Medalist 1492

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oldsaltnfla
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Medalist 1492

Post by oldsaltnfla »

Does anyone know how to convert a 1492 to right hand retrieve including moving the line guide? If so, can you walk me through it?
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john elder
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Re: Medalist 1492

Post by john elder »

Which guide do you have currently??the direction is an easy conversion on the latee models. You just have to flip the clicker/AR disc over. Later ones have a central ring that has a required shoulder on bith faces. Early ones have a shoulder on only one side so the disk doesn't seat properly when you flip the disk... you have to change to a modern ring thats grooved on both sides. When i'm home, can show you but i'm guessing Ron mc has the needed pics!
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oldsaltnfla
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Re: Medalist 1492

Post by oldsaltnfla »

Thanks John. I actually don't have one yet. I wanted to know if it was possible to make the switch myself before I got one. I guess now that I will look for a later one. They always seem to be available on the bay, so i will probably get one there unless someone here has one on the classified part of the forum.
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john elder
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Re: Medalist 1492

Post by john elder »

Ah! Note that the usual problem is that the person wants to wind with the left hand and most Medalists are set up to crank with right hand. The later ones can be boughr as dedicated to either hand.
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Specializing in saltwater reels...and fly reels...and oh, yeah, kentucky style reels.....and those tiny little RP reels.....oh, heck...i collect fishing reels!...and fly rods....and lures
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Ron Mc
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Re: Medalist 1492

Post by Ron Mc »

I don't know if there was ever a 1592 - maybe Bad Bob can address this.
As far as I know, all 1492 are RHW, click-pawl with no variations.

Did once see this custom 1492 with opposed line guards
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This was probably not intended to reverse the reel, but for RHW with either rings-up or rings-down fishing.
Last edited by Ron Mc on Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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john elder
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Re: Medalist 1492

Post by john elder »

Ron brings up a good point re unique features of the 1492 and i need to look at that when home. However, i have a 1495 1/2 with me so can show issue reflipping the drag disk. This reel has the normal rectangular line guard and there are alternate holes in the frame so you can just move it to opposite side when you change to left hand wind. The more modern 1492s have a similar guide only its a smaller square, often called a "chain link" guide because it looks like a link from a motorcycle chain... that can also be flipped. Early round line guides can not be moved without modifications, as Ron showed. But the earliest reels had no line guide at all, so having none is an option.

With the larger 1494 and above drag reels, the issue can hopefully be seen below: the grooves in the drag ring catch the spring-loaded "tit" on the back of the spool- clockwise, the tit slips out of the grooves and counterclockwise, the drag comes into play. The opposite side of the drag ring has many more grooves that interact with another spring-loaded tit underneath that prevents the ring from turning against the drag. Sooo, if you flip that drag wheel over, the grooves become compatible with a counterclockwise rotation. The problem is that there is a groove for the retaining rig ( thing held by those two screws) that in the older reels is only on one side... so if you flip the drag ring, the retaining ring will no longer work. You have to put in a newer drag ring that has a groove on both faces.




Of course, you will also increase the clicking of the reel when wound because the spool interacts with three x more indents, but it now will run with left hand wind.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Medalist 1492

Post by Ron Mc »

1492 was made click-pawl only up to 2009.

Here's one of the earliest from the 30s with a single click pawl and no spare spring; alloy foot, caged arbor without drum (these early gun metal reels really feel substantial and tight, and are my favorite Medalists)

Image Image
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if you can work out the line guard, I can reposition the pawl and reshape the spring to make them work ok in LWH. I've done a few 1394s for people (sans line guard)
Image Image
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