Hello, Russell.  I used to do a bit of offshore fishing back when I
lived in Jacksonville FL 15+ years ago.  I don't have a good answer for
you from my own experience, but maybe if we bat it around a bit,
someone else may chime in with a better answer.


 RT> What ways are recommended for truing/fixing stainless steel spools for
 RT> Penn Fishing reels, I have one and a friend has 2 that touch the side
 RT> plates when turning due to some unknown fall or other reason. Backalite
 RT> or alumiuim spools are not available for these reels and even tho the
 RT> stainless steel spools are not favoured or well thought of here, being
 RT> able to fix the spools so that they are free spinning/turning is the
 RT> only way to make these reels usable.

What class of reel are you talking about here?  I'm looking at a fairly
heavy duty 4/0 Peen Senator Special 113H which I have never used, but
which I would have used for some offshore fishing if I had continued to
live in Jacksonville, FL.

This one has what appears to be a SS spool.  The ends of the reel frame
are sandwich - - appear to be chrome plated metal inside and outside,
with a sandwich layer of burgundy colored bakelite or equal in between.
Commercial and higher end saltwater reels I've seen would typically be
made of what appears to be anodized aluminum.  I wouldn't think that
bakelite or any type of plastic material would be a good material for
spool on a reel of this class, since it might be used with 40# or maybe
60# line, and if left spooled after dragging in a big fish (fat chance
for me) there would be some large long-term forces developed on the
spool due to all the tension in all those yards of line -  especially if
mono nylon line.

As far as being knocked askew by a fall or heavy blow - that would be a
possibility that the whole reel could be so affected.   There is the
"saddle" which is clamped to the rod, and that attaches to the ring of
the reel frame with 3 screws at each end.  Other than that, the whole
frame of the thing is braced by 5 small diameter metal rods which
span from side to side, attached by a single screw at each end.
Looking at it, I'd think that physical damage would tend to knock the
reel frame askew before any force which could warp the flanges of the
spool itself could get there to do that.

See also msg from Jean P.  He seems to have had a bent spool flange
problem, which he solved.

I haven't done any disassembly, but the spool rotates on some ball
bearings, with a fitting for oiling at each end of the reel.  I don't
know if there is any adjustment in the location of mounting for these
ball bearings.  Looking at the complexity of the thing,  I think I'd
start disassembling and looking on the "clicker" end of the reel, rather
than the end with the crank handle and star drag.

 RT> I'd rather not put them in a lathe and trim the few thousands of an
 RT> inch of off the reel spool to fix this.

 RT> Ideas please.

Sorry I can't do better.  Flange of spool migh rub because of -

a. bent spool flange -  what could have done this?
b. whole reel frame knocked out of proper alignment
c. bearing at one or both ends of spool knocked out of place.

Patience will have its reward.  If I still lived in Jacksonville, FL, I
know there are some tackle shops there which do (or did) reel repair,
and I'd surely try to visit there and maybe pick their brains about what
commonly causes this problem and how to fix it.

Good luck. - - -  JimH.
... Bother! said Pooh, as he puked his guts out after eating tainted seafood.
--- MultiMail/MS-DOS v0.32