Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel teardown and restore
Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel teardown and restore
1935 Edward Broadfoot Hardy Altex no.1 mk IV
with mechanical bail.
Complete teardown and cleaning of every part and there were a bunch! Look at those tiny bearings! Lol
Original finish was long gone, so
I am going to repaint body and flier dust cover and leave flier stripped/ polished and polish all brass fitments/ hardware.
It has repaired handle and added knob. Looks like an old repair, as wood knob is crazed and looks vintage.
I have a new correct handle en route, so no big deal.
BTW: I had to make 2 different tools to disassemble this 90 year old technical beauty. It has been the most challenging one to date, next to my Swiss made 2 speed 1954 Benora Standard. I included a few pics of it, as well.
Cheers!!
[rimg]https://images.o
with mechanical bail.
Complete teardown and cleaning of every part and there were a bunch! Look at those tiny bearings! Lol
Original finish was long gone, so
I am going to repaint body and flier dust cover and leave flier stripped/ polished and polish all brass fitments/ hardware.
It has repaired handle and added knob. Looks like an old repair, as wood knob is crazed and looks vintage.
I have a new correct handle en route, so no big deal.
BTW: I had to make 2 different tools to disassemble this 90 year old technical beauty. It has been the most challenging one to date, next to my Swiss made 2 speed 1954 Benora Standard. I included a few pics of it, as well.
Cheers!!
[rimg]https://images.o
Last edited by Woodbilly on Wed May 01, 2024 6:22 am, edited 3 times in total.
- Midway Tommy D
- Star Board Poster
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Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel restore
Nice to see someone playing with spinning reels!
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)
Tom DeLong, NE
ORCA Member - 2027
Tom DeLong, NE
ORCA Member - 2027
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel restore
Yes. I love my old reels on modern rods.
All I use for freshwater panfishing.
New reels just don't have the swagger.
- Midway Tommy D
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- Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:23 pm
- Location: Eastern NE
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel restore
Document step-by-step and post, w/pics, your reassembly process so those of us that have never tackled one has a tutorial to work off of.
BTW, a Benora 2 speed instructional would be nice, too.
BTW, a Benora 2 speed instructional would be nice, too.
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)
Tom DeLong, NE
ORCA Member - 2027
Tom DeLong, NE
ORCA Member - 2027
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- Super Board Poster
- Posts: 841
- Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:35 pm
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel restore
Wonderful project! I find reel work downright meditative. And making/modifying your own tools -all the better. Very .
ORCA 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel restore
Yes. I'll post more as I go along.Midway Tommy D wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:37 pm Document step-by-step and post, w/pics, your reassembly process so those of us that have never tackled one has a tutorial to work off of.
BTW, a Benora 2 speed instructional would be nice, too.
Surprisingly, the Benora was much trickier than the Altex.
Lots of tiny parts and disassembly must be in certain order or tiny fragile parts become tiny broken parts, but when it was finished... so killer!
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel restore
Agree. I love tearing into these mechanical works of art.Paul Roberts wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 4:45 am Wonderful project! I find reel work downright meditative. And making/modifying your own tools -all the better. Very .
I have no training or really prior knowledge of reel repair, other than self taught learn as you go, but have always loved disassembling things since I was a kid. As a youth, reassembly didn't always happen, though. "where did this part go?" Lol
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Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel teardown and restore
First step is not being afraid to start.
ORCA 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel teardown and restore
Been working on polishing up the brightwork on the Altex. There is a bunch!
After polishing, I am 100% sure my no.1 was leaded and not painted. The residual " color", I was seeing was decades worth of grime and oxidation.
I took some Nevr Dull magic polishing wadding and gave the body parts a good shine. This is a gauze type wadding impregnated with polishing compound. You cut pieces off according to job. Polish item vigorously with it until black residue forms and then wipe clean with cloth. I use a large piece of elk hide, as the suede makes a killer buff/ shine. Use the wadding until blackened, then cut new piece.
All this is done by hand. No Dremels, drills, buffers, etc. I like to feel and hold the items Im working on. When you take the time to appreciate these works of art down deep, you see things like original tooling marks and such, you may not see as a casual observer. Plus, I feel like I'm in Edward Broadfoot's shoes for a moment.
I will be moving onto the small parts next. Lots of brass and aluminum to shine!
I know purists may be against patina removal, but this reel was not working properly and was doing nothing and had bad oxidation.
I will be using this reel, so I want it to look and function at its best. I have many original finish reels, I use, and many I have redone. Point is, I'm using them for what they were designed.
Nothing against cabinet queens, but not for me. I display vintage reels at the butt end of a pole, not on a shelf. That's just my thing.
"Do what thou will"
Peace!
After polishing, I am 100% sure my no.1 was leaded and not painted. The residual " color", I was seeing was decades worth of grime and oxidation.
I took some Nevr Dull magic polishing wadding and gave the body parts a good shine. This is a gauze type wadding impregnated with polishing compound. You cut pieces off according to job. Polish item vigorously with it until black residue forms and then wipe clean with cloth. I use a large piece of elk hide, as the suede makes a killer buff/ shine. Use the wadding until blackened, then cut new piece.
All this is done by hand. No Dremels, drills, buffers, etc. I like to feel and hold the items Im working on. When you take the time to appreciate these works of art down deep, you see things like original tooling marks and such, you may not see as a casual observer. Plus, I feel like I'm in Edward Broadfoot's shoes for a moment.
I will be moving onto the small parts next. Lots of brass and aluminum to shine!
I know purists may be against patina removal, but this reel was not working properly and was doing nothing and had bad oxidation.
I will be using this reel, so I want it to look and function at its best. I have many original finish reels, I use, and many I have redone. Point is, I'm using them for what they were designed.
Nothing against cabinet queens, but not for me. I display vintage reels at the butt end of a pole, not on a shelf. That's just my thing.
"Do what thou will"
Peace!
Last edited by Woodbilly on Sun May 05, 2024 5:10 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Hardy Altex no.1 mk.IV reel teardown and restore
Update on 1935 Hardy Altex no.1
restore
Working on getting flier and mechanical bail arm assembled.
Also included my micro screw hack for getting those tiny dudes in place.
Since this part is exposed to elements, I used grease on all metal/ metal pivot and fasten points, vs. oil.
She's looking awfully shiny!
restore
Working on getting flier and mechanical bail arm assembled.
Also included my micro screw hack for getting those tiny dudes in place.
Since this part is exposed to elements, I used grease on all metal/ metal pivot and fasten points, vs. oil.
She's looking awfully shiny!