Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

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Paul M
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Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

This Altapac 6/0 is a work in progress. It is from the collection of ORCA member Jim Wilson who passed away in April. I spent several hours today soaking and de-gunking. I still have to work on the rubber sideplates. They have chips along the rims and mild UV damage but no severe issues. I thought the engine finish inside the side plates was pretty and worth a preview pic.

I was able to apply several tips covered in the 2018 ORCA Convention Restoration Workshop that helped me to more easily remove grime caked screw heads without new damage and to remove a couple of stuck pillars without damage. (If you weren't at the workshop, get the video when it is released.)

This reel had a large wooden arbor that came off easily in 2 pieces. I wonder if that was home made? The reel was loaded with copper braid. Since it probably came out of Ontario cottage country, it would have been used for freshwater trolling.

Before:



In process:




I will add pics when I get further along.
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Brian F.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Yup, home made arbor.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by sdlehr »

Lucas, in his book on Bass Fishing, describes the process by which one may make such an arbor.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Paul, do you maybe see a 4 digit serial number stamped onto one of the inner trim rings, next to where the foot would attach? They are usually visible on most of the later versions but this is an earlier model so it may not be there.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

Brian: No numbers anywhere. Other than the circular Altapac 6/0 “coin”, the only other maker mark is on the handle which says:

THE ENTERPRISE MFG CO
“THE PFLUEGERS” AKRON, OHIO



As you can probably tell from this pic, I have started the slow and tedious process of exfoliating the rubber. The UV damage is pretty obvious when you move the brake lever away from its normal position... there is a distinct black shadow where the sun was blocked. I am just starting to see the underlying black “emerge” from under the UV damaged brown layer. I didn’t want to get into that but that is what I am now doing.

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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Thanks Paul. Friend of mine told me the numbers are concealed on the inside of the rings on those earlier models. Not sure if anyone would want to try and pop them off to verify. That could be tricky. The reels came with serial number registration cards so they should be somewhere on there.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

Yeah, Brian, I was worried that’s what you meant LOL. I was trying to avoid going that far but I will look again.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Nah, thanks Paul, but don't worry about taking the ring off. And if it's not visible where I mentioned, it shouldn't be elsewhere on the outside of the reel.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

I was able to dismantle the entire faceplate and the innermost ring of the backplate. No numbers or marks of any kind. I double checked all areas, both sides of every part. The backplate has one more ring against the rubber that is held with peened parts that I won’t compromise. It was worth the exploratory as I can now see the interior surface of the rubber and how black it should be.

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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

Improvised ring key. I got the idea from a screwdriver improvisation method demonstrated at the ORCA Restoration Workshop by Don Champion.

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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Thanks for confirming, Paul. What was the best way to get the rings off?

Great tip on the improvised tool to get the bushing cover off.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

Brian:
Everything was tight as the day it was made so I had to gently pry the various pieces apart with tools. On the faceplate there is a double layer of metal rings and those have a small gap between them when viewed from inside the rim. A tiny flat bladed screwdriver helped widen the gap, followed by a screwdriver with a wider blade. Gently twisting the screwdriver a little bit and then working around the rim a bit at a time helped to pry it off without any damage. They were easy to align and press back together.

The thick rubber layer of the faceplate was the most difficult to separate and re-insert. It was held tightly by the protective metal outer ring and I found a spot where I could just barely insert the blade edge of a straight edged folding knife. Then working my way around the rim prying very, very gently until it opened enough for me to pull the layers apart with my hands. Any tiny nicks in the rubber will be removed during the overhaul. That rubber plate was tricky to re-insert back into the protective rim plate and the floating free spool mechanism made it harder to get things lined up but it eventually went back together. Final alignment of all rings was achieved by putting a tiny screwdriver on one of the screw holes and using it as a lever to line everything up for re-assembly.

The clicker switch and the line breaking strength gauge on the backplate look like they are both peened. It didn’t try to unscrew or fiddle with them. The rubber plate on the backplate looks like it would easily come off if those peened screws could be removed.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Thanks, Paul. Nice job.
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Finished Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

A rainy morning gave me a chance to get back to this reel. It is now cleaned, lubricated and polished.



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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by john elder »

Gorgeous!
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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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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by spadej1 »

Hot damn! Nice job Paul! That handle grasp is spectacular.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by sdlehr »

Nicely done, Paul! Looks a lot like the Templar 1419-3/4 (who named a reel that and why?) I inherited from my dad and restored.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Brian F. »

Nice job, Paul!
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Paul M »

Thanks for the help and nice comments! This was a straightforward cleanup but took quite a bit of effort. Here are some things I did as a result of attending the recent ORCA Restoration workshop:

1) I started by removing the handle and then soaking the rest of the fully assembled reel in 50/50 vinegar solution. This was based on John's recommendation to help avoid problems with stuck screws. I would have normally started with squirts of WD-40 around the screw heads but didn't use any WD-40 at all in this project. I wanted to preserve the moisturized condition of the marbled bakelite grasp so kept it out of the vinegar. I also avoided soaking the grasp in mineral spirits.

2) I used Don's method of creating a tool on-the-fly with a vice grip. I used it to make a key with 2 tines. Don's screwdriver demonstration was also put into use. Both of the above methods helped to reduce new damage to the screws. After taking the final pics I see that the screws might have looked much better if dressed but the ragged edges are exaggerated by the flash in some cases. The screws were mildly damaged before I took possession of the reel.

3) I paid more attention to keeping the rubber surfaces flat/square as suggested by Sid. I would have mostly sanded by hand but this time I used a solid sanding block under the paper for much of the large surface work. I also used my sanding stick as a support for various grits of sandpaper used around tight areas. I also backed-off efforts to completely exfoliate the rubber so you will see some light brown "halos" but if I didn't tell you to look for them you probably wouldn't have noticed. Note that sanding with finger pressure instead of a sanding block does get into the rubber faster at the risk of making the surface wavy.

4) I followed my own advice of taking some pics before and during disassembly. That helped me get it all back together correctly.
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Re: Altapac 6/0 Cleanup

Post by Wayne B. »

Great job Paul...Beautiful reel!
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