# Help with Curado Bantam



## Brassnadz (Jun 18, 2007)

First off, is the old green Curado the 200b? The reason I ask is that I was looking for the schematic online, and thats the one that matches what I have. 

Now for the problem. Last year was the last time I used it, and I apparently forgot to clean it afterward. It still works, but its not nearly as smooth as I remember it. The thumb rest was stuck, and I srayed it with some penetrating oil and freed it up, so it works again, but the brake cover is giving me fits. The tab flips down, but the cover wont turn. I srayed it down and let it sit overnight and that did nothing to loosen it. I tried forcing it, and a small part of the tab broke off and it didnt budge. I am thinking there might be salt built up in it. The only other thing I can think to do would be to let it soak in some hot water. I try to never submerge my reels, and I dont know if this would work or not. Is there any other way to get the cover off without damaging it further?

I have three of these reels and usually I take very good care of them. Im kicking myself for not cleaning it and causing this problem, but I dont want to give up on it just yet.

Help!! Any Ideas are welcome.


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

If it's the "old green Curado" then yes it's a cu200b. 

As for the side plate, it's most likely a corrosion issue in the threads of the brake case and the frame. Most of the time it's not a big deal, just a few little spots that have formed and are keeping it from turning. 

I've never tried hot water so I don't know if it will work but I encourage you to try it if you plan on cleaning it soon after. Let us know how it works.

In cases like this I usually flip open the turnkey dial, place a shop towel over it, clamp it with vise grips, and try to turn it. Most of the time it works without breaking the turnkey. Unfortunately sometimes it does break and I have to destroy the turnkey until I break the plastic screw posts that hold it on. All while trying not to break or crack the side plate. Once the turnkey and side plate are removed and the brake case is exposed I use a tool I made to turn the brake case. There are two holes on the brake case where the screws were, which have now fallen through into the brake case, I use my tool in these two holes to turn the brake case. Way back in the day I would use two screw drivers or needle nose pliers in the holes. I broke too many so I made a specific tool for the job. If it does come to this and this is a last resort just make sure you don't stick the tools in too far because you could damage the spool/brake assembly.

When I use this method it's almost always justified when I finally get it open and see what I was up against. It's usually an extreme case of corrosion so I don't feel so bad about destroying the turnkey (~$6). 

To prevent this from happening again I apply a thin coat of drag grease to the brake case threads after removing the corrosion. I like to apply it to the brake case threads instead of the frame threads because if applied to the frame it has the tendency to push/squeeze the grease into the gap between the spool and the frame. Applying it to the brake case will push/squeeze it towards the turnkey keeping the spool/frame gap grease free. 

This is the way I've been doing it for some time now but I hope someone (Bantam) has an easier way to do this and will share their technique with us.


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## Mike in Friendswood (May 21, 2004)

I run into this problem quite often. But I have figured out a way to get it open 99% of the time:

-Put 1/2 inch of boiling water in a bowl and place the reel into the water leftside plate down for ~ 5 minutes.

-Take it out of the water and put a crescent wrench on the tab longwise so that most of the tab is inside the jaw of the wrench. Tighten the wrench as tight as it will go.

-Now put pressure on the wrench in the direction to open it. While mantaining the constant pressure, take a small hammer (or similar) and start tapping the wrench.

If the tab has not already been broken off, this trick will almost always work, and even if part of the tab has been broken off I have had really good success.

Good luck, but please don't tell anybody about this trick. LOL!


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

The boiling water does work at times. I have seen more that have to be broken apart and replaced.


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

I tried the hot water technique last night. It worked great but once I got it open there was very little corrosion in the threads. I want to see how effective it is one the badly corroded ones. I will probably start using this technique first and use the method I mentioned above as a last resort. Thanks for the tip Mike!


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

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## anchorissues (Jan 8, 2008)

Mike - just used your technique to free the turnkey on a cu100-d, worked like a champ! Thank you for sharing the knowledge.


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## Rogue Runner (Dec 2, 2012)

I have a tool mad to turn the side key and have some sides and turn keys and what ever else you need. When I run into this problem I use a thin 0/20 synthetic oil and load that left side up. Leave over night then take that tool and see if it will break loose. If not break it and replace it.


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