First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

You got 'em, we know how to clean 'em
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cushman
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First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by cushman »

I am a new O.R.C.A. member and new to this group and thought I'd wade in with my Thanksgiving weekend cleaning project. I hope this is the right location in the forum for me to post this.

The reel that my dad taught me to fly fish with is this Shakespeare Au Sable that was paired with a fiberglass Wonderrod. I fished with that set up as a 5wt for years, until the rod fell victim to a fishing buddy accidentally shutting the rod in his truck tailgate (to his horror as much as mine). So the rod and reel were replaced with new/modern gear, but of course I kept this original rig as a wallhanger. This weekend I decided it was time to take the Au Sable apart, give it a good clean and see how it works.

The inside (to my shame) was really messy, and the felt pad on the drag was pretty much falling apart:



The spool was equally dirty:



The pawl release was not functioning correctly, and the pad for the drag needed to be replaced. I spent about 4 hours completely disassembling and cleaning. I think it was worthwhile:



Here are a couple of pics of the reel back together after cleaning. The drag and the pawl release now function correctly, and I feel like it's fish-able again. I have always loved the green finish of this reel.





I'm very much an "interested amateur" in all of this, but I love old reels, seeing different design consideration and ideas of different eras. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled across this organization in my Internet wanderings, and hope to learn more from the members here.

--Dave
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by Midway Tommy D »

Well done, Dave, a very nice job of cleaning it up for its next trip. Fishing with vintage equipment is quite rewarding. Now you just need to pick yourself up a nice Howald Wonderod and you and that reel will be back in business. :)
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
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john elder
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by john elder »

Plus one! Nice job! Another reel saved!

john
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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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cushman
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by cushman »

Thank you both! I agree about the Wonderod - I miss the old fiberglass rods.
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by bettybarr »

Welcome! What could possibly be more fun than that? You made that shine again. Tell us how many fish it catches the next time out.
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OCauto
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by OCauto »

Very nice job, I have a half dozen of them and my prettiest one resides on my Montague Au Sable Bamboo Fly Rod
Al
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cushman
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by cushman »

Thank you both! Very pleased with how it came out. Al - would you be able to post a pic of yours on the Montague rod? I'd love to see it.

Dave
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Paul M
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by Paul M »

Dave:
Thanks very much for posting this. It reminded me that I had unfinished business with an Inglis version of the same reel. My reel was racked in several ways but your post inspired me to go back and figure out how to restore smooth operation. The ORCA Reel Restoration book came in handy for that. Mine also had a broken-off screw in the foot. I managed to extract that and found a compatible screw in a Shakespeare parts reel. The drag toe is missing from mine so that is the one remaining repair needed. I'll leave that for another day when I find a suitable parts reel and build up more nerve LOL.



Paul Manuel
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cushman
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by cushman »

Hi Paul - thanks for sharing that pic and comment. I'll look forward to hearing how the final repair goes - with pics of the internals hopefully!

Dave
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by Paul M »

Dave, I found an easy work-around to my parts dilemma. I was at an auction this evening and found another copy in a box will all parts working correctly. To put a cherry on top, I got it for free as a Christmas present from ORCA member Mike Walker who was at the auction with me. Nice guy!

Paul M
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Re: First Post - Shakespeare Au Sable Cleaning

Post by Paul M »

After many months I finally found some parts to restore my reel. These are NOS Shakespeare parts from a vintage kit I bought a few months ago. It just struck me today to see if it contained what I need to fix the missing drag on my Inglis Ausable fly reel. The rivets are perfect. The spring was not the same form but the mounting holes lined up just fine and the exterior control moves the drag pad into a place that makes full contact, so this reel is ready for use once again.

Paul Manuel

Member since 2006
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