A JB Weld question

I feel like JB Weld references get thrown around as often as “it’ll buff out”, but I have an actual serious question about this product.

I’m repairing a fishing reel for a co-worker. It has a roller clutch mechanism, pictured here:



The assembly is a lot like a needle bearing, full of little rollers. The plastic white tab at the bottom has two positions that dictate whether the roller is one-way or two-way. The position in the photo is the one way setting. In fishing reel speak this means the anti-reverse is actuated.

Normally there’s a metal cam, attached to a lever, which fits into the hole in the plastic tab and allows the fisherman to select or deselect anti-reverse. The reel owner fished it heavily in saltwater, and the cam has corroded, the tip broke off, and it’s frozen inside the sleeve it sits in (sound familiar, Taco owners?)

So I need some way to keep the plastic tab in the position pictured in the photo, permanently, because I can’t replace the cam that holds it there. I’m thinking about taking a very short length of thick wire, fitting it into the hole on the tab, and JB welding it vertically against the metal outside surface of the clutch roller. Soldering occurred to me but I don’t own one, and I’m also concerned about heat anywhere near plastic.

So that’s a long story to ask, is JB Weld an appropriate material for this task, or should I use something else? Suggestions?

I can really goop it on because there’s plenty of clearance inside the reel rotor where this sits. But obviously I have to keep it clear of the rollers.

 

There have been great advances in epoxies in the last 20 years.

J,B. Weld is only one manufacture look around do some research . I can not recall the last time I bought J.B. Weld

No new parts can be found for the reel?

As the reel is broken what do you have to lose trying to repair things .

Good luck.

 

I actually ordered a replacement cam from the reel manufacturer, but like I said the existing cam (controlling the clutch setting) is frozen in place due to oxidation. Can’t be removed. That was plan A. Replacing the roller clutch itself wouldn’t help. I could replace the frame itself, which is what the cam is frozen inside of, but the frame is expensive enough to not be worth it.

Agree I have nothing to lose, but I also only have one shot at success.

I’ve serviced and repaired hundreds of reels; so far I’ve only had two I couldn’t repair, and that was due to parts scarcity. I don’t give up easily…

 

Did you hear about the one armed fisherman?

 

No, tell me.

 

“He caught a fish this big” ( with one arm behind your back extend your other arm out at crotch height). I’m sorry, I had to