Hello all! I was hoping someone might be able to help me identify this wooden reel. I know very little about it apart from that I picked it up from the dump-shop for about 50 cents. My fella is an avid fly-fisherman and he was quite pleased with it. It "clicks" in both directions and still runs reasonably freely when the sliding pin is disengaged. There's no maker's mark that I can find. I've looked on the net and seen many star-backed versions and a few spine-backed versions of the Nottingham style, but none are the same as this one.
I have lightened the photos a bit to highlight the details, but it's actually so dark with age that it's almost black. I'm contemplating pulling it apart and cleaning it up. The varnish on it is flaking in most places and the rubber finger-holds (I'm assuming they are rubber) are degraded and hard as rock. But it has that most wonderful old "greasy mechanics" smell that I associate with old engineering machinery.
Any comments and thoughts would be very appreciated.
Hi, and welcome! These reels, although not of high value, make wonderful display pieces. I hope the "Dump Shop" didn't beat you up! I would start by just cleaning it up, using Murphy's oil soap on the wood...or whatever the Oz equivalent might be. I have refinished a few that were much bigger disasters than this one (see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19499) but i suspect you will be fine with no more than a wipe with tung oil or linseed oil on a rag. That will put a luster back without losing the age aspect. The brass could be polished but again, just a good cleaning is probably all you need. The grasps(handle knobs), if not coming apart, will probably be okay since the old rubber always cracks like that, but they could be replaced if they are falling apart.
Good luck with you searches!
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
Thanks for coming to our website from the ORCA Facebook page! One "trick" I use to ID these reels is to enter "Nottingham" into Google and select "Images". That gives you a smorgasbord of similar looking reels to compare. If you are lucky, you will find similar "distinguishing' feature(s) on a reel that is marked with a name and then you may be able to track it down further. In your case, I spotted one that lead me to a site showing an eBay listing from a UK seller that has lots of experience with these. Based on the simple but thick spine, the bulbous clicker on/off switch with the massive washer, the scribe lines on the front and the thick arbour, it looks alot like one being sold as a "Smith & Wall". http://picclick.co.uk/A-Very-Nice-Unnam ... 63961.html. They and Heaton are a couple of the well known trade reel makers for this turn of the century style of reel. Note that the original probably has a different nut holding it together, either a butterfly or a round/reeded nut instead of the "modern" square nut. IMHO it is a great reel for the shelf and other than maybe cleaning lightly as John suggests I wouldn't change anything. Above all, enjoy it!
Thanks Paul, Thanks John!
That one does have a lot of similarities to our reel. I'll go for a wander and see if I can find an old Smith & Wall catalogue online somewhere (I'm the eternal optimist!). I can't see me trying to replace the rubber grasps, as they don't look like they can be removed easily, but I think I will polish-up the brass. I'm not sure what to do at this stage with the timber. The problem with cleaning off the grime is that this will leave a lot of bare timber (where the varnish is gone) and Brisbane is a terribly humid place that may swell the wood. Not keen on revarnishing over the little bits of varnish that are left. Maybe just the tung or linseed over the old varnish/bare wood will be sufficient.
I'm not sure what the Australian equivalent of "Murphy's oil soap" is, but I'm sure the "Ubeaut" guys will have something.
Thanks for your help!
OK, I've hit a snag. I've removed the screws holding the spine, but the clicker pin needs to be removed to take the brass-ware off the timber. But I don't know if it's permanently fixed and screwed onto a shaft. From the inside, it looks like the clicker pin is swagged permanently into the workings. The clicker pin handle looks like it's thick enough to have an internal thread and should therefore screw off with a bit of persuasion. Has anyone taken one of these apart and know if this is the case?
Yes, swaged...best to clean around on inside...old toothbrush works well...lubricate, then just polish the outside in-place. We have polish called Simichrome here that you can use on a rag to shine up the brasswhile still on the wood. You don't want it shined to the point you can use as a mirror. It just needs to be cleaned and patina left on, MHO. Wipe wood down with linseed or tung oil and enjoy!
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
If you are concerned about crud and debris under that piece you should be able to raise it a little and slip a piece of fine, say 200 to 600 grit, emery cloth under it both up toward the brass and down toward the wood and work it back and forth to remove what has accumulated between them. You can then blow it out with compressed air to remove loose particles.
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels!(Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)
Thanks John! It looks like the general consensus is that the pin handle isn't removable. So I'll do what you recommend and just clean it in-situ. Thanks for the advice!
