Fettling centrepins

[the indifferent crucian]

Since so many people have been tempted by the currently available cheapish centrepins from various sources, the Marco Cortesi being the cheapest at just £30, I thought I'd have a look at one.


I knew that the Chinese bearings would be a fault ( and they were) and that poor maching tolerences would be a factor.

I was surprised just how out of balance the reel spool was and this combined with the poor bearings meant it really was a bit of a boneshaker.

But all is not lost......


If you dismantle it and wash the bearings clean in petrol and re-lube them with a thin oil like 3 in 1 oil before re-assembling you can statically balance the reel for a vast improvement!


Just spin it until it stops in a vertical plane, as though it was hanging off your rod, and mark the very bottom of the spool at the lowest point once it stops.


Mark it bang in the middle of the spool drum where the line will sit.


Do this three times to be sure you have found the 'heavy spot' and then drill a small hole, say 1mm, exactly on the spot.

Clean the drum, assemble the reel and spin it again. It'll probably stop in the same place, so you need to enlarge the hole.

I went up to a 3.5mm hole, but a massive improvement could be felt even with the first 1mm hole.



If you really want to go to town on it, you could replace the bearings with something better........these seem to be the ones......



6872RS Sealed Deep Groove Ball Bearing 7x14x5mm Simply Bearings Ltd

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Well, well, the last time I saw or heard the word 'fettling' was back in my schooldays from an aging Yorkshire schoolmaster who had somehow been allowed south of the Watford Gap in order to terrorise us with the subject of metalwork.

Nonetheless, I am a little lost as to the value of these very cheap centrepin reels if one has to go to these lengths to make the damn thing usable . . . . . ?

 

[Fred Blake]

Nonetheless, I am a little lost as to the value of these very cheap centrepin reels if one has to go to these lengths to make the damn thing usable . . . . . ?

Couldn't agree more. However, maybe those who've already invested in one of these things can benefit from IC's suggestion.

 

[nick dv]

Personally, for a reel that cost £30 I can't offer any criticism yet. It spins very well, and unlike some i have heard about, it is not out of balance - maybe I got lucky and only time will tell. I suppose you get what you pay for these days and if these reels are going to be produced in vast numbers to keep them cheap, then one or two may fail a quality inspection - if there is one!

If the drum is out of balance, it's a good, simple, cheap solution.

Cheers, Nick

 

[S-Kippy]

As I've said many times...I'm no engineer but when I first got my MC reel I undid the centre nut and the damned bearings fell out. Even to my eyes they were rubbish.

IC : For £2.50 its got to be worth replacing them so before I dive in are the ones you've put a link to the right size/quality or just an example ? In short...should I get these ?

 

[Alan Tyler]

T.I.C., That's a far more elegant solution than my heavy metal putty - many thanks!

Weird, isn't it; the bearings on mine were smooth "with a capital Smoo" after a rinse and lube, and a firm push-fit in their housings, but the spool was well out of balance; others have not a flutter but naff bearings ... if they sat down and put all the good bits together, I wonder how many top-notch pins they'd have - and how many paper-weights?

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Well for £30 and a starter for many anglers maybe, who cares. I havent heard many complain about the pin, and as the saying goes.

You get what you pay for.

I didnt buy one, i wonder why !!

I feel sorry for the silly sods who bought the same reel, made by the same people for £60 and £90, hang on, No i dont. They should have known something wasnt right when the same reel is being sold for only £30.

 

[S-Kippy]

You might wish you had bought one when E17 go to the shed and find out Dad has flogged all their gear on E-bay !

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

the last time I saw or heard the word 'fettling' was back in my schooldays

Not worked with art brushes then.

You fettle a brush, best sable ones can cost £hundreds (far more than an expensive float), by washing it with soap, treating it with hair conditioner (yes!), bringing all the hairs together straight and then binding it with string and allowing it to dry. This usually brings it shape back and gives it some bounce again.

Unless it's been used for oils in which case it's knackered and you bin it.

---------- Post added at 21:36 ---------- Previous post was at 21:30 ----------

My first one was bad, the rear bearing had not been set correctly, but they replaced it no problem and the new one is spot on. Doesn't need balancing and runs sweet as a nut!

Dare I say, I like it for trotting better than my early Kingpin, but the Kingpin might be better for margin carping - perhaps. I just love this £30 bargain abso - bloomin - lutely.

 

[Stuthebroo]

I bought one and have had no previous experience of pins. Seems to work fine on the occasion I used it though the bearings are very hard to remove from the reel and tbh the rear one will not come out. Worth a £30 punt as most pins going for daft money on fleabay atm

 

[the indifferent crucian]

Well my thinking was that those who have one and don't like it need not chuck it, and those that fancy trying a bit of 'pin work might be tempted if they know it's not a lost cause, even at £30.


The bearings I listed are the correct size, but I have yet to buy some myself, I will do so though.


My reel has fairly loose bearings too, they fall out fairly easily, but if the machining is so inaccurate that may be as well. It is always possible to 'glue' bearings in with a product from Loctite, or similar. But unless the outer race is spinning in its recess it doesn't really matter. You could 'nip' them in place with a tap with a centrepunch just next to them into the alloy if needed.

There's nowt 'as can't be fixed with an 'ammer!

From a bag of nails mine now spins for 3 and a half minutes....and I haven't changed the bearings yet.


It's quite a heavy spool, it won't spin in a slow river without a bit of fingertip help at first, but so what...the best 'pins had a 'compensating drag' to slow them anyway.


If you were wondering whether to splash out £30 on your first 'pin, I'd say go for it....the next one up, outside of other versions of this ( with perhaps better finishing, balancing and bearings ... I don't know) is £90.


It might not be as light as my beloved old Speedia, but it'll stand up to being dropped a lot better

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

There's nowt 'as can't be fixed with an 'ammer!

Or Irish Screwdriver as it's known in the trade.

Sorry Kevin!!! Damnable racist jokes - and it came from Ireland!

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Not worked with art brushes then.

No, I don't paint walls or hang wall paper either . . . . . .

I wonder what these reels will look like, or work like in 5 or 6 years when they have been used twice a week?

My old Purist has seen that sort of action and it is as good now as when it was new.

As someone said earlier on this thread, you gets what you pays for . . . . . .

 

[S-Kippy]

Its a good point Peter but these are never going to be collectors items.They are users and if I get 5 years out of mine then it will owe me nothing and I will be perfectly content. Mine will only ever be on the subs bench.

 

[the indifferent crucian]

Well it may not look pretty in 5 years time, but at least the bearings can be replaced....other than the handles there's nothing else to wear out.

Except that drag....I fettled that a bit too, but didn't want to bore you all.

That noise would have put the fish down in half the County!

For those that want a quieter drag, just 'dress' the cog-wheel smooth and radius the triangular peg on its striking point a little. Very easy with a small file. Took tem minutes, no more.

 

[quickcedo]

Though I don't own one of the reels talked about I have used one and I will buy one when the need arrises. Some of the "problems" discussed shouldn't put anyone off buying. I've yet to see the perfect pin. I have a sheffield here with some of the "problems" these reels appear to have, and it wasn't £30!
For the uses most will put them to, most will be fine straight from the box.
I've now bought 4 Speedia's and finally got a good one.

 

[flightliner]

Well, well, the last time I saw or heard the word 'fettling' was back in my schooldays from an aging Yorkshire schoolmaster

When I started my apprenticeship I used, on occasion have to visit a large steelworks in Sheffield where one department used to cast railway carriage "bogies" in moulds of sand fashioned around wooden patterns made by pattermakers. When the whole thing had cooled down the sand was removed and "Fettlers" got to work removing any "overcast" steel runs/bumps/blemishes etx. This they did with air hammers with chisels attached. It was very hard work , ask them what they were doing and they wouldnt hear a thing. The noise was tremendous but in some queer way the smell of the moulding sand was really pleasant-- I can almost smell it now!
Perhaps one of these guys could use the same technique on one of the reels in question (lol).

 

[S-Kippy]

Well I seem to have been lucky & copped for one of the better examples but I dived in & ordered some new bearings anyway...I'll report back what [if any] difference they make. I'd like to tone the ratchet down a bit too but I'm just not brave enough to start filing the cog wheel.

 

[bigchub]

I've yet to see the perfect pin. .

Have you ever used a Richard Carter or Chris Lythe?

 

[quickcedo]

No, nor have I used many others however, what "you" percieve as the perfect reel won't be as I do. What I use a pin for won't necessarily be the same as someone else. The perfect trotting reel won't necessarily be the best for ledgering a swollen river etc etc. All I'm suggesting here is lets keep this in perspective it's a £30 reel!
People thinking about having a dabble with a pin, a toe in the water if you will, at that price this as good a place as any to start.
Just thought if either of those reels are "perfect" I assume you only need to own the one reel.