Replacing spring in Carlton Lightweight skeleton reel

[Richard Lodge]

OK, gang, here's the challenge: Can anyone fabricate a light spring to replace the one in this Lightweight skeleton fly reel? These reels are notorious (OK, at least the two I own) for having flimsy click/pawl springs that seem to break on one side. I've included a photo of the front of the reel and one inside, showing the pawl and the broken spring. Any suggestions? Any skilled (and cheap ) spring makers out there who would give this one a try? The spring is easy to remove, since it's held in only by tension and a couple metal posts it curves around. Thanks for your suggestions!
Richard

[Len Sawisch]

How did you get the front cover off? My posts are peened over?

[kingfisher]

Richard,

I once used VW throttle cable to make 1934 Headlight glass retaining clips of the exact size . You can bend it without snapping and it is quite springy . It could be something worth a look.

Ray

[Richard Lodge]

Thanks for the suggestion, Ray.
Len, Jim Schottenham enlightened me on how to take this very cool fly reel apart. The ends of the four pillars aren't peened. They're made with a small groove cut near the end of each. You sort of squeeze all four pillars inward at the same time and the front part of the frame and the spool just pop right out. A very secure but very innovative way to put a skeleton reel together and take it apart. Makes me wonder why Carlton didn't patent this design!

[Len Sawisch]

Apparently a prior owner didn't trust the deign and after-market peened my posts.

I hate when people peen my posts.

I'm just saying . . .

PS That Jim's a pretty handy guy to have around . . .

[Ron Mc]

thanks for the enlightenment - I'll make a spring for mine and get back to you - piano wire should work fine...

[Don Champion]

Is the original made from flat spring stock? If so I don't think piano wire would work as well.

[Ron Mc]

Don, I've replaced a lot of flat leaf springs with piano wire. The piano wire has to be smaller diameter than the flat spring width by a lot, and it may take compound bends to fill the space and hold the spring in place, but they can be made to work quite well.

[Ron Mc]

Don, thanks for the wire you sent me. The 0.026" was perfect for this spring.
It is exactly the right stiffness to make this spring - flat, though, the caliper would pop right out, or the spring would lift up.
Can you see the the compound bends (in and out of the backplate) that I used to make the piano-wire spring work? I've made these for leaf springs in all size reels.

thanks again. I have wanted this reel working badly.
BTW, that's what's left of the broken bronze spring on the right.

[Don Champion]

DSCN1220.JPG

Richard's new spring is on the right. Note how much it looks like a "keeper" spring, shown on the left, for studs with a groove in the end that is used for holding parts together. This style keeper spring in a smaller size has been used in some casting reels at least since the 1990's.