Talbot No. 31 with restored clicker

You got 'em, we know how to clean 'em
Post Reply
User avatar
Paul M
Ultra Board Poster
Posts: 2200
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:10 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
Contact:

Talbot No. 31 with restored clicker

Post by Paul M »

I was the high bidder for this Talbot No. 31 at the the 2017 ORCA Convention silent auction. Thanks to whomever donated this great reel!

It is an oldie and had some hurts so I spent a few hours working on it. It has been cleaned and lubricated. I restored the clicker function [edited], as the spring was completely broken off and had already been removed. Thanks to prior Reel Talk posts by several of the experts like John Elder, Warren Platt and Steve Vernon, I was able to figure out the clicker spring fix without having to ask. However, the old pics in those posts are being held for ransom by Photobucket so I decided to post my own here for future reference.

I cleaned up the foot, too. It was crudely altered and defaced underneath so I didn't feel obliged to leave it that way. I need to find correct foot screws. The ones that came with the reel fit in the threads but the correct screw needs to be the countersunk variety so it sits flat on the foot. Also, the ivory handle has shrunk and is starting to fracture. I decided to leave the grasp pivot screw full length. I will find a suitable washer so that it makes up for the shrinkage of the grasp and lines it up at the top screw head. I have recently seen a technique using superglue and baking soda to repair/reinforce bone etc so may try that after I have practiced a bit on something else first.

Anyway here is a video of the finished reel followed by before, internal and after pics:

Before:



Clicker spring broken off in slider switch. What you see is an optical illusion. The switch is a block of brass with a channel through which the spring lies. The round thing is a moat. It appears that a tube-like punch tool was used to strike the spring and hold it in place at two points in the moat, sort of like peening the spring in place. As discussed in the 2008 post on this subject, a tiny screwdriver and hammer are used to tap out the old spring from the tight slot. The second photo shows the old spring remnant removed. I copied the general spring shape from a Meek & Milam sitting on my shelf and that worked fine for me. Note the perpendicular slot that acts as a spring to hold the switch with just the right amount of tension against the faceplate.




As the earlier post suggested, I used the metal from a spring clip, cutting the strip I needed with tin snips. I also tried the spring from an old fly reel but that was too thick and brittle. My clip is held in place using a shim of the same material. I didn't need to cut the width of the metal strip too precisely as there is plenty of clearance.



The defaced foot before cleanup. I was wondering why someone went to the trouble of scouring the underside. As I was cleaning it up, the mystery was solved. Crudely scratched initials "S W" appeared underneath. I decided to remove them. As stated above, I reshaped the foot to reduce the abruptness of the alteration.



AFTER:

Last edited by Paul M on Tue Sep 12, 2017 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Paul Manuel

Member since 2006
User avatar
Midway Tommy D
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3135
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:23 pm
Location: Eastern NE

Re: Talbot No. 31 with restored clicker

Post by Midway Tommy D »

Well done, Paul. Guitar techs & luthiers use that super glue and baking soda concoction to repair chips and string grooves in bone & corian nuts.

Until you find the correct foot screws you could taper the backs of those flat heads a little with a dremel & fine mini file. At least then the heads would be flush.
Last edited by Midway Tommy D on Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
ORCA Member - 2027
User avatar
Ron Mc
Star Board Poster
Posts: 3384
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:49 am
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Contact:

Re: Talbot No. 31 with restored clicker

Post by Ron Mc »

I've done the same thing, using phosphor bronze sheet bought from McMaster, and a hand press-brake cutter.
This is essentially a restoration, matching the original spring material.
Shown here before cutting the spring to final length. After bending your spring, a 350oF soak in your oven will set-temper it to keep its final shape. I used low-temp solder to sweat the spring into the block.
Image

Before that, the hard part was filing out the old broken spring stub using a screw-slot file.
Image

Image
Last edited by Ron Mc on Tue Sep 12, 2017 8:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
john elder
Star Board Poster
Posts: 8541
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2003 2:44 pm

Re: Talbot No. 31 with restored clicker

Post by john elder »

Nice job, Paul and great tips re repairs! Let me know the TPI on the screws or send me one and I might be able to find or make a couple. They may be the same as in other Talbots, in which case, I can check ones in mine for size.

Gotta try the baking soda trick!
ORCA member since 1999
Honorary Life Member

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
Post Reply