penn 500 jigmaster rebuild

[alantani]

i'm not trying to make you feel, um, " g - u - i - l - t - y ....', or anything, but i know you have one of these reels. i can tell by the way you shuffle your feet. c'mon, it's not that bad. we've all had one of these reels before. it might have even been your first. there's no reason to be embarassed about owning a jigmaster. it was once considered to be one of the best reels on the market. it can be once again.

here's a link to the schematic....

http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/category1.aspx?SID=8&Category_ID=5900&ClearCache=1

and here is your old friend.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0482.JPG

did you ever wonder that this little screw was for? back out this take apart thumb screw (key #42), lift the screw up slightly, and twist the entire right side plate counterclockwise. it comes right off!

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0483.JPG

you now have three pieces.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0484.JPG

let's grease the left side plate screws (key #32 and 39). back out each one, one at a time, grease the screw hole and zip the screw back in.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0486.JPG

apply grease to the click tongue (key #35) and click spring (key #62). add corrosion x to the left side bushing (key #40).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0487.JPG

back out each one of the right side plate screws (key #31 and 38), one at a time, grease the screw holes, and zip the screws back in.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0488.JPG

grease the inside of the left side ring and wipe off the excess.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0489.JPG

re-install the spool and set the assembly aside.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0490.JPG

now for the right side plate assembly.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0491.JPG

remove the handle lock screw (key #23a), the handle screw (key #23), the handle (key #24) and the star drag wheel (key #10).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0492.JPG

back out the four bridge screws (key #16 and 17) but leave them in place!!!!!!

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0493.JPG

the bridge assembly is now loose underneath. imagine your hand is a small crane. lift the right side plate (key #1) straight up, move it straight over to a safe place, and set it straight down without tipping it over. resist the temtation to look underneath. for now....

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0494.JPG

carefully line up all the components of the drag stack and bridge assembly.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0495.JPG

ok, now it's decision time. on the right, you see a brand new stock brass gear sleeve ($6). on the left is a brand new pete kolekar stainless steel gear sleeve ($15). in the middle is the original stock brass gear sleeve and it's trashed! i only recommend a stainless steel gear sleeve if you INTEND to exceed 8 pounds of drag.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0496.JPG

here's how the trashed gear sleeve fits in the handle. you can see how much play it has.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0497.JPG

here's the new brass gear sleeve. not to bad, but there's still a little play.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0498.JPG

here's the stainless steel gear sleeve.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0499.JPG

using a small punch, remove the brass retaining pin.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0500.JPG

pull the old gear sleeve, clean up the the bridge and lube it up with corrosion x.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0501.JPG

install the new gear sleeve and retaining pin.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0502.JPG

done.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0503.JPG

i like to replace the fiber washer (key #4) with the drag washer from the black side plate penn 4/0 senator 113. this drag washer (part #6-113) has the same inner and outer dimensions as the long beach washer (part #6-60), but it's thicker. i use this washer under the gears of many reels using the jigmaster gear sleeve (part #98-60).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0504.JPG

grease up the rest of the drag washers and install them with the metal washers. make sure the metal washers are alternating "slotted - keyed - slotted."

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0505.JPG

because the #6-113 drag washer under the gear is thicker than the stock fiber washer (key #4), i usually discard the tension spring (key #8).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0506.JPG

now, your side plate is still sitting there, quiet and undisturbed.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0507.JPG

cover the bridge screws with your left index and middle fingers so the screws do not fall out.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0508.JPG

ok, NOW you can look at the guts of the side plate.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0509.JPG

remove the pinion gear (key #13), lube the right side bushing (key #26) with corrosion x, and put the pinion gear back.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0510.JPG

the bridge/main gear assembly goes straight in. no muss, no fuss. pinch everything together, zip down the four bridge screws and you're done!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0511.JPG

did you say something?

huh? what was that? what accident? what do you mean, you had a little accident? how many pieces?

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0512.JPG

ok, look, it's not that bad. first, let's line everything up. see, that looks better already!

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0513.JPG

first is the eccentric (key #19) and eccentric spring (key #20).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0514.JPG

grease it up a little and stick it back in the hole.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0515.JPG

stick the eccentric lever (key #21) back on....

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0516.JPG

and bolt it down with the eccentric screw (key #22).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0517.JPG

stick a screwdriver blade under the spring to lift it up a little, then grab it with the needle nose pliers.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0518.JPG

crank the tip of the spring HARD and stick it into the slot of the side plate. the lever should now snap back and forth sharply.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0519.JPG

now for the bridge screws (key #16 and 17). note that two are threaded all the way up and down, and two are threaded only at the end. the clutch springs (key #18) ride up and down on the bridge screws with the short threads.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0520.JPG

short threads on top, long threads on bottom.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0521.JPG

two fingers over the bridge screws, flip over the side plate and install the clutch springs (key #18). oh, and lube the right side plat bushing (key #26) if you haven't already.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0522.JPG

install the pinion yoke (key #12) and the pinion gear (key #13) as a unit.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0523.JPG

shimmy the eccentric jack into position. you may need needle nose pliers to snap it into position.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0524.JPG

make sure the dog (key #15) and dog spring (key #14) are in proper position.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0525.JPG

snap it together.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0526.JPG

bolt it down. take a moment now to make sure the free spool lever and anti-reverse mechanism work.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0527.JPG

install the spacing sleeve (key #9).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0528.JPG

install the star drag wheel (key #10) and screw it down as far as it will go. don't skip this step.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0529.JPG

install the handle (key #24) and handle screw (key #23). turn the handle screw down until it seats, the crank it around HARD until the handle screw has rotated one or two slots and line up the slot with hole for the handle lock screw. now install the handle lock screw (key #23a).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0530.JPG

line up the side plate with the left side plate ring, push the side plate down, then turn it clockwise until the take apart thumb screw "clicks." turn the screw down and you're done! congratulations.!

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0531.JPG

see, that wasn't so bad......

[Paddler]

Nice job on the pictorial, Alan. That was a lot of work. Thanks. Not that I've ever, um, owned one. I bought the Squidders instead.

[wthr4d]

Um I just inherited two of those from my wifes late grandfathers garage. I think I need a parts list and some time at the work bench now. Thanks !!

Paul

[BaitStop]

If you have the "old" jig masters with red sideplates Newell makes a 501 conversion kit. The 501 is a very adequate 25-30 lb. mono albacore/yellowtail bait reel.

[Trex]

I loves my 501's. but more fun than that are the 100's and 200's (Surf Masters).

Which I can't tell apart, maybe Alan can tell me the difference,between a 100 and a 200.

[BaitStop]

The 100, 150, 200's were pretty much the same guts the difference was the spool width and therefore line capacity.
They were pretty good at casting a 'chovy but had small drags & were not up to catching many yellows or albies before the drags were shot. I loved my 150 or 200 on a 210 or 270 Sabre in the weeds for bullbass & bonito or even cuda's. The 100's were great for a 196-7 & 12 lb. as a "twitch" for calicos & sandies.

[8knots]

I've got two that I have been fishing every year with since I got them in the early 80's in CA. I've caught calico bass, yellowtail and albacore. They are workhorses.

[Trex]

I guess that's why I can't tell them apart. I Newelled them 30 years ago and they have interchangeable spools now.

As far as the guts they are not that much different than the 500 maybe a little smaller in the drag. But they hold up well. I've taken many (smaller) YF on them.

My drags outlast any thing on the market now anyhow as I'm still using asbestos. When they said they where going to stop making asbestos drags back when, I bought all I could lay my hands on from 100's to 116's. But I'm getting low on them and if I don't up and die I'll have to get modern pretty soon.

[Trex]

Alan,

I do want to thank you for your pictorials it's like having the reels in your own hands. I've got all your write-ups book marked (on the reels I own) I even bookmarked the 500. I'm really looking forward to you doing one on the internationals in two speed. You just did the 30 but I need to get into my 30-50-and 80 SW's myself. But I'm afraid.

And yes I own 500's in fact I own 6 of them and two 501's. And they all look and work as if they where new. They will be my Long-fin reels here in the great Northwet (if I ever make it out). But on a long range tripe they have had their status lowered to catching bait.

[Tinman]

Jigmaster is still a great reel. I really can't say how old mine is because I have rebuilt it so many times. I added the Newell spool, reel seat and crossbars 12 years ago. The sideplates are probably 25 years old, and the many of the innards were replaced bit by bit over the years.

The great thing about a Jigmaster is you can strip it down, replace the drag washers and reassemble in 15 minutes.

[jigmaster]

:yeahthat: :cheers:

[Mark Mc]

(in a crusty, old-timer voice)

"I remember way back....in the early '70 's ..... when we could fish deep water in N CA for the big lingcod at Cordell Bank & Fanny Shoals....the best way to catch the most big lings was to use a diamond jig or hex bar. And there was one, and only one reel that the highliners used....it was a Jigmaster. Ooohhhh.... a 4:1 gear ratio. That was fast back then. Now all these guys got Avets, Newells, and Shimanos with 5:1, and 6:1 ratios. Nowdays you would think a 4:1 ratio was slow. But back then it was lightning fast. ' Scuse me....where's my Geritol? "

[jigmaster]

Hey oldtimer..... "It's the singer not the song"...Don't need no stinkin Avet's for these local Oregon firecrackers :grin: They still make jigmasters and I'm glad they do :dance: or is it Igear.net? :whazzup: Older, but not wiser than you :cheers:

[Mark Mc]

Very truthfully.....Amongst my Avets & Newells, I still have one Jigmaster, and two Squidders.....I still use the Squidders for tuna, but rarely use the Jigmaster. It has bushings, not bearings....so it does not cast (light weights) as well as the Squidders. But it looks nice on the rod rack.

BTW....uh.... :redface:....I just picked up a really nice Newell 332 from ebay.....this thing is gonna cast a 3.5 oz Megabait a country mile.

[sakana49]

This is one of, if not the best post I have ever seen. I joined these sites to learn and great pictures like this help very much. The jigmaster is a great reel and most of us have one stashed in a closet somewhere.

Thanks Alan for your post.