parts, warm tap water for periodic soaks, and finished by rinsing them off with distilled water. Once the front plate, both side plates and frame were dry I wrapped them in bubble wrap before boxing them up.

Stealth and red shad in mixed light!

I knew Calfish was going to be busy painting reels for other forum members this time of year; something I’ve followed on TackleTour for a couple seasons now.  I was a little surprised that the parts came back about 6 weeks after sending them to him. There was still plenty of time to get a new handle, prepare other parts, etc., and even modify/test a Pixy spool with +R tuned braking components. There was always something to tinker with, and getting things ready was a good distraction during the blizzards that left us snowbound in part of January!

Custom Paint Reassembly

Swept IZE 4-bearing 80mm handle.

I had planned on dealing with the effects of paint long before I ever sent the parts to Calfish for painting.  Let’s face it, the spray and thickness of paint can be enough to affect the fit, mating, precision and even performance of reel components. [Also one of the reasons you need to be careful when painting a reel!] For example, the thickness of a coating can affect how one part matches and mounts with another. A run or little bit of paint in the wrong location can affect alignment or precision. In the case of threaded holes, overspray can affect how fasteners travel and torque components together.  Bearing sockets present a unique situation; in extreme cases paint might prevent the bearing from even being mounted, or could adversely affect the bearings radial clearance if it can.

On the other hand, how can you really ensure adequate coverage and that chipping/ cracking won’t occur around an opening, unless you actually overspray a small part of it?  An interesting dilemma and an age old problem involving two extremes, and one that coating and manufacturing engineers address all the time! So, I planned on dealing with the affects of paint ahead of time, simply because it should be expected. A Tip: I discussed removing excess paint with Calfish and he suggested that Acetone or other similar solvents not be used to remove any paint or paint residue near/in screw holes, etc.

A small bit of paint needed to be removed from the inside wall of
the bearing socket. The paint runs between the arrow tips.

When I got the parts back I checked them for paint that had to be removed before reassembling the reel.  Calfish did a great job of taping and controlling excess overspray, so there wasn’t much I had to do in that regard. Thanks Calfish for making my project so much easier:

• The previous picture shows a small amount of extra paint between the arrow tips, on the inside wall of the drive shaft outer bearing socket. It obviously affected installing the bearing and was relatively thick. So, I lightly scraped it off the wall with a dull knife tip, blew the chips out with a little compressed air and wiped the socket out with a q-tip dampened in a little water.  A Note: The rest of the paint on the front of the bearing socket should not be removed; it has no affect on alignment, the bearing or other components, and is not visible when the reel is reassembled.

• The bottom red arrow in the picture below shows the hole where the level wind guard mounts in the palm plate side of frame.  The paint was just a little too thick on the inside edge to allow the guard to pass through the hole.  So I wrapped a small strip of 600 Wet and Dry sand paper around a ¼” dowel and lightly removed a small amount of paint on the inside edge – just enough to allow the guard to pass through. I don’t think it took more than a half-dozen light strokes with the paper to get what I needed.

• The remaining arrows in the picture below show threaded holes in the frame for the handle plate, level wind stabilizing bar, etc. When I checked them with the screw that goes in each hole, I found two that needed to be cleared.  I used a very small pick to carefully remove paint in the threads, then blew the holes with compressed air and rinsed them out with fresh water.  I also found that the threaded hole for the palm plate locking screw had a little paint in the threads that also needed to be removed. So, I used the same method to clean up that hole. I finished by running a spare palm plate locking screw coated with a very thin film of oil in-and-out several times, to ensure travel was smooth and not impeded (see the previous picture).

Frame openings where paint might affect reassembly. Most are
threaded holes for plates and the level wind stabilizer bar.

I really didn’t have any surprises while reassembling the reel and everything went together the way I expected.  I did put a very-light film of grease on the threads of screws that tighten in the frame; something that I typically do anyway during an annual clean/inspect to preclude fretting.  You might want to consider doing the same after having a frame painted, but there’s no need to get carried away with the grease when you do it.

Level Wind Upgrade

Stock bushing shown on Pixy level wind worm (bottom),
has been replaced with a small collar and bearing (top).

The Daiwa level wind upgrade has been around for several years now and I automatically do it on a new reel when required.  I recently touched on it, about half-way through my Level Wind Fundamentals blog.

Some Daiwa low profile reels have a bushing under the level wind gear as shown in the bottom of the previous picture, and it’s possible to replace the bushing with a 4×8x2.5 mm bearing and a 5×6x2 mm collar (top of the picture).  You’ll need ball bearing (part 39) F05-5601 from the TD-Z103H/105H and worm shaft collar (part 40) G01-0701 from the TD-Z 103, to complete the modification and improve level wind performance.

However, in the case of my Pixy project, I recognized that the new collar dimensions could be affected by the painting.  Simply put, the added thickness of the new paint on the frame would likely require that I customize the collar under the level wind gear. So I decided to modify the original stock Pixy bushing to make it work, and would adjust its thickness for precise fit.  A Note: Little did I know at the time, that Daiwa US didn’t have any collars in stock, so that was probably a good choice anyway! An Aside: Unfortunately a lot of forum members are still looking for collars and have level wind upgrades on hold. Oh By The Way: I’ve never had a problem getting a replacement bushing collar from Daiwa, like the one found in a stock Sol, Fuego, Viento, Pixy, etc.  For instance, worm shaft holder (part 40) G41-7801 from a Sol never seems to be out of stock when I’ve ordered them. So, the information in the next couple of paragraphs may be an option…

Making Your Own Collar

Most of the 4x8mm end of the stock Pixy bushing collar needs to be removed to make the new collar. The good news is that the material is not that hard or brittle, and is very easy to work.

I’ve cut them almost all the way down (~2.5mm), with a razor-sharp contractor’s knife and even a Dremel wheel in the past, and filed them the rest of the way to square them up and get the correct thickness.  DR on the forum has even used a belt sander to sand them down, and he’s made a jig to hold them while doing it. I even recall one forum member who filed the whole thing down to make a new collar! So, there are several ways to do it.

You can square and finish them up to the correct thickness with a piece of 600# Wet and Dry sandpaper, fine file, or even an Emory board borrowed for your significant other.  A replacement collar from Daiwa is 2mm thick, but you can even leave it .1 or .2 mm longer for a custom fit – to remove the last bit of axial play from the worm gear as the pinion switches tapers.

A Test: In the case of my Pixy Project, the exact thickness of the collar ended up being 1.89mm, a little smaller than the standard 2mm because of the paint. It only required 42 passes on a sheet of 400 and 6 passes on a sheet of 600 Wet and Dry to make make the new collar — and took all of 3-1/2 minutes to do it (including the 2 checks with the level wind worm and bearing in the frame)! So stop waiting for Daiwa to get them back in stock and make your own — chances are you’ll spend 10x that long on the phone ordering one.

Tuning a New IZE Handle

One of the first things I did was to fine-tune the new IZE 80mm carbon handle that I got from Plat.  The knobs I used were from a brand new  TD-Advantage-153HSTA. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the fit when you mounted them with the usual washer(s) beneath the bottom bearing on each post.  One washer was not thick enough, and the ~.13mm axial slop in the knob resulted in a noticeable click when you cranked a reel. Yet 2 washers were too thick, and the knob would bind depending on how far you tightened the knob screw.  So I sanded one of the washers under each knob to achieve just the right fit, using 600 then and 1200 Wet and Dry paper.  I lubricated all knob bearings with Xtreme Reel+, a dry lubricant that I’m testing again this season.

A Big Tip: If you are faced with the same situation, resist the urge to reduce the length of the handle post in an attempt to get a better fit with your knobs.  Not only will you kill the resale value of the handle, it can create other problems down the road. For instance, you probably won’t be able to use it with any other type of knobs, and the debris that gets inside the post is almost impossible to remove and might cause a knob screw to seize!

Polishing and Tuning

I also did a little polishing and tuning on a few key parts. Something I’ve done on all of my low profile Daiwas now. I’ll even do it on a new reel, once I’ve checked it out. It feels so good afterward!

You can use my Polishing the Sol article to improve the way the reel disengages/reengages, provide a little better spool tension adjustment, and even reduce some spool noise that might otherwise occur while casting or retrieving.

A Tip: There’s no need to get carried away with the polishing!

Pixy Drag Kit Mod

Background

The stock Pixy has a drag stack that consists of a heavy top key washer, thick composite friction washer and an eared stainless steel washer that fits in the bottom of the drive gear. When new, the stock drag delivers about 3 to 4# of break-away pull, but running pull can be up to 1# less (especially after use).  In addition, should the stack get contaminated with oil, grease or water; the running pull can become erratic and the stack may even stutter, and/or break-away pull can become non-repeatable from pull-to-pull.  You’ll find more information about break-away and running drag in my previous Reel Drag Basics blog.

About 4 years ago, some TackleTour forum members began testing various Pixy drag upgrades using multiple Carbontex and metal drag washers.  If you are curious, you can find posts about them in the Maintenance Section of the old TackleTour forum; just go there and use “Pixy drag” for search terms. However, you can find a summary of the designs in the Sticky Post at the top of the forum. Most of the drag mods were somewhat complicated; requiring parts from other reels, specific reel measurements and even cutting a new drive shaft collar. However, they worked very well and eliminated the previously described problems.

Smoothdrag.com began supplying a drag kit that includes polished stainless steel and Carbontex washers that drop right into the Pixy.  Everything you need to do a drag upgrade is included in the kit, except maybe a little Cal’s Grease (I’ll get to it in a few paragraphs). A Pixy drag upgrade became so much simpler and easier after that!

Details

I get a lot of PM’s and email from Pixy owners who are interested in a Pixy drag upgrade or have questions about the smoothdrag.com kit. It’s also a common topic in the Maintenance Section of the forum. So, I thought I’d provide a little more detail about it, since I used the kit for my custom Pixzilla – and suggest you do the same.  Thanks Dawn!

A Note and Tip: Many reel techs will also install the kit when they work on your reel, it has become that popular! Most can do it during an annual clean and inspect -- Hint, hint!

When you use the kit you will still need to use the stock eared washer that fits in the bottom of the drive gear. However, you won’t use the stock top key washer and Teflon composite washer shown above.

Smoothdrag.com Pixy Drag Kit showing the new configuration.

When you get the kit you’ll notice that there are different polished metal washers and Carbontex washers, they will need to be installed in a specific order to complete the modification.  The previous picture shows the correct arrangement, starting from the drive gear and working upward:

• The stock ear washer that was in the Pixy, gets re-used,
• One of the new larger i.d. Carbontex washers goes above it,
• One of the new metal key washers goes above that,
• The other new larger i.d. Carbontex washers goes above that,
• The new eared metal key washer goes about that,
• The new smaller i.d. Carbontex washer goes above that, and
• The other new key washer goes on top of the stack, directly under the drive shaft collar.

You’ll want to clean the new metal and Carbontex washers before you install them, to remove any residue, lubricant, etc.  I suggest using a little Lighter Fluid (Naphtha), in a sealed glass jar to do the cleaning. Just drop them in ~1/4” of the fluid and put the lid on the jar. Periodically swirl them and let them soak for a total of 10 minutes or so, to loosen and lift carbon residue from the woven fiber washers.

A Safety Note: Be sure to exercise appropriate precautions for handling and using a solvent (adequate ventilation, fire hazard, no sparks  or open flame in the area, etc.). You’ll find more on safety precautions in my Tool Time blog.

A Tip: You can clean the washers the same during the annual clean/inspect at the end of the season. However, it might take a little longer, especially if you’ve used drag grease on the washers.

Remove the washers and allow them to dry after cleaning. I like to lay them out on a clean lint-free terry cloth towel to dry in the air.  A Tip: The solvent on the Carbontex washers may appear to evaporate sooner than on the metal washers. Unfortunately, the weave inside the washer can still hold a lot of solvent in it. So don’t get in too big a hurry applying drag grease on them; if you intend to use drag grease on your Carbontex washers. [You’ll work drag grease into the fiber, and any solvent still within the fiber can immediately break it down. YIKES!]

Drag Grease

“To use drag grease or not to use drag grease?” a question I get a lot on the forum. I prefer to use it because break-away drag seems to be closer to running drag and pull tends to be more consistent from pull to pull. In addition, the drag doesn’t seem to be nearly affected by “a good dunking” (yes accidents do occasionally happen),  or a major “gully washer.” If you are a salt water anger or fish in brackish water the grease might help mitigate fouling of the stack.

On the other hand, top-end drag may be slightly less with drag grease (maybe ¼# or so, depending on the reel), and there is a little initial cost to get the grease.

So, some prefer the advantages of drag grease (called a wet drag), and others prefer to run them dry (called a dry drag). In the end, the choice is entirely yours.

Drag grease is different than the other grease used in a reel, although it still contains filler and lubricants:

• The filler holds and disperses the lubricant like in conventional reel grease. However, drag grease filler doesn’t break down until very high temperature, when compared to other grease fillers. In addition, the filler tends to insulate and protect lubricant molecules more than other fillers, from the heat developed by friction.
• The most important part of the lubricant consists of macro-molecules [or micro-particles] of a PTFE (Teflon). The macro-molecules are extremely long, chemically neutral and very strong – they will not breakdown or be penetrated like film lubricant molecules. In addition, the molecules form layers which move against each other, so shear becomes more directly related to the compression force on them (a very desirable characteristic for a drag brake).
• The rest of the lubricant typically contains a synthetic oil for carrying the PTFE molecules. It also often includes anti-oxidants, protectants and anti-coagulants; which improve the stability of the filler, and helps disperse and replenish PTFE molecules as they expend.

A Note: Strange things can happen if drag grease gets mixed with conventional reel grease and exposed to the conditions under the handle plate. Simply put, the results are unpredictable; it can glob like the curds in cottage cheese, can turn the surface of metals black, and even affect the ability of the conventional grease to adhere on gear teeth.  If fresh water or saltwater gets thrown in with the mix, it can even turn dry and crusty when things finally dry out, or may retain moisture so algae will grow on/in the mix. Lastly, it may just do nothing but turn a little different color. Yep, that sounds like unpredictable….

Drag Grease Summary: So, the way the Teflon lubricant molecules shear in layers, how they behave under compression and the characteristics of the filler are what really distinguish drag grease from conventional reel grease.  A Tip: I don’t necessarily recommend trying to use conventional reel grease in lieu of drag grease in a drag stack. It usually doesn’t last nearly as long and the drag stack can get sticky and inconsistent during use.  Just my take after trying it a couple times; they were an emergency, honest!

A Side Note: The processes involved with PTFE types of solid lubricants and woven carbon fiber are very complicated, and I’ve taken the liberty of being brief.

Cal’s Grease, Shimano drag grease (ACE grease) and a few others can be used on your Carbontex washers (or other wet drag washers).  I prefer Cal’s because it’s a little cheaper and easier to obtain, but have found that they all generally perform about the same.  The color and consistency of Cal’s reminds me of smooth peanut butter; you can get it from smoothdrag.com and it comes in a 1 oz. or 1# container. [A 1 oz container will last most anglers a lifetime!]

Once the washers are dry after cleaning, I just work a small dab of Cal’s Grease into the surface with a finger and thumb. I like to ensure the grease actually gets inside the weave on both sides of the fiber because performance seems to last longer – but there is no need to get carried away with the grease. More is not necessarily better …read on!

Excess grease will get compressed out of the stack and can splatter under the handle plate, find its way to the teeth on the drive gear and mix with other grease (BAD!), etc.  So, I typically squeeze the washer between my finger and thumb and rotate it to remove excess grease.

A Tip: A good rule of thumb for a bass reel is to only leave enough grease on the washers; so that if you touch them, you leave a finger print on them. (See the previous picture.) A Note: If you do decide to go with a lot more drag grease, make sure you know there won’t be undesired results should it find its way to the other grease in the reel. Some anglers might actually do this, to mitigate the effects of saltwater intrusion on the stack.

+R Tuned Pixy Spool

Background

I briefly mentioned the possibility of a +R tuned Pixy spool, toward the end of my Inside The Daiwa Spool blog back in November.  That’s about the time that I started planning my Pixy project, so it was a teaser for what was to come. However, I seriously thought about not even posting anything about it in this blog, figuring there just wasn’t a lot of interest. However, I admit you need to be a hard-core spool modder to want to go this route, and maybe it’s a bit much for most or involves more risk than they want to assume.

I’ve been running a couple TD-X’s and S’s without any braking components on the spool for a few years now, primarily using my thumb to control overrun.  I still have them; just don’t use them as much anymore, because I don’t cast/pitch/flip the heavier stuff that often.

I also learned long ago, that trying to do the same with very light presentations like a Zoom Lil-Crit, just won’t work – even with the lightest of spools like the Pixy and my Presso rod. There just isn’t enough momentum from the lure and spool to handle much feathering on the spool, and when you do, things get extremely critical. [A Confession: O.K. I admit it, my thumb just isn’t nimble enough to pitch a 1/8 oz piece of popcorn tied onto the end of my line, while only using my thumb to control overrun!  Whew, I feel a lot better now that that’s out in the open.] When you try, distance and accuracy are all over the spectrum, overrun is just too hard to control, and any wind turns a bad situation into “worser-than-worse.”

So it didn’t take me long to realize that I had reached the point where man and his “well trained thumb” could no longer perform as well or as quickly as machine…. I would need a little bit of variable magnetic braking for my latest Pixy project!

You can go back and review my earlier blogs for more insight:

• Exploring Magnetic Brakes
• Magging for Modders
• Adjustable Magnetic Braking
• Backlash, Magnetic Braking and Spool Tension

Braking Mod

Disassembled TD-Z +R spool braking components (left),
and stock Pixy braking components (right).

It’s possible to swap the +R tuned Magforce V braking components from another spool, over to the Pixy spool for improved pitching performance.  In fact, there are other changes you can make to +R components to fine-tune the spool braking response even more – if that’s what you want to do. (Maybe I’ll get into them someday.) I decided to use most of the braking components from a TD-Z +R spool. An Aside: Yes, you’ve seen this spool before in a couple of my previous blogs!

I already covered how to remove and reinstall Daiwa Magforce V and Z braking components in my Inside the Daiwa Spool blog. You can use the process, tools and tips from the blog; just be careful and pay attention to what you are doing, since you can damage a spool in the process!

To make a long story short, you’ll want to use the +R inductor and tabs, but the stock Pixy braking spring. A Note: It’s hard to make out in the previous picture; but the Pixy spring is a little longer, yet it doesn’t take quite as much compression force to compress it and the compression rate is not the same as the +R spring. So, you’ll just have to take my word for it; you’ll get a little bit better +R performance for the lighter presentations, with the longer spring. An Aside: Again, maybe I’ll blog about this sometime later.

+R modified Pixy spool (left) and stock Pixy spool (right). Notice
the difference in inductors, and how the stock inductor fits into the magnets a bit further, when compared to the +R.

It’s easy to see the difference between the +R inductor and the stock Pixy inductor in the previous picture.  But also note how much further the stock inductor sticks into the braking magnets at spool start-up. (Use the collar on the left spool shaft to see the ~.8mm difference on the right.) Less braking would occur at spool start-up with the +R spool for both reasons. Remember that braking torque increases when more of the inductor is exposed to magnetic lines of force and the closer the inductor is to the magnets? See my Exploring Magnetic Brakes blog for more information.

Trivia: The braking tabs also have a little different mass and length; so the effect from different momentum and distance they travel, will also affect the rate at which braking is applied as the spool accelerates and decelerates.  Sound complicated? Trust me it is….

I actually went through a couple different iterations to get the exact braking response I was looking for with my Lil-Crits. I tested braking response after each change by making numerous pitches and casts, and even did a some bench testing.  You may have seen this already, since I posted it on the forum; Prototyping Tuned Pixy Spool. But here’s a video of a Magforce V braking system in action, the red light on the bottom of the spool is from a laser tachometer. It’s one of the tools I use to collect data when prototyping a spool. Notice how the braking inductor responds with varying spool speed – similar to what would occur during a cast.

By the Way: In case you were going to ask; no, you can not put a Magforce Z braking system into a Pixy spool. You need to stay with Magforce V because the tabs run on the side of the tapered spool and there isn’t enough room.

Wrap-Up

I wrapped things up by dropping a set of higher precision spool bearings into the reel. I’ll have more about them later… and that’s all I’m saying for now! But as far as casting and pitching crits, I’ll just say SWEET!!!

So there you have it… my winter +R Tuned Pixy Project.  Hopefully you’ll find the information useful, much of it will apply to other reel models!

It was a good project for fighting off cabin fever, but now that it’s done I’m itching to get it on the water!

Like Always: I’m not associated with anyone or any products mentioned in this blog.

-dModder

I’ve been tinkering with Daiwa spool braking components for the past few years.  Fooling with things like inductors, tabs, springs and other parts found on the low profiled bait casters.  Unfortunately, I don’t think Daiwa really intended for anyone to work on them; it can be a challenge that requires patience, skill and dexterity. But if you are spool modder you have no choice….

So let’s spend some time exploring Magforce spool components. I’ll introduce the three different Magforce designs, explain how to disassemble and reassemble a Magforce V and Z spool, and show you a couple of tools that will help. Lastly, this blog will provide a foundation for the spool mechanics underlying the braking designs, which I’ll build upon later.

Beware The Other Darkside…

I’m going to cover some more-advanced bench activities in this blog, when I get into disassembling a spool.  Trust me, it is not my intent to get everyone who reads it, to go out and start tearing theirs apart.  In fact, it can be frustrating and isn’t as easy as it looks – and you can quickly ruin a spool just by simply loosing or damaging the wrong part.

Unfortunately, the chipped TD-Z +R spool at the left serves as a good example for what can happen if you venture into spool modding [yep,  The Other Dark Side].  It slipped out of my hands as I was taking pictures for this blog!

If your spool’s magnetic braking system isn’t working properly, try cleaning and exercising the components as described in the Polishing the Sol Article; no dis-assembly is required.  If that doesn’t solve the problem, then you might want to seriously consider sending the reel to a good service tech, or just get another spool. If it sounds like I’m trying to get you to think twice about disassembling your spool …I am.

Even though I’ll show you the best methods and tools I’ve found so far, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there are risks that should be considered beforehand. It’s easy to damage a spool; and it can happen in less time than it took you to read this sentence!  “Beware the Other Dark Side …and Tread Carefully!” [familiar quote borrowed from a TT Admin, …and modded by –dModder]

Now I need to cover a little background information. So let’s start with the spools and Magforce design.

Magforce Spool Basics

Daiwa employs three different braking configurations on their spools; the Magforce, Magforce V and Magforce Z braking systems.  The difference in the Magforce designs is primarily related to the spool braking components and what occurs as the spool rotates.  There is a close correlation between the  braking system selected in design, and the applications the reel is intended for. All three designs will be found on bait cast reels being sold today.

Magforce

In the Magforce design, the spool inductor is fixed to the spool (and really can’t be removed), so braking torque developed during a cast or pitch is directly related to spool speed.  Simply put; more speed, then more braking torque; less speed, then less braking torque. [Check out the Exploring Magnetic Brakes Blog if you want more  information on the theory.]

The Presso, Big Bait Special, TD-X 100HSD and Viento are some examples of recent reels that use a simple Magforce design. The previous picture shows the fixed inductor on a Viento spool and the picture below shows a BBS and early TD-X inductor.

Fixed Magforce spool inductors on the Big Bait Special (left) and early TD-X (right).

Magforce V

Daiwa introduced the Magforce V braking system after the simple Magforce braking system. Magforce V features a design that doesn’t have a fixed inductor; instead the inductor is designed to move axially on the spool shaft. Centrifugal force acting on tabs that slide on the inside wall of a tapered spool, causes the braking inductor to slowly move further into the braking magnets. The net effect is that more braking torque not only gets developed by increased spool speed, but now, even more torque is developed the further the inductor moves into the magnets.  As you may recall from my first magnetic braking blog, braking torque also increases when more of the inductor surface is exposed to magnetic flux. It’s no wonder that many referred to Magforce V as a more advanced design when it was introduced; since it provides additional braking torque when backlash is most likely to occur. Technically, it is a centrifugal-variable eddy current braking design.

The spring loaded inductor moves back out of the magnets as spool speed decreases toward the end of the cast (centrifugal force acting on the tabs falls off). So braking torque not only drops due to reduced spool speed, but also, because less inductor surface is exposed to magnetic flux.

The Magforce V braking system is found on the Steez 103H/100SHA/103SHA, TD-Z 103/105s, TD-X 103HSDF, Pixy, Alphas, Sol and many other reels today.

Exercising a Sol Magforce V braking system.

Magforce Z

Daiwa released their Magforce Z braking system a few years later. In many ways it is similar to the Magforce V design, but the tabs don’t slide on the wall of a tapered spool. Instead they run on a special tapered ring that is integral with the spool or a machine-tapered collar within the spool.  So, the new design allows the use of the advanced braking design on deep-bottomed spools that have flat sides.  But wait, there’s more! The angle of the tab ring, mass of the tabs and design of the other braking components can be selected to provide even more braking during the highest spool velocities, and a much-less braking above and below that.

The net effect is that higher spool speeds might be achieved with Magforce Z braking, since most of the additional braking torque is heavily applied only during the most critical part of a cast (when backlash would begin to occur) – making it best suited for higher speed casting and/or with heavier weighted lures. [Check out the Backlash, Magnetic Braking and Spool Tension Blog for more information.] It’s no wonder, that some view it as a more efficient design for higher speed presentations.

The Magforce Z braking system is found on the Steez 100H/SH, Zillions, Fuego, TD-A 153HST/HSTA and other reels.

Steez 100H Magforce Z spool.

Remember when I said there was a close correlation between the  braking system selected in a reels design, and the applications the reel is intended for?  I know it’s dangerous to generalize, but in many ways it becomes most apparent when you look at tuning, which is the next step in the evolution of the Magforce design!  A Note: I’ve provided a 10,000 foot level explanation of the Magforce braking designs, and left out much of the detail. Stay tuned for future blogs.

The Mechanics

I don’t recall ever seeing a Daiwa schematic that identified individual Magforce V or Z spool Part Numbers. Heck, I don’t remember ever seeing a schematic with Part Names, even though Key Numbers are assigned to them. So, I’ve taken the liberty to provide my own names for this blog, and you can refer to them in the picture below. The majority of the parts I’ll discuss are identified in red.

A Steez 103H Magforce V spool schematic.

Removing the c-clip on the spool shaft is what makes disassembling  a Magforce V and Z spool so challenging.  (Yep, that’s that little devil in the center of the picture at the top of this blog; Part No. 18 in the schematic above.) It snaps into a collar on the spool shaft and keeps the clip washer, brake spring, insulator/inductor and braking tabs mounted on the spool shaft.

So coach, what’s so bad about the c-clip anyway? It doesn’t look like removing it is that complicated. What am I missing? An Aside: -dModder takes a deep breath, pauses and finally admits; “That’s what I thought the first few times I tried”. Here’s some more information; it provides detail, insight and tips:

• The c-clip is mounted on the inside of the spool inductor, and the inductor is ~5/8” inside diameter. There is about ¼” open radius around the outside of the clip, so you can work on it.
• Unlike an e-clip, there are no slots on the back side of the c-clip that you can get a screwdriver or knife tip into, to slide it from its mount. So the two angled tips are the only parts of the clip that are readily accessible.  In addition, the clip itself has some moderate internal spring force, so it’s going to take some effort and the right tools to remove it.
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  The picture to the left compares the size and profile of the c-clip (left), to a typical frame e-clip (right). A Tip: Save your XACTO knife blades and don’t try to use one to pry into the backside of the clip. The fit is too close, approach angle is too steep and clip internal spring force is just too high. Trust me when I say it will be difficult getting the broken knife tip back out of the groove! Another Tip: If you loose the c-clip, don’t try to substitute an e-clip unless you find one that is the exact same inside diameter. A Daiwa frame e-clip will ripple and jam inside in the groove if you try to force it in. [Good luck trying to find an e-clip!]
• The clip is also mounted up to ¼” below the outside edge of the inductor on most spools, so you essentially have to go inside the inductor to get at it. That rules out many of the typical tools you might have otherwise been able to use. Unfortunately, if the spool is equipped with Magforce Z braking, it can be up to ½” below the outside edge of the inductor. A Tip: If you are going to attempt to disassemble and reassemble a spool for the first time, go with a Magforce V spool!
• The clip is under slight compression force from the spring and clip washer below it. So, catching both tips at the same time with a tool is tricky, and you can damage the washer and spring if not careful. But it can be done, as long as you aren’t concerned about the attempt-to-success ratio!  A Hint: Moving the washer and spring out of the way will help. I realized the advantage of doing this very early on, but struggled finding “just the right things” that also still allowed full access to the clip….
• The inductor needs to move freely into/from the braking magnets as spool speed changes. So you need to be very careful not to blemish surfaces that affect movement.  [Side of the spool, braking tabs, spool shaft, etc.] Also make sure you don’t blemish the tip of the spool that fits inside the palm plate, it can result in erratic performance and noise under various spool tension settings. Any scratches or gouges will need to be dressed-up before reassembly. A Tip: A head-worn magnifying visor sure comes in handy when working on the clip or inspecting for blemishes!
• While fumbling around with various tools, you also need to keep the spool steady, and position it in front of a light so you can try and see what’s going on.  You’ll have to put some ‘odd’ forces on the spool shaft and tips of the clip during removal, which also means, it might need to be periodically repositioned. A Testimonial: My wife still “reminds” me about the first few attempts she “helped” me with. It seems like yesterday every time she still brings it up! [I quickly realized that I needed to get the process to the point that I didn’t need a couple extra hands!] A Tip: A small hobby vice will hold the bearing end of the spool if you want to compromise; just don’t use one with metal jaws, and remove the pin and bearing beforehand. Also, don’t crush the side of the spool or scratch the tip of the shaft! A Teaser: But if you use the spool tools I’ll describe later, you won’t need a vice.
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• Lastly, when you get the clip part of the way out of the collar – stand by….  The clip internal spring force can cause it to “pop-out” and escape all the tools you have crammed inside the inductor! Yep, you guessed it; getting lost amongst the rest of the junk circling the plant! A Big Tip: Unfortunately, you can’t let that happen since it is a key component needed for reassembly; and is not easily replaced. A Note: Although the internal spring force of the c-clip isn’t quite as high as most e-clips in the frame of a Daiwa reel, you will still want to take action to prevent it from getting launched.

After reading the previous bullets you’ve probably sensed how awkward and delicate it can be to remove the clip. However it can be done; but use the wrong tools and you’ll spend more time and effort ‘slipping off the clip’, instead of getting it removed. A Confession: I’ll be the first one to admit that disassembling a spool was something I didn’t like to do for a long time. Hey, I like to be in control of things, and getting the clip out was clearly one case where I felt I was not! So I began trying different tools and techniques to improve the success-to-attempt ratio. I was on a mission; secretly driven by the need to find an easier and better way; I was traveling The Other Dark Side! A Note: I’ve periodically exchanged email and PMs with a few other active spool modders, and their experience is remarkably similar to mine.

In general, I’ve found that the best way to disassemble a Magforce V and Z spool is to use a 2-step process:

1. Compress the clip washer and brake spring to get them out of the way, and then
2. Use a tool to spread the c-clip tips apart while also pushing the clip from its groove.

The tools I cover in the next two sections focus on each step.  Keeping things simple works the best!

Spool Compression Tool

I’ve used all sorts of things to compress the washer and spring over the years. Stuff like tiny wire zip-ties, locking plastic tweezers, super-miniature alligator clips, modified surgical clamps, carefully bent wires, and even some things that I don’t care or want to remember.  (They all worked to a degree, just not as well as I wanted.) I eventually made a tool that I’ve been using for the past few months; it’s gone through a couple re-designs, so I’ll show you how to make my latest version. Relax! It is actually quite simple to make, I call it a spool compression tool.

Starting to make another spool compression tool….

Using the compression tool is simple, straight forward and a time-saver. (In fact I just disassembled a Sol spool in about 30 seconds as I was writing this blog.)  It can be used with one-hand (leaving the other hand free to remove the clip), and if used properly can reduce the potential for loosing the c-clip. Lastly, it still leaves plenty of room in the inductor, so you can get at the clip! My success-to-attempt ratio took a nice improvement after I started using it.  [An Aside: Hmmmm, this paragraph does sound like a Billy Mays infomercial, doesn’t it? That wasn’t my intent; so don’t ask; I won’t make one for anyone else. Hey, even a Jedi Knight has to make his own light saber!]

The compression tool is made from a strip of sheet aluminum that is 0.6 mm thick. (If you don’t have any scrap aluminum, you might find it in a hobby shop or hardware store. [0.6 mm = ~.024”]) The strip is 9 mm x 60 mm in size and I’ve provided a cutting and bending template below.

Note that the two ends of the strip are different. One end has a “Crow Foot,” where extra material has been removed, so it fits over the spool shaft and contacts the top of the spring washer inside the inductor.  The other end is for an “Edge Catch,” that lightly hooks over the edge on the other side of the spool, to keep it aligned and in position.  The light blue dashed lines show the location of the ~90º bends you make to shape the tool. (If you add up the distances between the various ends and bend locations, it will come out to 60 mm.) A Note: There is nothing critical about any of the dimensions, so no need to get your caliper out, as long as you are reasonably close– but bending the strip will be (as described later).

Spool compression tool cutting and bending template.

Use a pair of tin snips to cut the strip to the size and shape shown in the template.  Then use a fine file to knock down any sharp edges, burrs, etc. Finish by lightly polishing the edges with some 600 wet-and-dry sand paper or a dremel wheel and a little buffing compound. A Tip: It’s a lot easier if you dress-up and polish the edges before you bend the strip into shape, instead of doing it afterward!  In addition, there’s no need to get carried away with the filing and polishing, you only want to reduce the possibility of scratching the spool and other components during installation and use.

Spool compression tool made from a strip of  aluminum sheet.

Next, use a square to draw the bend marks on the strip as shown in the template, and bend it into the shape shown above.  You can use a pair of long nose pliers to make the bends, just make sure the pliers edge you bend against runs perpendicular to the side of the strip, before you bend. A Note: The tool will be lopsided and won’t work as well if the bends are not perpendicular. […how would I know that?] A Tip: Try to make a bend only once, because the thin aluminum will weaken the more times you bend it. This can allow the corner to flex instead of the pieces on each side of it as you use the tool, and it can eventually fail at the corner.

Lightly polish the edges at the corners after making the bends, to catch any burrs or bulges created while bending. Some Thoughts: I used to put a length of tape on the inside surface of the tool, the first few that I made.  But I stopped doing it because of problems.  On one hand I felt I needed the tape to protect the spool and inductor from getting scratched or blemished. On the other hand, it made installation of the crow foot between the c-clip and washer more difficult, the tape would eventually start to peel off, and it occasionally left adhesive on spool components.  I’ve probably used a tool 50 different times without tape now, and haven’t had any problems, but I’ll let you decide for yourself…. Some Tips (if you go with the tape): A single layer of tape is all you’ll need, and you can trim-off any extra from the edges.  (Excess or loose tape can interfere with using the tool.)  Lastly, a single-continuous strip of tape is less likely to hang-up when using the tool and it doesn’t tend to peel off as easily, when compared to separate pieces. A Blog Note: I didn’t use any tape on the tools used for the pictures in this blog.

Checking fit of completed compression tool on a TD-S spool.

Once you have the tool made, you are ready to install and check it on a spool.  The easiest way to install the tool is to start inserting the crow foot between the bottom of the c-clip and top of the washer first, and then compress the washer as you move the catch onto the edge at the other side of the spool.  With the edge catch in position, the crow foot should compress the washer and spring about half-way through their travel, as shown below. (Although this is usually not far enough for removing the c-clip, it will be fine for now.)

Detailed view of the compression tool mounted on spool.

The tool should also remain in this position when you reorient the spool and lay it on its side. (You’ll want to be able to do this right before you grab your clip tool and get ready to remove the clip.) If not, then carefully bow the sides slightly, to get the correct orientation.  Lastly, press on the top part of the tool and verify that the crow foot stays in contact with the top of the washer as the crow foot compresses the spring the rest of the way, and the other side of the tool moves down the side of the spool. A Tip: If it doesn’t stay in contact with the washer as you compress the top of the tool, then you’ve made the width of the opening in the crow foot too big, or one or more of the bends is not perpendicular to the side of the tool. Unfortunately, you’ll probably need to start over with a new strip.

To remove the compression tool from the spool, press on the top of the tool and move the catch away from the edge of the spool, then slowly release the pressure on the washer from the crow foot as you remove the tool from the inductor. A Note: You can see how much room is available for getting at the clip with the tool installed in the previous picture. If you look closely, you can also see the spool shaft below the c-clip, to gain a perspective of its relative size compared to the clip. Only about .3 mm on each side of the clip hangs over the side of the spool shaft. Another Note: You can remove the c-clip by catching the over-hang on each side of a tip while moving it horizontally out of the groove. However, it requires a lot more force to do it because you are not only moving the clip, but also overcoming the internal spring force of the clip in the same motion. I did that for a while, before I finally came up with better clip removal methods and tools.

Clip Tools

I’ve also slowly changed the tools used to remove the c-clip over the years. Screwdrivers, modified screwdrivers, fine tipped pliers, surgical tweezers, homemade jigs and some really weird things (that I’ll get to later), were all put to test.  Some worked better than others, some didn’t work at all, and still others even caused minor damage.  I won’t go into these tools, so I can get to what I’m currently using.

The light eventually went off, in the process of trying various tools, devices and methods to remove the clip! I found that I had best success putting more effort into relaxing the internal spring force of the clip, while also putting less effort into pushing it out of the groove.  In other words, “brute force” would work; but you don’t need to use nearly as much, if you also relaxed the c-clip at the same time!

The picture to the left shows the forces applied as you remove the clip using various tools. The top inset is what I call the Brute Force Method; it works, but is hard to control and can cause minor surface damage near the groove and on the edges of the clip. The middle inset shows what occurs if you relax the internal spring force in the clip; but that’s about all it does, and it doesn’t remove the clip.  The bottom inset shows the best approach; it combines the forces from the previous two cases. The problem is finding or making a tool that will do both; while still catching the clip and not causing damage.

Now this is going to get weird, so bear with me….  I eventually found a great tool in my wife’s cosmetic cabinet! [Hey, I left no stone un-turned when searching for the right tool!] They are called by different names in the beauty trade – but I just simply call them an “Eyebrow Plucker.”  Yep, ladies use them to “dress-up” their eyebrows, and they kind of look like a cross between a tweezers and a pair of small scissors that have flat and tapered tips on the ends. The last set that my wife picked up for me cost $1.29 at Walmart. [Whew! I feel a lot better, now that that’s out in the open!]

A cheap eyebrow plucker works great for removing the c-clip!

The plucker ends are fairly sharp, so you can catch the inside of the tips on the clip without much effort, and they are made from a softer metal that won’t readily damage the harder stainless steel components. They have handles on them that you use with a finger and thumb (on your free hand); which gives you more control while sliding the clip out of the groove, and allows you to open them ever-so-slightly to relax the internal spring force of the clip. My success-to-attempt ratio is ~8:10 (80%) right now, and most times I’ll nail a clip on the first try! It’s no wonder that I finally started to enjoy disassembling a spool….

There are even some subtle advantages to the cheaply made ‘pluckers. Here are some that I’ve realized since I started using them: They are easy to find; not that expensive to replace; you can bend the handle openings so your finger and thumb will fit inside a little easier (they seem to be made for a lady with a small hand?); the tapered ends allow the tips of the clip to slide a bit as you slightly open them during use; and the tips can be dressed-up with a file. [An Aside: Yeah I know, …another infomercial.]

Disassembly

Now that you have the right tools, I’ll explain my procedure for removing the clip and disassembling the spool:

1. With the compression tool installed on the spool, carefully rotate the clip in its groove with a screwdriver tip. (You’ll need to hold the edge of the spool so it won’t turn with the clip, while mounted in the compression tool.)  This will ensure that the clip is free to move, and will loosen any corrosion or debris at the connection.  A Tip: The spool clip could be partly corroded into the groove, since it’s probably never been removed before. I had this happen on a scrap Alphas ito spool that a forum member gave me. I suspect the spool had been used in salt water. Another Tip: If you have a lot of corrosion or debris, it might be wise to clean things up a bit before proceeding. I’ve only had one clip get totally stuck during removal, and I thought I’d never get it out – but destroyed the clip in the process. Thinking about it later, I wished that I had sprayed some Reel Magic or put a drop of WD-40 on it beforehand. A Note: If there is no visible corrosion and the tip turns freely at the connection, then I don’t necessarily recommend cleaning [or lubricating] the components. I’ve found the c-clip will tend to “pop-off” further, if you do this!
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2. Rotate the clip so the open tips are lined up with the opening at the end of the crow foot, and with both facing away from the part of the tool that comes out of the inductor. [You’ll want to orient it this way, so the force you apply to move the clip presses against your thumb, as described in the next step.] The picture to the left shows the compression tool mounted on an Alphas spool, notice the relationship between the clip tips and the crow foot. A Note: You can position the clip by either rotating it in the groove, or carefully turning the whole spool in the compression tool. But the tool might fit more tightly on some spools, so that’s why I had you rotate the clip instead. A Tip: Leave the spool orientated so the inductor is generally facing upward, as you complete the remaining steps. Not only will you be able to see better, it will prevent the clip and parts on the spool shaft from spilling out and getting lost, after the clip is removed! [Again, don’t ask me how I know this.]
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3. Use your thumb on the hand holding the spool, to also press down on the top of the compression tool, so the washer and spring are fully compressed. (No need to go overboard with the pressing, you just want to establish plenty of room between the top washer and the clip.) As you do this, try to cover the area between the inside of the inductor and side of the spool tip with the bottom of your thumb, and allow your thumb tip to rest against the side of the spool shaft. A Note: It’s a little difficult explaining how to position your thumb, so I provided the picture at the left. (The clip tips are barely visible in the picture, but are still oriented the same direction from Step 2.) The bottom of the spool is supported by the fingers of your hand and your thumb, so the spool is firmly grasped. A Tip: Covering this area with your thumb will help prevent loosing the clip if it pops-out of the groove.  If it does, most of the time it will hit the vertical face of the tool and bottom of your thumb, and will come to rest on the insulator under the crow foot. In addition, you’ll be able to control the force you apply on the spool a little better, if your thumb tip also contacts the side of the spool shaft (as you move the clip toward it). Lastly, having your thumb on the backside of the spool shaft will limit any damage should your clip tool slip, because the tool tips will contact the front sides of your thumb and will straddle the spool shaft! By The Way: Although you’ve taken some steps to prevent loosing the clip, it still could get lost – there are just too many variables involved. I don’t think I’ve ever lost a clip since I started using both tools and procedure I’ve outlined, but there is always the potential for a “first time.”  So, you need to keep that in mind and take action as you deem necessary. A Thought: I initially thought about putting a very small wad of  lint-free fabric, loosely in the inductor area under my thumb and where the clip will move to while sliding it out. However, I haven’t needed to as yet; but it should stop that little devil from flying around — and catch it if it did!
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4. Start the end of the plucker into the inductor. While keeping the plucker parallel with the spool shaft, slightly open it, so the top on each plucker tip contacts a tip on the clip.
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5. Apply force toward your thumb with the plucker to maintain contact with the clip tips, and then begin to barely open the plucker with your finger and thumb.  As you gradually open the plucker also increase the force on the plucker with your thumb tip that is on the spool shaft (the  hand holding the compression tool); the clip should slide out of the groove.  A Note: It is harder explaining this, than it is doing it. But once you actually see what’s going on, you’ll understand what you need to do. In essence, you’ll overcome the clips internal spring force as you simultaneously move the clip out of the groove – all in one fluid motion. It may seem a little unnatural the first couple times you do it, but you’ll eventually get better at it.
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6. Make sure you locate the c-clip before removing the compression tool. Sometimes it can end up sitting on part of the crow foot, and might get lost when you remove the compression tool.
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7. Retrieve the clip and put it in a safe location before proceeding. A Note: I was actually completing this step when I damaged the TD-Z +R spool. I had relaxed my grip on the spool, and then realized the clip was still on the insulator. The spool slipped out of my hand and fell ~18″ onto the hard surface of the workbench, when I went to retrieve the clip.
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8. Braking components are free to come off the spool shaft once the clip has been removed. So refer to the schematic for your reel, to get familiar with the individual components, configuration and orientation as you remove them.
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   A Note: You’ll need to know how things go back together, since I won’t provide much detail for reassembly. There are just too many reel models with different configurations!
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   Another Note: The configuration of braking systems can be subtly different. Some may include an extra washer beneath the insulator/inductor, and others won’t even have one.  Some Magforce Z spools can even have a tapered collar. So make sure you have the exact schematic for your reel model and follow along!
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9. I use tweezers when I remove the braking components from the spool. My crippled old fingers just don’t work as well as they once did – and some parts are very small and too easy to drop.
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   Put each braking component in a safe location as you remove it. The spring is so light that it can easily roll off a workbench with a light wisp of air;  and a braking tab can easily be crushed if you happen to step on it.
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   A Tip: The braking tabs will come out of the spool along with the inductor/insulator. They will fall out of their grooves in the insulator if you tip them on their side, and they can easily get lost.
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The picture below shows: the top of the insulator/inductor; back of the insulator; back side of a braking tab (yes, it’s hollow inside); and all TD-S spool components together. I’ll have more about all of them in future blogs!

Disassembled Magforce V TD-S spool components.

Reassembly

Reassembling the spool is not very difficult, so I won’t go into much detail. Instead, I’ll provide a few notes and tips that will help keep you out of trouble:

• Check the spool shaft, groove and other hardware for evidence of scratches, gouges or other blemishes that may cause the braking components to hang-up. Dress them very lightly with a small piece of very-fine wet-and-dry sand paper, only if required. A Tip: Just don’t get carried away with dressing things up and make sure you remove any debris that you create. You can clean components in a mixture of dilute Simple Green, just be sure to rinse them well afterward.
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• Use the schematic for your reel to reinstall braking components back onto the spool, it is fairly straight-forward.
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  Be sure the tapered sides of the spool tabs are oriented in the insulator, so they make proper contact with the side of the spool or tapered ring. [The picture to the left shows how the tabs mount in the insulator, in case you have a doubt.] You can reinstall braking components on some spools, with these tabs upside down, and the braking system won’t work at all!
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  The groove in the back side of the insulator will fit over the pin that is on the spools shaft. The pin keeps the inductor from rotating on the spool shaft, while also allowing the insulator to travel into and from the magnets in the palm plate.
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  A Tip: Leave the spool orientated so the inductor is generally facing upward, as you reinstall the braking components.
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• Install the compression tool to partially compress the washer and spring, after you get all components back on the spool shaft.  You’ll eventually want sufficient clearance, so you can press the clip back in the groove.
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• Although reinstalling the c-clip is not nearly as difficult as removing it, the process does require a steady hand and a little dexterity. So, I use tweezers or long nose pliers to place the clip tips into the groove before pressing it in. There should be plenty of room to do this with the compression tool installed on the spool.
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  Unfortunately, the c-clip will want to slide out of the groove and fall onto the insulator with the slightest movement. Most of the time this seems to happen just before you get ready to press it back onto the spool shaft.  So, the longer you fumble with the clip, the more chances you have to loose it. By The Way: The clip can spring out of the groove, if you should happen to not get it all the way in!
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  A Tip: Rub/lay the clip on a NIB magnet for a few minutes, so it becomes slightly magnetized.  The tips of the clip will remain in the groove and the clip won’t roll off the spool shaft nearly as easily. Another Tip: Resist the urge to use a tiny dab of grease, drop of oil, adhesive, etc. to restrain the clip. It could be difficult to clean-off and just may migrate down the spool shaft, and affect the proper movement of the insulator/inductor. A drop of water placed on the groove with a fingertip will work better than nothing; as long as you don’t drink a lot of caffeine that morning!
  .
• I use a pair of flat-nosed pliers to push the clip back into its groove. A Tip: I do not suggest using a pair of serrated tipped pliers; no need to risk blemishing the back side of the groove.
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• After you get the clip back in, exercise braking components to ensure they don’t hang-up, the tabs are free to move, etc.  You’ll find more info at the end of the Sol article, should you need it. Then put the spool back in the reel and make a few practice casts. Link: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewtdsolpolishingpg2.html

Wrap-Up

If you’re content using other tools, methods, etc. to disassemble your Daiwa spool, far be it from me to get you to change.  I know there are other ways to get it done (been there and done most), and that’s great!  I admit I still haven’t found “The Holy Grail” when it comes to spool tools; but I think I’m getting closer!
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An Aside: Spool modders are a secretive lot – keeping most things to themselves. They hardly ever write much about how they work on their spools, or even what they’ve been up to….  I have to admit it is difficult explaining some of the more delicate steps, discoveries that others can build on, personal thoughts, etc.; and maybe that’s why?

Pitching Note (for spool modders): If you only feather your thumb while using your Daiwa pitching reel; you might give it a try without any braking components installed on the spool. Even though you probably turn the magnets off while pitching, there will still be a slight amount of magnetic flux that finds its way to the inductor. In addition, the reduction in spool mass can also make a noticeable difference in pitching performance. For example, the mass of the TD-S spool shown in the pictures without any braking components is ~84% of the mass with braking components! A ported or other lighter spool might be even better; since braking components do add considerable incremental mass.[Just be extremely careful trying to cast without any braking components on the spool!]

A Reflection: I still remember the first time I successfully disassembled and reassembled a spool. In many ways, I felt like a young boy who just got his first kiss [from a girl other than his mom].  The elation wasn’t so much about what had happened; but what might happen later! I had visions of +R tuned Pixillas and TD-Zs with Pixy inductors dancing in my head (in the recent case)!  Little did I know, it was actually The Other Dark Side calling…. spool modding!

By the way, I’m not associated with any beauty product or retailer mentioned in this blog (nor do I want to be). I’m just a happy spool modder who finally doesn’t mind disassembling his Magforce spools …and doesn’t pluck his eyebrows in case you were wondering!

Once you get the hang of working on the spool, things do get easier. Unfortunately, that’s also the most likely time you can become too casual or complacent about things, and get careless – just like I did with the +R spool. I’m also sure over-confidence, distractions and poor judgment were contributing factors.

The Other Dark Side is littered with potholes….

-dModder

I seldom break-down an entire palm plate like I do the rest of a reel during an annual clean, inspect and re-lube.  In fact, most of my reels have never had the palm plate disassembled, even though I’ve owned some for over 15 years.  I admit that I keep my reels covered when not in use, usually store them in a controlled environment and seldom fish in extreme conditions where I have to worry about salt, debris build-up, corrosion, etc. But someone who routinely kayaks in salt lagoons, shore fishes, or even angles in brackish water may need to periodically disassemble and service the palm side of their reel. In addition, if you are preparing to paint the reel or need to change-out a few brake adjustment components, then the following blog may come in handy.

So, let’s take a look at the inside of a TD-Z103HL +R palm plate while disassembling its components.  Although we’ll be working on a TD-Z, the arrangement and parts are similar to other low profile models like the Steez, Zillion, Alphas/Sol, Fuego, Viento, and Pixy. However, the arrangement of the TD-Advantage, TD-S103Hi, TD-1HI-T and related reels are not.  [In some ways the palm plates on these models are actually easier to work on because the configuration of the large adjustment knob and geared magnet holder are not as complex.]

Info Note: Depending on your browser, it may be possible to view a picture in full size if required. Just right click on a picture, select view, and go back one page when finished looking at it to return to the blog.

Preparation

There are some things to consider before beginning:

• The configuration of set plates and magnet holds will vary on some reel models; and alignment, tolerances and force from the magnets may cause components to slightly bind. Resist the urge to force components.
• Palm plate tabs that keep the set plate from moving when the palm plate is rotated can easily break (especially the Lexan alphas ito palm plate). Never not try to remove a palm plate while excessive spool tension is placed on the spool.  In addition, do not rotate the set plate while disassembling the palm plate, with the tabs are still engaged in the set plate mounting holes.
• Screw hole(s) in the palm plate can strip or break due to over-tightening or repeated insertion/removal of the set plate screw(s).  Ensure you have the correct sized screw driver and only snug the screws when tightening them. Do not use a thread sealant on these screws and do not attempt to use larger screws!
• If the set plate (which holds the inner magnet ring), is to be separated from the magnet holder (which holds the outer magnet ring), there is the potential for the glue to crack.  This can allow a ring to turn as the brake knob is adjusted – which will affect magnetic braking.  In addition, do not remove a magnet ring from its mounting unless it is absolutely necessary; some rings are very brittle and can crack or chip. (See my previous blog on the Daiwa magnet rings.)
• Small parts can easily be lost. So make sure you take appropriate precautions, have a suitable work area, adequate lighting, etc.

Make sure you have the schematic for your reel so you can follow along while taking apart the palm plate. I won’t go a lot into reassembly, since it is just a matter of reversing the process used to take apart the palm plate. So having the schematic will help insure you get components in the correct orientation later. You can also refer to the part names when required.

Tools and consumables you need include: 1/16″  flat-bladed screw driver or small pick, 3/16″ flat-bladed screw driver. #0 and 00 Phillips screw drivers,very small dab of your favorite reel grease, and reel spool oil

Reduce spool tension until force from the pinion under the tension knob no longer acts on the palm plate. Unscrew the set plate screw in the center of the magnetic brake adjustment knob, and rotate the palm plate ~30 degrees to disengage the tabs and remove it.

Make sure the magnetic brake adjustment knob is set at 10 or “Max”. This will reduce any magnetic force from the rings on the adjustment knob gear.  The magnets will stay in this position since opposite magnetic poles are aligned with each other, and the set plate and the magnet holder can usually be removed together as one unit.

Note: The picture at the left shows the inside of the TD-Z +R palm plate.  Most recent Daiwa low profile palm plates are of similar layout,but they will only have one set plate screw to attach the magnets to the palm plate (which is located beneath the spool bearing).  However, a few models will have an additional screw as circled in the picture.

Some models that have 2 screws include a few of the early LH Vientos, TD-Z103HL and TD-Z105HL.

Note: Daiwa magnet holders and set plates are typically made from anodized or coated metal.  They are finely machined, and made for a precision fit and smooth operation. There should never be a need to pry or use excessive force to get them apart!

Disassembling the Plate

1. Remove the bearing retainer – I suspect just about anyone who has disassembled a reel has lost more than one bearing retainer. Those small clips seem to have a mind of their own; frequently getting launched into the infinite vacuum of space by the spring force that keeps them mounted! So trust me; if you’ve never removed one before, you want to take action so you don’t loose the clip.  They are so small that they are almost impossible to find.

I like to put a finger or thumb over part of the clip to restrain it, as I push a small screwdriver or pick on one side of the clip to work the retainer out of its groove.  Some perform this step with the side plate in a clear plastic bag in case the retainer clip flies out; and still others may use a pair of tweezers to grab, hold and remove it. Do whatever you are comfortable with, but just make sure you do something to keep from loosing the clip!

2. Remove the bearing – Once the clip is removed the bearing is free to come out of its socket.  However, sometimes the bearing will tilt and become stuck in the socket.  If this occurs, just lightly tap around the top of the outer race to reposition the bearing and then pull it out.  In addition, stray static magnetic force can hold the bearing in the socket as it begins to clear the top of the inner ring. So, gently grab it with a pair of tweezers or a small pick to get it the rest of the way out.  I do not suggest tapping the palm plate on an open palm, because the bearing can fly out of the socket.  If it hits a hard surface it can be damaged.

3. Remove the felt washer (Spacer B or C) – Remove the felt washer with the tip of a small screwdriver, pick or even a tooth pick.  Be careful so it doesn’t tear, since it can sometimes get lodged between the side of the ceramic plate that is beneath it and the bearing socket.  Lay it flat on a paper towel and press down on it to adsorb any excess oil.  Inspect it for tears, thinning, soiling, etc. and replace if necessary.

The felt washer absorbs excess oil and oil mist expelled by the bearing during use, and keeps the ceramic plate beneath it lubricated.  If the felt is torn or soiled it should be replaced.

Note: The configuration of the components in the bearing socket can be a problem if you frequently over-oil the palm plate spool bearing.  Excess oil can essentially pool within the bearing socket and the net effect is that the bearing will end-up sitting in an oil bath.  This will result in poor casting performance, loss of casting distance, and increased noise.  The oil might even eventually drain from the socket onto the braking magnets, and splatter on the inductor and side of the spool.

4. Remove the ceramic plate – The ceramic plate sits loosely in the bearing socket. So, use a small pick or screwdriver to move it out while the palm plate is tipped on its side. I typically catch enough of it so I can flip it on a side and grab it; but exercise care, because it can be scratched, chipped or even crack if you try to pry it out.  (You might even damage the coating on the metal bearing socket if you try to pry the plate out.) Sometimes oil will cause the shim beneath it to adhere to the plate, so just remove both together if this is the case.

Note: The palm side of the spool tip contacts the center of the ceramic plate for spool tension.  Spool tension will not work properly if the plate gets damaged – it can crack in two if the reel is dropped so that it lands on its palm plate. (I’ve had that happen to a TD-Z when I dropped it on the deck of the boat while changing rods.) In addition, the plate can dry out and need lubricant if the reel and spool bearings haven’t been lubricated or used for an extended period. Excess vibration or a low-pitched squeal often results during a cast if the plate needs a drop of oil.

The ceramic plate typically shows little wear with reel use.  However, it may need to be periodically cleaned depending on the water you fish, how the reel is stored, environmental factors, etc.  I typically clean mine in a dilute solution of Simple Green, rinse it thoroughly with fresh water, and pat it dry with a clean towel.  After it is clean I shine a light on the surfaces to inspect for signs of cracks, chips, etc.

5. Remove the remaining shim(s) - The brass shim sits loosely on top of the screw in the bearing socket. Sometimes the shim will be copper or there may even be a couple stainless steel shims like on some of the early TD-Xs – so consult your schematic for your exact arrangement! If you tilt the palm plate over the shim(s) will usually fall out of the bearing socket, just don’t loose  or bend them.

The purpose of the shim(s) is to provide a firm foundation for the ceramic plate.  On some reel designs it can also protect the ceramic plate from the screw at the bottom of the bearing socket, level the ceramic plate on top of the screw, and ensure the ceramic plate sits at the correct height for proper spool tension adjustment. Most Daiwa reels will develop little or no spool tension if the shim(s) are not reinstalled, and if they do, the adjustment range will be extremely narrow.

Modder Note: I have made some replacement shims from other materials over the years, when I didn’t have any replacement stock shims.  I’ve used brass, copper, nickle-copper, stainless and even teflon sheet material.  Just use a micrometer to measure the thickness of the old one, and cut the new shim to same dimensions/shape.  I can’t honestly say the new shims in the palm plate worked any better or worse then the stock shims that came in the reel — but admit that I don’t fish in extreme conditions where corrosion is a factor.

6. Remove the Set Plate Screw(s) – Use a screwdriver to remove the set plate screws.  Some screws will require a Philips head screwdriver and others may require a flat blade, depending on the reel.

Note: Just make sure you don’t inadvertently try to tighten the screw because it can damage the palm plate itself. Remember the rule “left to loose and right to tight.”

Inspect the head of the screw that you remove from the bearing socket. Knock off any burrs caused by the screw driver with a small file.  Burrs can prevent the shim(s) from sitting directly on top of the screw head on some Daiwa designs and may even cause noise during a cast — just don’t get carried away with any filing (sometimes I’ll just use a dull knife)!  [Some designs actually have a small ledge machined into the bottom of the set plate for the shim to sit on.]

7. Remove the magnet holder retainer - This step may not be required, depending on the condition of the magnet set plate and magnet holder. A reel that has seen a lot of braking adjustment may be loose enough that the set plate and holder will easily disengage from the gear teeth in the knob, and they can be removed together with the retainer in place. If you are unsure about the condition of your set plate/holder, then it’s probably best to just remove the retainer – the magnets will typically stay in position because unlike poles are opposite each other. [You'll notice in the picture below that the polarization marks haven't moved and are still aligned with each other.]

Note: Make sure you don’t damage the coating on the magnet rings when you remove/reinstall the retainer. A scratch or chip can result in problems later!  (See my previous blog on the Daiwa rings for more information.)

8. Remove the set plate & magnet holder - The magnet holder has gear teeth on one side, that engage with the gear teeth on the bottom of the adjustment knob. Usually it will just lift off the palm plate, but sometimes you need to slightly-tilt the set plate/magnet holder so the teeth disengage. Resist any urge to rotate the set plate/magnet holder to remove them; the set plate is still engaged in 2 tabs beneath it!  These tabs prevent rotation of the set plate while the palm plate is being removed from the reel, and they can easily crack on some palm plate material.  The tabs can bind on some reels, so just take your time and don’t force anything.

The magnet holder can be removed from the set plate once both are removed from the palm plate.  Machined edges and magnetic force from the rings will usually keep the two pieces together. However, unless you need to work on the magnets or replace something, I would just leave them together.  [The magnets are fairly protected when both pieces are left together.]  If you do separate both pieces remember that you will be fighting force from the magnet rings and their separate poles – which can be quite impressive!

Note: Be aware that the rings can pick-up stray magnetic debris — so I keep them in a small plastic bag unless I need to clean them. See my previous blog on magnets for a good way to clean the magnets – do not attempt to blow off debris with air!

Note: The picture to the left shows the exposed palm plate.  The curved arrows identify where the screws thread into the palm plate. Although the excess material around the screw holes seems robust, the material can still be stripped or even crack!

Never use a thread sealant on these screw holes.  Chances are you’ll regret it the next time the magnet holder/set plate needs to be removed!

The bigger arrows identify the tabs that engage in the holes on the bottom of the set plate. These are the tabs that can be sheared if the palm plate is removed with excess spool tension applied on the spool – so always back-off spool tension before removing the palm plate! [Once these tabs shear-off you probably won't be able to remove the palm plate without resorting to extraordinary means.  I've heard of a few cases where this has happened on the Lexan Alpha-ito palm plate, which is almost impossible to replace!]

9. Remove the brake knob retainer – The brake knob retainer is held in place by the small post that is molded on the palm plate, which fits into the hole in the retainer.  To remove it, just slide the end of a thin screwdriver under the edge that faces away from the knob.

Note: There should be no need to force the retainer off the post because it is a friction fit.  The magnet set plate actually keeps it in place when it is reinstalled.

10. Remove the brake adjustment knob - Most of the time the brake knob will fall out once the knob retainer is removed.  You might find a small loose washer on the screw [brake dial washer], so ensure it doesn’t get lost – consult your schematic. [The washer sets between the palm plate and the bottom of the knob on some models, on the palm plate screw itself.]

The individual components mounted on the knob can be disassembled, but is seldom ever required. Consult your schematic if you need to disassemble the knob.

Reassembling the Plate

Hopefully you’ve followed disassembling the palm plate with your schematic; and have become familiar with parts, arrangement and specific differences of your reel.  Therefore, I won’t go into a lot of detail for reassembling the palm plate, since it is really only a matter  of performing the previous steps in reverse order.  Besides, I’ve already covered some the important stuff you’ll need for reassembly. However, here are a few other notes and tips:

• Before reinstalling the braking knob in the palm plate, work a very tiny dab of grease or a bit of oil over its gear teeth. No need to get carried away with the grease/oil!
• Make sure the brake adjustment knob is set at “Max” when you mesh the gear teeth between the adjustment knob and magnet holder.  This will ensure that the polarization marks on the magnet rings are aligned properly for the full range of adjustment (maximum to minimum braking), when the gears are meshed.  [If the brake adjustment knob does not have full range of travel then this was the cause.]
• Put a partial drop of oil where the screw in the center of the adjustment knob passes through the bottom of the palm plate. The oil will help insure the brake dial washer is properly lubricated and the adjustment knob won’t bind. However, there is no need to get carried away with the oil!
• Snug down the screw(s) that hold the set plate to the palm plate. Do not over tighten these screws! Make sure a screw is aligned vertical and threads are initially engaged before attempting to tighten it — you don’t want to cut another set of threads in the palm plate material.
• You may have noticed that there is a shiny-smooth side and a rough looking side on the ceramic plate.  The picture below shows both sides.  When reinstalling the ceramic plate, you’ll probably have better performance when the plate is replaced with the rough side facing toward the bottom of the bearing socket, and the smooth side faces toward the bearing. If it is reversed, you may eventually notice more noise when making a cast, and it will need to be lubricated much more frequently. [Excess oil from the felt seems to  readily disperse across the entire smooth surface to lubricate the spool tip that contacts the plate, but won't on the rough surface.] It’s worth a try!

Note: Ceramic plates have changed slightly throughout the years, and I’ve gotten recent reels with the plate installed in either orientation.  Some have worked well, and others worked until the plate finally dried out and needed additional oil lubrication, and vibration resulted during a cast.  In this case, try turning the plate over after completing the previously described steps.

• Before you reinstall the ceramic plate in the bearing socket, coat both sides with a very thin and light film of your favorite spool oil. This will insure palm plate spool tension components are properly lubricated during reassembly. Do not get carried away with the oil!
• Be careful when reinstalling the bearing retainer, it can fly out of the bearing socket and get lost just as easily as when you removed it.  I cover part of the retainer with a finger/thumb after I put 2 sides of the retainer in its mounting groove; and then use a small screwdriver or pick to push the last side into the groove.
• Lastly, don’t forget to re-tighten spool tension and set the brake adjustment knob when you are done – and before you make your first cast!

Now I need to seriously get ready for my annual migration to Paradise, …Oh Canada . I’ll be out of touch for the next few weeks.

-dModder

I thought I’d spend a little time discussing spool tension and magnetic braking. The relationship between the two has stumped many new bait cast reel owners over the years, and making adjustments on-the-water can even cause a veteran caster to wonder at times. In addition, when you consider spool tension components can wear and need servicing just like others in the reel, someday you might find “the mag winch” just isn’t responding the way it once did at preventing backlash.

Let me start-off by saying that it really doesn’t matter what type of brake a casting reel has; spool tension and braking need to work together in order to prevent backlash, while also providing optimum casting or pitching performance.  If spool tension is not balanced properly with magnetic, centrifugal, friction or even electronic braking; it can result in a noticeable reduction in distance and accuracy, backlash, and may even preclude achieving repeatable casts.

Backlash

The mathematics and physics involved in making a cast is extremely complicated.  It starts with the initial transfer of energy from the angler’s arm to load the rod; continues from the loaded rod to launching the lure; and ends with the flight of a lure that ultimately enters the water.  The dynamic processes involved include those of a cantilevered bar,  tension catapult, and ballistic trajectory of a projectile, respectively.

If one were to model a typical cast, some of the variables would include the modulus (stiffness), length and moment of inertia of the rod; mass and aerodynamics of the lure; force applied by the angler on the rod; exact point when the spool is released; and wind.  The neat thing is that, in the real world of a magnetic braked reel, all of these variables lend insight into what actually can lead to a backlash. Oh yah, did I mention that it would be great if the reel itself should not be a factor in any of the processes? Ideally it would provide only the exact amount of braking torque on the spool to prevent backlash! Needless to say, it’s good that baitcast reels have adjustable spool tension and braking controls, because there are a lot of variables involved!

So, what is a backlash anyway? A backlash is a tangled mess of line that has wrapped itself around the circumference of the spool during a cast.  Some anglers refer to it as an ‘overrun’ or ‘overflow’, and others simply refer to it as ‘a bird’s nest’ (what it looks like the first time you see it?).   Backlashes can range from a minor two wrap tangle, to a major heron’s nest that can never be untangled, and reel manufacturers have spent a lot of effort in developing backlash systems to preclude them from occurring.

What causes backlash? A backlash occurs when the speed of the spool becomes greater than the rate at which line is being pulled from it by the lure. During a cast the spool instantaneously begins to rotate from a dead stop when it and the lure get released, it initially accelerates and then decelerates as momentum is lost from the lure during flight, and eventually stops rotating as the lure enters the water — and a backlash can occur in any one of these phases. Some factors that can ultimately influence spool or lure speed, and lead to backlash include:

• Poor casting technique: Snapping, jerking  or whipping the rod tip does not provide for a smooth and controlled spool start up.  Releasing the spool late can cause the lure to crash into the water with significant velocity a short distance from the angler. Having the lure inadvertently hit an object before reaching its target can result in an instantaneous loss of lure momentum, while the spool continues to rotate at the same speed.  [The previous picture is the result of one rod contacting another at the beginning of a cast.  Yes, there is a spool in there!]
• A rod that is too stiff for the weight of the lure: The rod does not load properly, so the angler knowingly/unknowingly tries to compensate for this by applying more force on the rod.  Overrun occurs because spool start up is not as smooth or controlled as it otherwise  should have been.  (Uncontrolled spool start-up of this type will challenge just about any braking system on a reel; unless spool tension is set extremely high.)
• Poor line characteristics: Line that is too heavy or stiff, or does not easily bend as it moves from the spool to the line guide.  This can cause the line to loosen or “fluff” on the spool as it rotates, and not flow smoothly through the guide.  (Smaller diameter spools and lower profile reels tend to be most affected by line characteristics, especially with lighter weight lures.)
• Skill of the angler: Not using a “trained thumb” to stop the spool as the lure enters the water.  Not allowing the rod to adequately load before releasing the lure will result in some spool rotation, but it usually won’t propel the lure sufficiently to prevent immediate backlash. If spool tension is too loose for a heavy lure, or if the lure is too light and excessive effort is put into the cast, it may result in a backlash. Having the magnetic brake set too low, so insufficient counter torque is applied on the spool during the cast. Having spool tension set so light, that magnetic braking is not able to produce enough counter torque, even at the maximum brake setting.
• Lure aerodynamic properties and effects of wind on the lure: Lures that have significant drag or lures cast into a headwind will decelerate quickly, and the spool may not depending on the brake setting and how responsive braking is.  Lures that are extremely light retain little momentum; and an overrun can occur if the spool does not loose momentum at the same rate.
• Problems with the magnetic braking or spool tension components.

Ballistic Trajectory of a Typical Lure
(With and Without Air Drag Factored In)

The trajectory of the lure is affected by air drag, gravity, and wind; especially in the later part of a cast when the lure decelerates. Putting a small amount of tension on the spool will usually keep it from spinning at too high a speed as the lure starts to slow, so that magnetic braking can prevent backlash.

The most likely time a backlash occurs is when an angler tries to “eek” out a little extra distance from his cast.  [I'm sure we've all had this happen to us at least once or twice while out on the water?] Without knowing it, you can apply enough force on the rod (and lure), to exceed the braking capabilities setup on the reel. So, a backlash occurs unless you readjust the reel ahead of time or feather the spool with a thumb.

Setting Spool Tension

Putting a small amount of tension on the spool will go a long way at preventing backlash. However, it’s easy to go overboard; cranking it down to the point that spool speed and casting distance are significantly reduced and little braking actually occurs.  On the other hand, you can have tension set so loose that braking never really has a chance to slow the spool (or because the acceleration of the spool far exceeds the capabilities of the braking system) — and backlash was inevitable.  So, it is best to strive for just the right balance between sufficient spool tension and braking to achieve optimum casting performance.

There are a few different ways to initially set spool tension on a magnetically braked reel, and I’ll eventually describe what I do.   However, far be it from me to try to persuade someone who has had good success setting spool tension one way, to change anything or switch to another. In addition, some manufacturers may even provide recommendations in the instructions that come with their reels, based on the configuration they use for spool tension, braking, etc.

I initially set the spool tension on my mag casters whenever I switch lure weight. While holding the rod and reel parallel to the ground at about waist height, I release the spool and let the lure slowly fall to the ground.  If the spool is still turning when the lure contacts the ground then the tension is too loose, so I add a little tension and repeat again.  If the lure doesn’t move or it stops before reaching the ground, then the spool tension is too tight, so I loosen the tension a bit and try again.  When I get tension adjusted to the point that the spool stops turning as the lure hits the ground, then I’ll make a few casts/pitches and dial in the magnetic braking, or maybe fine tune spool tension and braking a bit further.

Let’s face it; some magnetic braking systems are not as resilient as others, so maximum counter-torque and responsiveness can vary from one brand or model to the next.  Because of that, spool tension will usually need to be adjusted to keep magnetic braking within a usable range.  Spool tension and magnetic braking may also need to be rebalanced if you use a trained thumb to feather the spool during the cast.  (The more you use a reel and “educate your thumb”, the fewer adjustments you’ll need to make, and the better the reel will perform.) Lastly, characteristics of the rod, your casting style, effort you put into your casts, the lure, and other factors previously described can all influence final reel settings.  What you are ideally striving for is:

• Sufficient spool tension to mitigate over-run for normal conditions,
• Least amount of spool tension required to keep magnetic braking within an adjustable range, and
• Modify spool tension and brake settings to accommodate your ‘trained thumb’ and casting style.

Maintaining Spool Tension Components

Spool tension schemes usually employ friction acting on both ends of the spool shaft, which can be varied with a threaded cap.  Most involve the use of shims, washers, or disks to compress against the spool shaft; and Daiwas even employ a pinion that applies force on the spool tip. I won’t go into any detail or the mechanics of any of these designs, because they are fairly straightforward. So, just look at the reel schematic and you’ll likely be able to recognize the method(s) employed.

The important thing to remember is that spool tension components will require maintenance, just like other parts in the reel.  For example, shims and washers can scratch or dimple; disks can crack or wear; and the spool shaft tips that they contact can become scored, blemished or affected by corrosion.  So, all will likely require some amount of periodic cleaning, lubrication and replacement to ensure consist performance.  Excess noise, vibration, loss of tension adjustment range, and erratic operation may result when the components need service.

The threads for a tension cap and the slot that the top of the pinion rides in, can be another source of problems for a Daiwa bait caster.  Burrs can cause the pinion to hang up or the spool tension adjustment knob to not turn as far as it should, resulting in erratic or inadequate spool tension adjustment.  [I marked a small blue 'X' in the previous picture of a TD-Z +R handle plate, where a small burr left from manufacturing was interfering with pinion travel.  The top part of the pinion would periodically hang-up when I thought I was changing spool tension. I ended up knocking the burr off with a sharp knife.  (You might have to right click on the picture and click on 'view' to see the area that I dressed-up in full size; you can page back to the blog after viewing it.)]

Baitcast reel modders and tuners have long known that blemishes and corrosion on shims and spool tips can result in erratic or non-linear performance of the tension knob.  So they polish shims and other tension components as part of their super-tuning ritual.

In one of the next blogs I’ll get into disassembling a Daiwa palm plate.  Some of the spool tension components located beneath the spool bearing, require special care and maintenance!

-DModder

Daiwa’s Magforce® braking designs have been around for over 25 years now and first appeared in the Procaster  PMF1000. It has essentially been used in all Daiwa bass reel designs featuring magnetic backlash control since 1982.

While other magnetic braked reel manufacturers primarily used designs that changed the distance of the magnets to the inductor or other way to vary flux, Daiwa has essentially stayed with opposing magnetic fields for braking adjustment over the years.  They’ve also perfected the design along the way, resulting in some innovative changes in subsequent Magforce braking schemes – specifically in inductors, spool design and magnet configuration.  So, let’s spend some time looking at the Daiwa rings, and I’ll eventually get to the other braking components later.

Button Rings

The early Daiwa mag casters used individual button magnets to provide the magnetic flux that induced braking torque on the inductor.  The use of small SmCo magnets provided significant design flexibility; they were relatively easy to mount, plentiful and provide an abundance of magnetic flux for braking.

For example, the physical arrangement in the early TD-X’s consists of a smaller ring of magnets fixed in position on an anodized aluminum set plate, which is attached to the palm plate.  (This ring plate also contains the spool bearing socket.)  A larger ring of magnets surrounds the smaller ring, which is attached to another anodized aluminum set plate that is geared to the adjustment knob. In this arrangement the outer ring can rotate up to 60° about the smaller ring, allowing the user to adjust braking torque developed on the inductor, which moves between both rings.

Early TD-X Magnet Set

The outer ring is fitted with a magnet holder that has 4 individual SmCo button magnets glued into it, each with a painted surface facing the center ring.  The magnet surface is painted yellow to identify North Poles and blue to identify South Poles. As you can see, the magnets alternate from north and south poles around 240° of the inner circumference.  But wait; there are 2 empty magnet locations in the larger ring!  The button magnets in these locations are not missing – instead they were intended this way.  Sufficient braking could be developed on the heavier early spools, even without these 2 magnets!

There are also 4 magnets mounted in the center ring as shown in the left side of the picture to the left.  Magnets also alternate between North Poles and South Poles, but the painted poles face toward the inductor, covering 240° of the outer circumference.  There are also 2 empty magnet locations on the inner ring; but they are only aligned with the 2 empty magnet locations on the outer ring when the brake adjustment knob is set for minimum braking.  (We’ll get to what happens to the position of the outer ring and its empty slots, shortly.)

All buttons in both plates are glued in position in the plastic spacers.  Notice that there is also a shield located on the outside of the outer ring and another around the bearing socket itself (shiny silver rings shown in the pictures).  The shield around the bearing helps prevent the bearing from being affected by the strong magnet flux produced by the inner ring SmCo magnets; and both shields help improve close-coupling between the magnets on each respective ring, by redirecting return flux.

You’ll find a sketch of an early TD-X set of rings below, so you can refer to it as I describe what occurs from minimum to maximum setting on the brake adjustment knob:

• At a minimum setting (sometime labeled “off”), all 4 poles of the outer ring’s magnets are aligned with identical poles on the inner ring’s magnets. Can you recall the discussion on magnetic buck in a previous blog? It’s the same concept, except 4 magnet pairs are involved – magnetic lines of flux become distorted (e.g. “magnetic buck” or repel each other), from the like poles; so less overall flux reaches the inductor. Less flux implies that less braking torque gets developed on the inductor.
• At a maximum setting only 3 poles of the outer ring’s magnets are aligned with 3 opposite poles on the inner ring’s magnets. In this case, magnetic flux from the opposing poles is boosted (e.g. “magnetic boost”), so maximum flux reaches the inductor. More flux implies, more braking torque gets developed on the inductor. [Notice that although there are 4 pair of magnets, only 3 pair is involved in magnetic boost. I'll have more on that at the end of this section of the blog.]
• Between minimum and maximum, the flux patterns shift and strength reaching the inductor varies, until the outer ring finally reaches 60° of travel. Braking torque developed on the inductor changes throughout that range, and is still dependent on the amount of flux that reaches the inductor.

Early TD-X Minimum and Maximum Braking Configuration
[Magnetic "buck" and "boost", respectively]

This same arrangement is still used today in some recent reel models like the Procaster 100HN and TD-Viento. However, it wouldn’t suprise me to see plated SmCo or NIB magnets instead of unpainted SmCos.

TD-Viento Button Rings

Maintenance and Modder Notes: Occasionally the glue that holds a magnet to the plastic spacer will break or crack, especially if soaked in oil or a solvent based spray lubricant.  Should a magnet come completely loose, it can result in the magnet coming out of position and wedging against the inductor during a cast. This is due to the strong magnetic flux developed on the inductor as current is induced into it; which can be strong enough to physically shift a loose magnet. [Did you ever see a humongous bird's nest that resulted in launching a lure into "oblivion"?]

So, I recommend you always check the condition of the glue and barely try to nudge the magnets to see if they will move in the holder, when you remove the palm plate to re-oil the spool bearings.  If you find one, you can dab a small amount of epoxy on its edge and onto the spacer to repair it.  Just don’t get it on so thick that it interferes with the inductor.

The inner spacer (and its magnets), can sometimes shift position around the bearing shield.  When this occurs you’ll likely notice that braking is no longer adjustable – essentially always at maximum braking regardless of what the knob indicates.  So, carefully remove the inner spacer (try not to knock any magnets loose or damage the glue), put a very light film of super glue on its inner circumference and slip it back over the shield.  Just make sure the knob is set for maximum braking, and align the yellow/blue magnet faces as indicated in the sketch above. Once dry, it will stay in position.

It’s best to remove any magnetic debris that collects on the rings, since it could find its way into a bearing.  (That may also be another reason for keeping shields on the bearing as well!)  Hard magnetic debris can quickly damage a bearing, and once inside it is almost impossible to remove.  Resist the urge to attempt to blow the debris off with compressed air; and remove it as I described in my previous Magnet blog.

You can increase the braking should you find that there is insufficient backlash control when casting extremely heavy lures (e.g. musky baits, swim baits).  Just get a pair of SmCo buttons magnets of the same size as others in the reel, identify the correct pole faces, and glue them it into an empty slot in each holder. Just ensure you maintain the alternating pole configuration that faces toward the correct side of the inductor, and put them in the correct empty slot so they become active when the adjustment knob is set at maximum.  Be forewarned; this will reduce the range of the brake adjustment knob, which will become more noticeable at lower settings, and will tend to make knob adjustment more critical.

You can also decrease the braking should you want to try and improve pitching performance (without the need for a “trained thumb”).  You can remove a pair of magnets (one on the same end of the inner ring and outer ring).  Carefully pick away the glue (don’t crack or shatter the magnet), and once free you can remove it with a pair of tweezers.  This will tend to spread-out the braking range of the adjustment knob, so you can make finer adjustments for pitching.  However let’s face it, some of the earliest spools are just too heavy to get the same pitching performance as today’s high-end models; but you might get a little closer with reduced braking toward the lower end of the adjustment knob. If you are not happy with the performance, just simply reinstall the magnets as described above.

SmCo Rings

Around the time of the TD-X Supertune and TD-S, Daiwa began using 2 specially magnetized rings, instead of rings made from individual SmCo button magnets like in earlier reels. (The same rings are used in the TD-Z, Alphas, Fuego and many other subsequent models.)  Although the new rings were generally the same physical size as the early rings, they are uniquely different.

The physical arrangement of the 2 rings is essentially the same as before, with a smaller ring fixed in position within a larger ring.  The larger ring is geared to the adjustment knob, so that it rotates up to 60° about the smaller ring.  (The braking inductor moves between each ring.) Rotating the outer ring would allow the user to adjust between maximum or minimum braking, just like the earlier reels.  However, what makes these rings special is the way they are magnetized!

TD-Z Magnet Set

Development of specialized magnetizing fixtures and advancements for sinter-pressing SmCo materials in the late-1980’s, resulted in the ability to magnetize SmCo shapes in many different pole configurations and arrangements.  So, not only could a solid ring have more than one north and south pole, the poles could be placed just about anywhere on the surface  It was even possible to manufacture rings with alternating adjacent poles, or with all poles on one surface of the pressing! So, Daiwa incorporated the latest magnet technology in their newest brake design.

An Aside: It may be hard to visualize having two magnetic poles on the same surface/side of a magnet (or adjacent to each other), probably because you are most familiar with button or bar magnets. (Buttons and bars typically have a pole on opposite ends of its surface.)  However, think about an Alnico horseshoe magnet that has the magnetic poles almost touching each other – both essentially on the same side, and adjacent to each other.

Each ring is composed of a single sinter-pressed SmCo ring, which has been epoxy coated for protection, and to allow them to be glued to the magnetic set plates. However, each ring is still relatively fragile (remember SmCo’s are brittle?), and they can easily chip or shatter if dropped on a hard surface.  So, care should be exercised if you have to remove a magnet set or re-glue a ring back in the correct orientation.

I’ve provided a picture of the rings below.  If you examine each ring, you’ll find they are subtly different and have some distinct characteristics:

• The inner ring is technically called a multi-polar ring magnetized on its outer circumference. There are 3 sets of North Poles and 3 sets of South Poles, alternating around the outer circumference of the ring. (The left side of the picture below shows the arrangement of the poles on the outer surface of the ring.) I’ve also drawn in the lines of flux as they travel from North Poles to the South Poles outside the ring.

[Notice what happens to the lines of flux on the ring; the magnets are close-coupled.  In addition, all return magnetic flux between the alternating poles essentially flows within the ring, as they travel from South Poles back to the North Poles.  This is a very efficient design, and very few lines of flux find their way to the inside of the ring.  As a result, no static magnetic shielding is required to protect the bearing (which sits within the inner ring), since the ring itself acts as its own magnetic shield.]

• The outer ring is technically called a multi-polar ring magnetized on its inner circumference. Like the smaller ring, there are 3 sets of North Poles and 3 sets of South Poles, but alternating around the inside circumference of the ring instead of the outside. The right side of the picture below shows the arrangement of the poles on the inner surface of the ring and the direction of the lines of flux. Again, the magnets are close coupled, and all return flux essentially stays within the ring.
• The actual poles on a ring are very discernible and distinct. You can carefully move a small screwdriver tip about the circumference and feel each pole. If you do the same on the other side of the ring, you won’t find a pole (or anything else)!
• Observe the polarization mark on the smaller ring at the left; it has a North Pole at the mark. However, the polarization mark on the larger ring at the right has a South Pole at the mark. The reason is that both are polarized differently for maximum magnetic flux between the rings, when both marks are aligned with each other. So when both rings are aligned together, the reel would be set for maximum braking. When the outer ring is rotated 60°, similar poles would be aligned with each other, for minimum braking.

Inner and Outer Ring Poles and Flux Distribution

I’ll let you use your imagination on what the lines of flux would look like when the inner ring is placed within the outer ring. Needless to say, the area where the inductor sits gets flooded with an extremely large amount of flux – and completely around its entire circumference.  However, when you rotate the outer ring, the flux patterns shift and vary in strength at the inductor until the outer ring finally reaches 60° (minimum braking).

I’ve already covered some advantages of the solid ring design, but there are a few others:

• Braking torque is evenly distributed around the entire circumference of the inductor, which reduces rotational imbalance [e.g., 360° vs. ~240° as in the previous design]. This would be of most benefit when using very light spools, while pitching, or casting extremely light-weight lures.
• The rings are easier to clean if magnetic sand or other debris finds its way into the palm plate, because of the smoother finish. In addition, you don’t need to pick your way around individual buttons.  The color of the coating makes it easy to see debris under a strong light, when the rings are mounted in the reel. (Notice the amount of debris the rings picked up on the right while positioning them for the picture!)
• There is less effect on the spool bearing.

Note: The arrangement of the TD-Advantage, TD-S103Hi, TD-1HI-T and similar big brake adjustment knob reels have magnet rings that are a similar configuration and design. However, the rings are a different size and are mounted in the palm plate with other hardware. Even so, general operation, orientation, flux pattern, etc. are the same.

Maintenance Notes: If you happen to see the epoxy has cracked or chipped on a ring, you should repair it as soon as possible.  Although the SmCo material itself will not corrode, moisture or oil can get under the coating, and it can begin to flake off.  (A good practice would be to visually check the magnet rings whenever you open the palm plate to lubricate spool bearings.) So, just remove any flakes, lightly sand to smooth the edges, and bush a very slight amount of epoxy paint back on the damaged area.

A ring may occasionally come unglued from a holder plate, especially if a solvent based spray or excess oil has made its way inside the palm plate.  A shock on the palm plate (like during shipping or dropping the reel on the deck of the boat?), might also break a ring loose from the holder.  In this case, the first symptoms will likely be that braking is no longer adjustable; and full braking will seem to be applied all the time, regardless of adjusment knob position. [However, I did have an old TD-S where a ring partially-turned and eventually caught on a holder; but it was not in the correct position and severely limited the amount of braking that was applied during a cast.]   So, carefully remove the ring, put a very light film of super glue on its inner or outer circumference (as applicable), and slip it back in place.  Just make sure the adjustment knob is set for maximum braking, and align the polarizing marks so they match each other. Once dry, it will stay in position.

The adjustment knob would be set for “Max” with both ring polarization marks aligned together.

It’s best to remove any magnetic debris that collects on the rings, since it could find its way into the spool bearing.  (That may also be another reason for keeping shields on the bearing as well!)  Hard magnetic debris can quickly damage a bearing, and once inside it is almost impossible to remove.  Resist the urge to attempt to blow the debris off with compressed air, and remove it as I described in my previous Magnet blog.

The Latest Rings

Around the time of the Steez, Daiwa began using 2 new magnetized rings for some models. Although I can’t confirm it, I suspect the new rings are made from extremely high quality NIB material. They are nickel plated, weigh about ½ as much, are about ½ as tall and are slightly thinner than the previous SmCo rings.  Yet, the individual poles are just as strong as the previous rings. So, plenty of magnetic flux floods the area surrounding the inductor when the reel is set for maximum braking.

The physical arrangement of the 2 rings is essentially the same as before, with a smaller ring fixed in position within a larger ring.  The larger ring is geared to the adjustment knob, so that it rotates up to 60° about the smaller ring, and the inductor moves between each ring. Rotating the outer ring would allow the user to adjust between maximum or minimum braking, just like the earlier versions.

Steez Magnet Rings

The set plate and magnetic holder weigh significantly less than previous designs. In addition, the knob clicker allows for much finer adjustment.

Early NIB materials sometimes had internal weaknesses; and under the stress of magnetization, they would shatter or lose pieces from the surface that would be violently ejected. This had to do with the characteristics of the material itself, how it was fabricated, and need for extremely precise high-flux magnetizing fixtures required to super-saturate the NIB. As a result, NIB materials could not be magnetized in special pole arrangements and patterns until the late-1990’s.

The rings are magnetized in the same orientation as the SmCo rings, so the magnetic lines of flux are identical to the previous sketch.  I won’t go into the details on boost and buck again, or what happens when you rotate the adjustment knob, because they are the same as the previous discussion.  (By the way, you may have noticed that the polarization marks on the rings are not exactly aligned with each other in the previous picture, because the adjustment knob is not quite set at “Max”.)

The latest rings are used in all Steez and new Pluton models.  I suspect we’ll see more of them in the future.

Maintenance Notes: Although the plating on the new rings is quite durable, if you happen to gouge or chip the finish (or even chip an edge of a ring itself), you have a problem.  Nickel plated finishes are difficult to repair (and reseal), especially when applied over some substrate materials like silicon-iron, magnet alloys, and even existing plating itself. Small bottles of an activator and brush plating are available, but they are not usually sold in retail markets. Larger-scale plating kits are also available, but they aren’t meant for touching up small areas or to restore a hermetic seal. So the best thing to do is to exercise caution and prevent damage from occurring in the first place!

There have been some cases reported where a ring has occasionally come loose from its mounting, and it will turn on its own.  [I suspect this occurs more from a shock to the palm plate and the smooth nickel finish on the ring.]  In this case, the first symptoms will likely be that braking is no longer adjustable; and no matter what position the knob is in, full braking will seem to be applied all the time. So carefully remove the ring, put a very light film of super glue on its circumference, and slip it back in place.  Just make sure the adjustment knob is set for maximum braking, and align the polarizing marks so they match each other. Don’t drop the ring on a hard surface and exercise care so you don’t chip it.

The adjustment knob would be set for “Max” with both ring polarization marks aligned together.

It’s best to remove any magnetic debris that collects on the rings, since it could find its way into a bearing.  (That may also be another reason for keeping shields on the bearing as well!)  Hard magnetic debris can quickly damage a bearing, and once inside it is almost impossible to remove.  Resist the urget to blow the debris off with compressed air, and remove it as I described in my previous Magnet blog.

-DModder

Reel designers eventually realized that bait caster braking systems needed to be adjustable; in order to handle the wide range of lures and presentations used by the angler, and casting conditions encountered at the water.  Although preventing backlash was the primary concern, the braking system also had to be dependable, repeatable from cast to cast, and serviceable.  Fortunately, they also had to meet these same challenges when they finally got around to designing magnetic braked models.

Over the years numerous methods have been employed to adjust the amount of braking torque that gets developed during a cast.  Some are fairly simple and straight forward, others are a little more complicated, and some may even employ a combination in their design. So, let’s take a look at some of the methods that allow users to adjusting eddy-current brakes found in our mag casters.  [We'll build on the basics covered in my previous blogs, so you may want to review them if you haven't done so already.]

Distance

Probably the simplest way to adjust the braking torque that is developed during a cast is to change the distance the magnets sit from the inductor. In fact, this method is probably the most common way that manufacturers (and modders), have accommodated braking adjustment over the years. Yokes, screws, wedges/ramps, cams, gears, rotatable plates and even levers have all been used to change the distance – and a couple designs even combine some of them in the same configuration!  I won’t get into the mechanics of any of these designs, because they are usually straightforward. Besides, it is not uncommon for a reel manufacturer to stay with the same design in succeeding reel models, especially if it had withstood the test of time. So, just open the plate on your mag reel and you’ll likely be able to recognize the method(s) employed.

As you may recall, magnetic field strength drops off roughly exponentially with distance.  So moving a magnet a small distance toward the inductor, can result in a relatively large increase in braking torque, especially at the highest spool speeds during a cast. [Recall that the higher the spool speed, the more braking torque that gets developed as well?] The exact relationship probably isn’t important – even though it’s related to the shape and size of the pole surfaces, and the arrangement and properties of the magnets. All you really need to remember is; closer to the inductor will increase braking; further away decreases braking!

Braking Adjustment in Pflueger Patriarch

One of the characteristics in varying the distance between the magnets and the inductor is that you never really could turn the braking completely off. This is due to the limited space that the magnets can physically move within the reel, and their relatively high magnetic strength.  So even small amounts of magnetic flux will still result in light-braking the instant the spool begins to move; and the lighter braking will still increase and decrease with spool velocity throughout a cast. Most of the time this won’t concern a typical angler, since the lures they cast and presentations they make don’t use the lower end of a brake adjustment knob anyway. However it could, especially if you are a tournament caster or a ‘pitcher’.

In the case of the earlier mag reels, the spools had a lot of mass, and the momentum they developed during a cast often required significant braking torque to preclude overrun. So many early reel manufacturers deliberately selected magnets, arrangement, and adjustment schemes for heavier braking; and turning the brakes totally-off was probably never even considered.  However, if you wanted to push the lower end of the adjustment knob so you could cast lighter weighted lures, eek’ out a little more distance, or even pitch; you likely found that the knob would get ‘very touchy’ or critical at lowest settings.  If you could make a cast without a massive bird’s nest, they usually weren’t repeatable, and accuracy would suffer.  [One manufacturer attempted to address this situation in a subsequent design that allowed the user to alter magnets.  After opening the reel you could manually reposition or remove magnets to change braking torque.]

The introduction of the bass reel started a trend where reels have generally become smaller and lighter with time. The need to accurately cast lighter lures or for lower velocity presentations has generally resulted in more refined and more robust braking designs; that work over a wider range of settings.  In many ways, other methods for adjusting magnetically braked reels resulted from the popularity of lower profiled bass reels.

Angle of the Magnets

Another method for brake adjustment involves varying the angle of the magnets with respect to the inductor:

• When the brake adjustment knob is set for maximum the magnet poles are close and parallel to the inductor surface.  This is the optimum position for maximum flux covering the inductor surface, and full magnetic braking torque is developed during the cast.

• When the knob is set for minimum braking, the magnets are rotated 90 degrees.  In this case, little flux reaches the inductor, so the slightest magnetic braking occurs.

• One may ask what happens between the maximum and minimum settings.  By tilting the magnet poles away from surface of the inductor, not only will the inductor see fewer lines of flux (some will no longer even get to the inductor), the inductor area covered by the flux is also reduced. In addition, the distance from the magnets to the inductor surface also changes, as previously discussed.  Since all three are directly related to the amount of counter torque that will be developed, braking will decrease the further the magnets are moved from parallel to the inductor.

Crestfire, Coriolis and Chromica Braking Adjustment

Static Shielding

Now it’s going to get a bit more complicated in this next example…. What would happen if there was a way to prevent some lines of flux from the magnets, from ever reaching the inductor? You guessed it; less flux, so less braking torque. How does one go about blocking the flux?  Everyone has probably heard the word shield used lots of times, so it’s no surprise that you didn’t guess the answer.  However, I need to cover a few things that you probably didn’t know about magnet fields, because things aren’t as straight-forward as they would seem.

The magnets in our reels provide what is called a static magnetic flux. (That means that the flux does not change amplitude or direction, like it would with a rotating magnet field or an AC electromagnet.) The problem with static magnetic lines of flux is that it is essentially impossible to stop, reflect or simply absorb them – but instead you need to redirect them.  So in the case of our reels, you would ideally want to reroute the magnetic flux away from the inductor, to a more desirable location (e.g. one that won’t affect rotating components).  Shields of this type are called passive magnetic shields, because they provide a way to re-route lines of flux through the shield itself.

Materials that have high permeability are the best for re-routing or redirecting the flux. Permeability describes the ability of a material to be magnetized; however, it is also important that a shield itself does not become a permanent magnet. So, alloys that are high in nickel and iron, and trace amounts of copper and chromium have been developed specifically for passive shielding.  The best static magnetic shields are also annealed, which further increases their permeability, so they can be made relatively thinner.

Revo STX Braking Adjustment

The best shape for shielding a component is to completely enclose it in a sphere or even an open cylinder.  Now obviously this wouldn’t work for a braking system that needs the inductor exposed to some amount of flux for braking; but it is useful for shielding bearings and other rotating reel components from magnetic flux (and becoming a braking system of their own).  It is not uncommon to see these types of bearing shields in magnetic braking designs.  Sometimes shields can even be used to help couple magnets — and lines of return flux can be redirected through a shield.

The simplest form of shielding that has been used as a method for braking adjustment in our reels involves a plate.  A plate made from high permeability alloy, will move between the magnets and inductor, and will redirect flux from all to none of the magnets depending on the position of the adjustment knob.  However, a very small amount of flux will still usually find its way to the moving inductor, even when all magnets are completely covered. This is due to the geometry of the plate, characteristics of the shield material itself, and the inherent nature of lines of flux to always find their way from a north to south magnetic pole.  Even so, the amount of ’stray flux’ is usually minimal, and most anglers wouldn’t even recognize the effect it had on the braking inductor.

Using a magnetic shield for braking adjustment can get quite complicated.  This has to do with the permeability and other characteristics of the shield material, distance the shield is located from the magnets, strength of the flux that the shield is exposed to and other factors:

• Good shield materials exhibit a high permeability; but there in lies the first problem — high permeability shields exposed to low strengths of magnetic flux are usually not as efficient as those exposed to higher strengths of magnetic flux (above a threshold).

• A shield material may only be able to redirect a certain amount of flux (based on geometry, material, etc.) before it becomes saturated and it’s effectiveness gets reduced. This seems to be more of a problem with thinner or lighter weight shield alloys.

• Lastly, the shield itself may not always be optimal for redirecting lines of flux due to close-coupling of magnets, distance to the inductor, and total strength of the magnetic field; and a very slight change in the position of the shield could result in a large difference in the magnetic flux that reaches the inductor.

However, careful selection of shield materials, spacing, strength of the magnets and geometry can lead to a design that will work well across an adjustment range.

Magnetic Boost and Buck

I’m sure most are familiar with what happens when you try to put “like” poles of magnets together. The repulsive force developed by the opposing magnetic flux, will want to ‘buck’ the magnets away from each other, and they definitely won’t stay that way when you release them. On the other hand, magnets that are aligned with opposite poles facing each other will want to lock together on their own, as the attraction from the North Pole on one is “boosted” by the South Pole of the other. In simple terms, this describes the concept of magnetic boost and buck, and it underlies the last method that can be used to adjust braking on a magnetically braked reel.

As you may recall from my blog on magnets, opposing lines of magnetic flux just don’t mix well in air, and they will bend and distort away from each other.  The net result is that you can actually increase or decrease the strength of the flux at any point, simply by changing the physical relationship between flux streams.  So in the case of static flux from permanent magnets; increasing the distance between the magnets, changing the angle between pole surfaces, and even shifting the face-alignment between them; will all result in flux changes. [Sounds similar to the way passive shields work? It is, but it takes specially polarized magnets for the best passive shields. I'll get into that, when I eventually blog about Daiwa's Magforce designs!]

If a moving inductor is placed exactly between the two magnets:

• With the magnets arranged for maximum flux (e.g. opposite poles, in same alignment and poles faces exactly parallel); maximum braking torque will be developed on the inductor.

• With the two magnets arranged for minimum flux (same poles exactly face each other, and so on), minimum braking torque will be developed.

• With poles that can be adjusted between the two previous extremes, the braking torque could be set anywhere between maximum and minimum.

Daiwa Magforce Braking Adjustment

Daiwa’ Magforce braking designs use buck and boost to vary the flux on the inductor.  But the latest designs also incorporate a few other surprises as well; to tailor the braking toque developed during a cast or pitch.  I’ll get into these in the future.

-DModder

If you ever owned one of the older round bait casters, you may have felt that it does not always lend to accurate and repeatable casts.  Maybe you’ve tried to get a little more distance while surf-casting or casting a big swim bait with yours, but found you’re spending more time “digging and dynamiting” your way through bird-nests?  Maybe you’ve just relegated the reel to limited presentations, after realizing there just isn’t sufficient control?  Let’s face it; some of these older or bigger rounds probably weren’t ever intended for some presentations in the first place, and any of the previous “maybe’s” are symptomatic of the problem.

A few adventurous “modders” have found that there are some things they can do that may help. Not only can you: clean the bearings and switch to a different spool oil, tune critical parts, upgrade spool bearings or swap bushings over to bearings; but you can also look at braking.  In many cases, increasing the braking after the initial part of the cast may be the next step in achieving a little better performance. Ergo, mag modding: supplementing with magnetic braking if the reel didn’t have it, or changing the configuration of the magnets if it did. In fact, some of the later big mag casters had empty magnet sockets, just so you could do that.

Video On Magging a Shimano TLD-10

Although I don’t intend to get into the actual implementation of these mods, I will cover some of the basics and provide a few tips, thoughts or observations about making them.  I’ll also provide some links that address mag-modding, since it’s not always easy to find them on the web.

Combining Magnets

As you may recall, two of the ways to increase the counter torque developed by an eddy-current brake, is to increase the magnetic field strength and increase the surface area of the conductor that is exposed to magnetic lines of force. One of the ways to accomplish both is to use two or more magnets in the brake design.

When two or more magnets are going to be used for eddy-current braking, there’s a good way to arrange them, and an O.K. way.  This was identified by Westinghouse, during his R&D on eddy-current braking, and the majority of reel manufacturers adopted the better arrangement in their designs. I point it out should you decide to mag your own reel or have to replace a button sometime.  In addition, there have been some reports where a few of the earlier mag casters left the factory with a magnet or two accidentally installed wrong.  So here’s the scoop on how they should be best arranged.

The upper-left corner of the picture below shows a single magnet positioned some distance from a moving conductor, with magnetic lines of force flowing from the North Pole to its South Pole. Magnetic lines of flux always flow from the North Pole to a South Pole on the outside of a magnet by convention. Although the drawing is not exactly technically accurate, it’s good enough for discussion (some very complicated flux changes actually occur as it penetrates the moving inductor).

When combining magnets the best configuration is to alternate adjacent poles as shown in the upper-right part of the picture.  The reason for doing this is that magnetic flux will flow from the North Pole of one magnet to adjacent South Poles, exposing the inductor to stronger magnetic flux, and over more of its surface area. (Notice how spread out the flux is and how many more lines of flux actually reach the inductor surface, when compared to the single magnet example.) The net effect is that counter torque will increase in this ‘coupled‘ configuration, and brake linearity improves (i.e. developed counter torque tends to become more linear with a velocity increase).  This might even have another benefit for a manufacturer who is trying to control the weight or cost of a reel, since he may be able to reduce the relative size, weight and strength of the individual magnets!

The lower-right part of the above picture generally shows what happens in the configuration where all the North Poles of the adjacent magnets are arranged the same direction, this is called “uncoupled“.  (Notice the orientation of the center magnet in regard to the two on either side of it.) Lines of flux on the center magnet and nearest adjacent magnets become narrowed and distorted (e.g. focused). This is because separate magnetic flux streams don’t mix or flow normally next to each other in air; and they will bend. [Remember opposite magnet poles resisted each other, this is why.] The net effect is much less surface of the inductor is penetrated by flux, so available counter torque is much less than it otherwise could have been.

A Few Other Thoughts For Mag Modders

Here are a few other thoughts and ideas that mag-modders may want to consider:

• If the magnets are spaced too far apart, you may not get the full benefit of coupled magnets.  Instead you’ll essentially have individual (or loosely-coupled magnets), which won’t provide nearly as much braking torque or linearity. [However, could be adequate for some reels or presentations that don't need much braking.  The choice is left to the modder.]

• The previous problem can also occur if the relative strength of each magnet is extremely low, even if they are closely spaced adjacent to each other.  However, this can also have another adverse effect, where fewer magnetic lines of force actually even get to the surface of the inductor. You might be able to compensate for this, by selecting taller magnets in the same strength, but they may not always be available.  So, generally go for a slightly-stronger magnet, when given the choice.  Rare earth magnets are the best!

• Sometimes it’s difficult to get a button magnet in the exact height that you need.  But it may be possible to get thinner magnets in the same diameter, and stack them to the desired height.  In fact, you may even get a little stronger flux density from doing this (determining the exact amount is very complicated, and requires an expensive computer program).  For instance, instead of using a single cylindrical rare-earth button magnet that is ¼” dia. and ¾” tall, you might consider three ¼” dia. and ¼” tall individual magnets in a stack instead.  Just stack the North Pole of one to the South Poles of next, and so on, and try to use magnets of the same diameter for best density distribution.  Thinner magnets can often be bought in bulk for less, so you might even be able to save a little on the overall cost as well. Glue them together after you determine the final arrangement.

• If you have magnets that are not all the same strength; arrange them adjacently in order, so they progressively increase or decrease in strength from one magnet to the next (e.g. don’t haphazardly mix them).  This will provide a little better coupling between the individual magnets and distribution of flux across the surface of the inductor.  Nevertheless, try to avoid using magnets of different strength if possible.

• I don’t suggest mixing magnets from different classes, unless you have no other choice.  It can get very tricky (touchy) if you try to do this with Alnico and rare-earth magnets at the same time.  It’s probably best to just purchase magnets so you know what you have, rather than using magnets scavenged from another gadget or your junk box.

• Sometimes the braking action might end up being a little heavier than you expected or like. So, don’t be afraid to change the configuration a bit to ‘tweak’ the braking.  Options include using fewer magnets, spacing them a little differently, or even going to a loosely coupled configuration by making all poles face the same direction.

• When you finally determine the configuration and arrangement of the magnets, consider permanently attaching them in position. A shock on the side of a reel can move or dislodge magnets that are only magnetically attached in the reel.  You could be in for a big surprise, if this should happen while casting your expensive swim bait!

• Here is a document containing links to mag-modding websites.  It is in Word format.  There are some tips for searching Google at the bottom of the document.  

Mag Modding Links -- Click Here

A reflection:  I sometimes regret selling my two round-Abu’s that I mag-modded about 12 years ago.  I learned a lot while modifying them, and had made my own parts. I guess what I miss the most is the sense of “satisfaction” I had while using them.  Unfortunately the pictures were lost during a move while on temporary assignment….

-DModder

A significant number of technological and manufacturing changes occurred from the end of WW-2 to the late-70’s. With the introduction of the first rare-earth magnet, the time was right for new magnetic braked models!

The abundance of miniature stainless steel bearings, stronger materials, exotic and light alloys, and production advancements all found their way into our reels throughout that period. In addition the economy had finally recovered from post-war depression, and many ‘baby boomers’ with disposable income had a hunger for tackle. So it was just a matter of time before the mag caster would make its comeback….

So let’s spend some time looking at magnets, and specifically how they relate to our mag reels.  By the way, how many of you spent countless hours as a child fooling with them? Anyone remember the Etch-a-Sketch [a popular product of the 60's]? The secrets underlying the magnet have mesmerized many over the ages!

Types of Magnets

The modern history of permanent magnets started about 1930 with the introduction of the Alnico. Before this, “old-iron”, electric and natural magnets were essentially the only kind that were available, and their use was  primarily limited to magnetos, navigation and laboratory equipment. However, today there are 4 classes of man-made permanent magnets and all have been used in reels at one time or another. Their physical and magnetic properties are what separate them into classes, and each has different characteristics, benefits and disadvantages.

ALNICO – The earliest type of permanent magnet to be used in a reel was the ALNICO. ALNICO is an acronym for the magnets alloy – ALuminum, NIckle and CObalt, and it was essentially the only type available when the Bristol Electromatic was developed. The introduction of Alnico allowed electro-magnets to be replaced by permanent magnets, and this resulted in a reduction in the size of motors and generators, advancements in communication gear, and development of new electronic instruments. Alnico magnets are still used today, just not in mag braked reels, primarily because they have some undesirable properties and are not that strong.

Alnico magnets are coarse and brittle, so they crack easily and are extremely difficult to machine. They also exhibit a low coercive strength; and will gradually loose strength with time, from physical shock, or even exposure to other magnetic fields. On the positive side they have a strong resistance to corrosion and their surface does not need to be coated; and they are relatively inexpensive [although that was not always the case during periodic shortages of cobalt].  Like many magnets, Alnicos are usually cast into a general shape, machined, and then magnetized.

Ceramic (or Ferrite) – Ceramic or ferrite magnets are the most popular type of general magnets available today and they were first developed in the 60’s. They are made from magnetic metal oxides that are compressed in a mold at extremely high pressure and temperature, to form a type of ceramic called “spinel ceramic”.  Inexpensive ceramic magnets can also be made from powdered spinel that is dry-pressed or held together with a binder or flexible material. [Think magnetic recording tape!]  However, they are generally not nearly as strong as the higher end ceramic magnets.

Like many ceramic materials, spinels are hard, brittle and will easily chip. (Because of that the higher-end ceramics may be encased in a heavier non-metal shell.) They can be molded so machining and other finishing usually isn’t required – and that is essentially why most manufacturers quickly adopted them.  They can also be made in a wide range of magnetic strengths and use relatively inexpensive material.

Ceramics operate at relatively low flux densities, so a larger pole area is often required so the magnet will deliver the desired strength (when all things are considered).  As a result, they haven’t seen much use in magnetic braked reels, because rare-earth magnets are so much stronger and don’t have to be as large.  They were really only used in a few lower-end models that appeared in the mid-80’s.

Samarium-Cobalt – The next revolution in permanent magnets began in the early 70’s, with the introduction of samarium-cobalt hard magnetic materials.  Samarium-Cobalt (SmCo) was the first of the rare-earth magnets, and they can provide extremely high magnetic density for their given size. SmCos were initially heralded as ’super-magnets’, resulting in a new wave of miniaturization; and of course they became the magnet of choice for most of the new mag bait casters introduced in 1983. Small, light, with a lot of punch, and they resist demagnetization – what’s not to like? However, SmCo magnets can also get very expensive or may not even be available in large quantity at times, dependent on the mining of cobalt ore. [Much of the raw cobalt comes from small African countries that experience political unrest.]

Samarium-Cobalt magnets can be vacuum molded, sintered or bonded; lending to relatively inexpensive ways for producing special shapes, sizes, strength, and flux orientation.  The material itself will not corrode – and if it does it is usually the result of impurities or contaminants (like some lower-end types).  Even so, high-end SmCos are often coated with nickel or another metal, epoxy paint or plastic because they are so strong that they pick-up a lot of magnetic debris – and a smoother finish allows them to be easily cleaned.  Most of the SmCos used in the earliest mag casters were not painted/coated, except maybe to identify a pole.

SmCos will also crack, chip or even shatter; so a common practice is to wear eye protection when working with them. Most coatings are so thin, that they don’t reduce the likelihood of a SmCo from shattering and magnetically-launching tiny splinters everywhere.  Unfortunately, many Emergency Rooms have seen this type of injury and they are equipped to deal with it!

Up until this time, it was difficult to make magnets that had the same magnetic strength, flux density, etc. from magnet to magnet. It was not uncommon for magnetic properties to vary up to 10% from one to the next in a low-end run. And that was another major improvement from the introduction of the rare-earth magnet; resulting in precision electronic devices and more robust magnetic braking designs.  SmCos are still the the magnet of choice for many reel manufacturers today, but some began to use the newest class in the early 90’s. That brings us to the other rare-earth magnet, in a class of its own – the NIB.

Neodymium-Iron-Boron – Escalating cobalt prices during the 70’s probably had more to do with the discovery of Neodymium-Iron-Boron magnets, than anything else. In 1983 General Motors and Sumito Metals Co. essentially announced the newest rare earth magnet at the same time. They were first known as NdFeB magnets, but the acronym NIB (or NEO) was quickly adopted.  NIB magnets were not only physically stronger than the ceramic SmCo, the material needed to make them was also were much cheaper and never in short supply! Did I mention that NIB magnets could be produced with even higher magnetic strength and flux than SmCo’s of the same size?

High-end NIB magnets can be sinter-pressed from powders of neodymium, iron and boron, into just about any size and shape imaginable.  Lower-end NIB magnets can even be pressure or injection molded with NIB powders and epoxy/nylon binders, into fewer sizes and shapes (with lower magnetic strength, as well).  Unfortunately, some thin NIBs can also crack, chip or shatter (similar to SmCos). So exercise appropriate precaution when working with them!

Best quality NIBs are usually coated, plated or even hermetically sealed with nickel (or similar metal),  because of their potential for corrosion.  [They might also be coated with plastic or epoxy, at a lower cost.]  The iron used to make them typically gets altered in the process of sintering, making it very vulnerable to the corrosive effects from weak acids or caustics, oils, and even water. Should a NIB coating get damaged; the magnet may eventually begin to “fall apart” with exposure from the moisture in air or sea water.

Almost all of the newest reels being marketed today use rare-earth magnets.  They can show up in braking systems, bail trip mechanisms, and even anti-reverse designs.  Although manufacturers seem to slowly be shifting toward the NIBs, I would not be surprised to always find SmCos in salt-water or motorized reel designs.

Trivia: Some of the highest quality NIBs are so vulnerable to corrosion (and other circumstance), that plating specifications, methods and materials are a closely-held security and commercial trade secret!

Caution: It would be remiss, if I didn’t cover another important safety item about rare earth magnets.  These magnets are so powerful that they can cause injury, if caution is not exercised.  In addition, there have been several cases were small children have swallowed a couple of them, and it resulted in intestinal blockage and/or perforation.  So, if you have loose small rare earths and young children, it may be wise to treat them like you do your medicines.

Some Tips For Rare-Earth Magnets

Need to get some magnetic grit, sand, slivers or other debris off a rare earth magnet mounted in your reel?  First of all, resist the urge to blow it off with compressed air, or use another magnet to pull them from the surface. Instead: use a stick, q-tip or small brush to sweep debris into a small pile; take a piece of gray tape and press it over the debris; and then slowly peel it away.  Repeat as necessary, replacing the tape as required.  Not only is this way much safer, but there is less potential for the magnetic debris to find its way into a nearby bearing – where you probably won’t ever be able to get it out!  Magnetic particles from a rare earth magnet can quickly damage a bearing.

Rare-earths are notorious for collecting magnetic debris. So if you have some loose, keep them stored in a zip-lock bag or even wrap them with saran wrap.

I touched on magnets in this blog, and hopefully you’ve gained a good understanding so we can build on it later. I’ll have some info for the mag-modders the next time I get into magnets.  By the way, the strength of a magnetic field drops off roughly exponentially with distance. However, the exact relationship is actually dependent on the shape and size of the pole surfaces, and the properties of the magnet itself.

A reflection: I suspect that playing with ALNICOs as a young child is what actually sparked my interest in mechanics and the other sciences. …and I spent a lot of time logging my observations and thoughts on my Etch-A-Sketch too!

-DModder

How can you do a good job of covering magnetic braked reels, without touching on a little history?  So I thought I’d diverge a bit from the “technical Dark Side”, and share some impressions, thoughts and information from a historical perspective.  Just remember, I’m no authoritarian when it comes to older reels; heck, I can’t even remember what ever happened to my Mag Procaster I got 25 years ago!.  However, I have spent a lot of time during the past four winters surfing the web, going through old fishing magazines, and even looking through patents.  I’ve also been fortunate to periodically exchange email and PM’s with a few collectors!

Let me start off by saying that there are a number of good websites dedicated to archiving, collecting and restoring old reels. They are loaded with dialog, pictures, catalogs, and other information that covers generations of fishing reels.  Although I didn’t get bit by the “collector’s bug” after cruising these sites for days, I was fascinated by the articles, designs and history of the manufacturers.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see as much about the early magnetically braked reels as I had hoped for, and the forums I follow seldom discuss them in any detail.  That’s not all bad, since it just whetted my craving for more information!

Here’s the links to some of my favorite sites:

Phil White’s reel website – Old Reels

Phil White’s tackle website – Old Fishing Stuff

Reel Talk forum – ORCA

Ideas for you Abu and Penn modders -Bill’s Custom Reel Shop

Abu and a few other brands – Real’s Reels

A Stroll Down Magnetic Lane

An Aside (and Confession): I guess I expected to find a little more information about the early mag casters, and occasionally wondered why there just wasn’t much on the web. O.K. I confess! Like a young engineer, I fell into the trap of wanting “more data”, wondering why, over-analyzing things, etc. [After all, I was on a Quest!] I eventually moved on to old magazines and spent a couple days in the basement of a big-city library. Yet I knew that the inevitable had to happen — I’d eventually have to dig into patents. Subconsciously I think I dreaded that because of my career experience.  Hey cut me some slack, I’m retired!

The first magnetic braked fishing reel was actually made by the Horton Mfg. Co. of Bristol Conn. It was called the Electromatic and came out in 1948, even though the braking system was patented years earlier. However, the reel was only a moderate success – probably because it was relatively expensive and had to compete against newly designed spinning reels of the time.

However, the introduction of the Electromatic was quite revolutionary, and it featured a copper inductor on the handle side of the spool and latest Alnico button magnets mounted on the handle plate for braking.  The advertisements described it as “having an unfailing magnetic braking action that adjusts itself during the cast”, “it helps increase your casting distance and accuracy, practically eliminates backlash”, and “the spool is always in step with the speed of the line”. Unfortunately the reel never caught on, and there was a long gap until the next release of a magnetic braked bait caster.

Exploded View of Bristol Electromatic Reel

Patents

Now let me spend a little time pointing out a few things about patents, and specifically what I found on our reels.  But first;  if you’ve never had to read a patent, you might consider yourself lucky.  Most are written in legalese and technical terms; and whenever you get lawyers, engineers and inventors together you are not in for an easy read! I had the misfortune to spend a lot of time with patents early in my career, and I enjoyed working with them about the same as a trip to the dentist. I’ve found many of the early patents use:

• Long paragraphs that only consist of one sentence; commas are indiscriminately scattered about; varying layouts; etc.
• Diagrams which aren’t very reader friendly or totally accurate,
• Generic terms that are “specifically dated” to the time  when they were written in,
• “Deliberately vague” discussions and technical descriptions. [One might think this was an attempt to ward-off anyone who may be thinking about patenting similar.  However, it probably has more to do with allowing R&D, manufacturing, supplier and other product changes to occur in the future, without the need for another patent.]
• A format that lends itself to needless repetition. [Hey, if you have a good thing going, why not say it over and over again, when you can?]

In the case of our reels, many patents are originally written in another language, and the translation into English is not always “favorable”.  So the net effect is that you need to diligently study them in order to gain a firm technical understanding. I went through three boxes of computer paper….

By the way, when you consider that most major reel makers have thousands of individual patents, finding the specific one that you are interested in can quickly turn into a full-time job!  [It's good that the modern internet finally came along, because it was so much worse before then.]

Some manufacturers will even patent individual reel components, which can lend to confusion as you try to match a specific reel model to the most recent patent you found.  This isn’t necessarily bad, since it can reflect a healthy R&D program or rapidly changing product lines. …but it may cause you to scratch your head!

Portion of an early Daiwa magnetic braked reel patent

One may wonder if searching for a patent, isn’t an easy way to get an early look at new reel that is being released by a manufacturer.  Sorry, but that isn’t very likely, since it can be years before a patent or an application ultimately shows up in patent office records:

• The use of government patent disclosure programs and provisional applications can delay the formal patent application, while patent protection is usually provided during that time.  [However, this would likely be the place to get an advance 'glimpse' of a new reel model, just don't bet the farm on it, because these programs may not have been used.]

• Backlogs in reviewing, researching, and resolving disputes or restrictions can take up to a year or more, before it is finally accepted.

• Time required to collect fees and disperse them to the various branches of government can be painstakingly slow; and an application may sit in “limbo” until everything clears.

• Some applications may even need to be amended, resulting in the process starting all over again.

• Lastly, backlogs in cataloging and publishing approved patents can take months before it appears in listings and is available to the general public.  An application for a patent may someday be a way to get an advance look, if backlogs ever get reduced.

Have you heard the terms “Patent Pending”?

Here’s some tips from my latest experience in searching patents, should you ever decide to go that route.  I’ve found that when I am looking for an invention and don’t have  any specific data (patent no., inventor, issue date, etc.), it’s much faster if I start with one of the free patent search engines. Sites like Google Patents and freepatentsonline.com seem better integrated and are much easier to use than most government patent office websites.  If you are going to do a lot of research, the plain text formats come in handy, so you can cut and paste information into your own word processor or spread sheet. In addition, they usually provide direct links to related patents that you can follow. Just be aware of this because it’s easy to also “get lost along the way”, should you have started off by looking for something specific. …my list of favorites quickly grew out of hand as I bookmarked page after page.

Here’s an exercise to see how easy it can be going this route; go to Google Patents, type in “abu magnetic brake” in the search box, and click “Search”.  You’ll be taken to a list of applicable US Patents that you can scroll through. Use the date identified in the list to find the 1986 submittal and go from there.  [However, to see all the Abu patents on mag casters, you'll also need to use "Abu magnet", "Abu braked reel", and "Abu fishing reel" and a few others,  to ensure you catch any stragglers.]

If there is a downside to the free patent sites, it’s that they sometimes don’t always provide all patent details before they ‘cut-off’; but there’s usually more than enough to confirm you have the one you are looking for.  So, I try to avoid the US Patent Office website until I’m sure I have the correct patent number  – and then I go there to validate and get the complete details.  It’s worth noting that some of the patent engines are now starting to include the full patent, so someday you may not even need to go to the issuing patent office!

Side Note: If you’re sitting back and scratching your head right now, it’s probably because you wondering “who would want to do a patent search in the first place?” So think about this: When it comes to patents you don’t know what you don’t know — and you have to go through an exhaustive effort to prove exactly that! -DModder quote

I’ve included some interesting excerpts from some Abu, Daiwa, and Shimano patents that were were all  issued around the same general time.  But, be sure to check out the first paragraph of the excerpt at the left. It provides an interesting perspective on the state of centrifugal friction braking at the time! I guess it’s true “that necessity is the mother of invention”…?

The last paragraph also caught my attention  because of its reference to the spool bearing.  Interesting observation for the time…, and stainless steel too!

Note: I know that that some of the patent excerpts in this blog can be difficult to read, especially on a small computer monitor.  Depending on the browser you are using; you might be able to right click on them, select view image, and see them in actual size. Give it a try!  Just use the Back button on your browser to come back to the blog.

By the way, it’s O.K. to smile when reading the excerpts!

So, after looking into numerous patents, I found that Daiwa and Shimano generally applied for ‘familiar’ magnetic braked reel patents within a few months of each other.

Another Aside and Confession: Once you get used to digging through patents it can become addicting, especially if you are one who is curious about gadgets like magnetic brakes.  I found myself looking into various designs, even if they never were intended for our reels! O.K. another confession! It wasn’t long before I just had to find the patents behind the   TD-X, TD-Z, etc. braking systems…!

An observation: I’d like to point out that many patents are issued, and no products are ever released using its protection.  This happens sometimes with initial industrial and scientific advances; and I suspect it has also been the case for some magnetic braked reel patents issued since the early 80’s.  (Hmmmm, maybe a design was never produced because of obstacles in mass fabrication, financing problems, or it really didn’t work that well anyway?)

1983 – The Year of the Magnet

Daiwa did beat Shimano by about a year from a US product release standpoint. (In case you enthusiast types are wondering, I can’t really say what happened in the JDM or international markets.) Daiwa came out with their US Magforce Procaster Lite series, and the PMF-1500 and PMF-1000 are shown in their 1982 catalog. [Even though Bass Pro Shop did not list them until 1983.] Shimano released their Bantam Mag series and Abu-Garcia released the Ultra-Mag1 series in 1983. All three of the manufacturers designs used the latest rare-earth magnets, just in a different configuration. Ryobi and Lew’s also produced reels with magnetic anti-backlash systems that year.  In all likelihood, they’d been developing magnetic braked reels at the same time. So, 1983 is considered by many to be “The Year of the Magnet”.

Daiwa Procaster-Lite PMF-100 (top) and Shimano Bantam 100SG (bottom).  Notice how familiar the arrangement looks!

Homework!

Here’s some homework for you, now that you know how to search patents.  Check out US Patent number: 7188793 filed Apil 26, 2004 and issued March 13, 2007.  I think you’ll be surprised!  Happy reading….

Special thanks to Phil White for the excellent reel pictures used in this blog!

DModder

I’ve always been intrigued by magnetic braked reels, ever since I got my first Daiwa Mag Procaster back in the mid-80’s.  Although I haven’t owned every ‘mag caster’ since that time, for some reason I always keep coming back to them, usually after trying a hot or new centrifugal-braked model.  So I’ve had plenty of  opportunity to study, troubleshoot and maintain them, especially the Daiwa models.

Many reel owners have a lot of questions about the magnetic brakes used in their bait casters, and it’s a topic that comes up regularly on the forum.  So I thought one of the first things I’d like to do in my new blog is to unravel some of the mystery about Mag Brakes.  To do that, I’ll start off with a good foundation, by covering some of the basics like basic theory, key components, and examples that generally apply to all basic manufacturer designs. Then I’ll be able to expand into more detail – especially on the Daiwa low profiles; covering different Magforce designs, tuned braking, troubleshooting, maintenance and repair.  Who knows?  One day I may even cover some of the mods, experiments and prototyping that I’ve done at my workbench.

Introduction

George Westinghouse is often given credit for the first industrial use of magnetic brakes, since he held many of the initial patents.  But it’s difficult to really say when magnetic braking use actually began, because many toyed with magnet applications throughout 1870-1890.  It wasn’t until the turn of the century that Westinghouse Electric Company finally began commercial production of rail and tram magnetic brake components.  Magnetic brakes are used in many common items today; examples include elevators, high-speed railways, trams, sensors and delicate instruments, conveyors, vibration dampeners, fishing reels, and even roller coasters.

Magnetically braked reels are relatively new, when you consider the evolution of bait cast reels over the past 150+ years.  The earliest bait casters didn’t even have a braking system, so you had to develop a “trained thumb” to prevent overruns.  Eventually friction and later centrifugal brakes were added – but the first magnetic reel wasn’t introduced until 1948 and it only had moderate success.  However, just about every major reel manufacturers has used magnetic brakes in various models since that time.  Some ingenious reel modders have even added their own when their old level wind wasn’t originally equipped with them.

Basic Theory

The magnetic brakes in our Daiwa, Abu, Quantum and other bait cast reels operate on principles described by Lenz’s Law of Magnetic Induction. In short, Lenz’s Law states that a counter force will be induced on a conductor moving perpendicular within a magnetic field, which will be opposite the motion that caused it. Lenz’s law is actually a consequence of the law on the Conservation of Energy, and it is this counter force that provides the magnetic braking in our reels – exactly like the counter force developed in motors, generators, and many other electro-mechanical devices.

There are a number of different videos on the internet that demonstrate Lenz’s Law and you can find them by searching with Google. But here is one that is a little more obvious in showing what I’m talking about.  In this video, the magnet that slides through aluminum tube, takes significantly longer than when it slides through the glass tube. The reason is due to the counter force that opposes gravity, developed by the magnet as it travels down the metal plate.

Faraday discovered that the counter force is actually a result of electrical current being induced into the surface of the conductor.  This current and counter force could result from either the conductor moving through the magnetic field, or the magnets moving in relationship to a stationary conductor. [Both approaches have been used in magnetically braked reels throughout the years!]  If you wade through all the formulas that Faraday and Lenz developed, you’ll find that the amount of counter force (or counter torque if rotating) that is created is dependent upon several factors, some of which I’ve listed below.  [By the way, you may want to remember these for later, because reel manufacturers generally incorporate them in various designs for brake adjustment.]

• Strength of the magnetic field. More lines of magnetic flux that intersect with the conductor will develop more counter force.

• Proximity of the conductor to the magnet(s). The closer the conductor is to the magnet(s), the higher the magnetic field strength, so the more counter force that is developed.

• Conductor conductivity. The higher the conductivity of the conductor (e.g. lower its electrical resistance), the more counter force that is developed.

• Conductor size. The larger the size of the conductor surface area that is in the magnetic field, the more counter force that gets developed.  [Since surface area is related to thickness, the thicker the conductor. the more counter force.]

• Speed that the conductor is moving through the magnetic field. The faster the speed (or rpm if rotating), the more counter force that is developed. [This is fundamental in any magnetic brake design – and all mag reels operate this way!] Without any movement, no counter force or braking occurs.

Counter force developed on a moving conductor

A more technical name for the braking found in our reels is eddy-current braking, and the vast majority allow the user to vary the amount of counter force that develops, so braking can be adjusted [ergo: adjustable eddy-current braking].  Some manufacturers refer to the conductor that moves in the magnetic field as the inductor because current is directly induced into it.  The inductor can be a flat non-magnetic conductive plate, hollow cylinder or cup attached to the spool; or even the side of the spool itself.  Regardless of the manufacturer’s design; it is the counter torque developed on the inductor (balanced with spool tension from the pinion), that helps prevent spool overrun in a magnetically braked reel.

Various Spool Inductors

Magnetic braking will only occur when the inductor is in motion, so before you make a cast there is no inductor movement and no braking. When casting:

1. The instant the spool begins to move, counter torque is developed and braking starts to be applied,
2. As the spool accelerates, the amount of braking increases because inductor speed increases, and
3. As it decelerates, the braking decreases because inductor speed decreases.

(Later we’ll see some interesting things can happen between steps 1 and 3 above, when I get into Daiwa’s Magforce designs.)

Magnetic braking has some nice benefits, when compared to friction braking.  Since there is no contact between the magnets and inductor, there are no pins or pads to wear out.  In addition, most brake adjustment can be made from the outside of the reel, making them ideal for someone unfamiliar with bait casters to learn how to cast.  However, don’t be lulled into thinking that magnetic brakes won’t require maintenance, …but we’ll get to that later.

Hopefully I’ve helped you gain a better understanding of magnetic braking.  But stay tuned, …I’ve just started!

DModder