WANTED: Shakespeare cranks, double & single

[Skip]

I need Shakespeare cranks, the s-shaped plated double arms for the old baitcasters and the single arms for the Wondereels.

[Wayne B.]

Good luck on your search Skip. Shakespeare had a huge problem with corrosion on their mid century bait cast and spin cast reels handles. I have seen almost mint reels with seriously corroded handles. And finding knobs that still spin freely is also a challenge. On the bright side, that is the reason I treasure the Shakes I have, especially the narrow spool Sportcasts.

[Wayne B.]

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[Skip]

Yeah, I understand the problem, Wayne.

I've even looked into casting new knobs from resin. A friend of mine makes miniature game pieces and has a wiki-type article on the subject. But even though I could probably make knobs that would look original they would still be repops. It would be easier to make nice ones from wood. And I would still have to find or make suitable pins.

Occasionally I see a parts reel that has a handle that can be re-habbed. I think that's the most likely source for crank handles. But most of the old Shakespeare parts reals are parts reels because the handles are missing or junk.

But I figured it can't hurt to ask, in case someone has some or runs across one or more somewhere.

BTW, it's not too hard to loosen up the frozen knobs. They don't seem to dissolve in the solution of silicone lube and Liquid Wrench I've been using for that purpose. Just be careful not to force them, they can be pretty brittle. (Don't ask me how I know.)

[Wayne B.]

I am ready to try your magic potion on a couple handles. I have been lubing them several nights with Mobil 1 with no success. What do you use for the silicone lube? How much of each?

[john elder]

Robert Ellis used to claim that running them under a hot water tap, then cranking for a bit when they got sufficiently hot would work well to loosen tight grasps... worth a try!

Skip, how about a couple pics of the style handles you are looking for. I have lots of handles but don’t have much faith in my abilities to ID them!

John

[Wayne B.]

I miss Bob and his words of wisdom!

I tried the hot water on a couple newer handles and the hot water works! Turned free after a couple minutes under hot tap water. Unfortunately, I tried it on my 1938 Sportcast handle and the knobs loosened while hot but tightened back up when they cooled down a bit.

I am waiting for Skip's recipe to see if it works on the older plastics which seem to not be as thermally stable as the newer ones.

Thanks for reminding me of Bob's tip John.

[Midway Tommy D]

Robert used to say to add a couple of drops of light oil while the knobs are still warm and spinning. I've used it a lot on Langley spinner knobs and it works. After sitting for an extended period of time they slow down but they will still turn. If a guy continued using them I'm pretty sure they would stay loose. It's the inactivity, I think, that's the culprit.

[Wayne B.]

I’ll try that tomorrow and see what happens. I think the plastic on these older reels shrinks like you see with some plastic spacer rings on older reels.

Thanks for the tip!

[Skip]

I am ready to try your magic potion on a couple handles. I have been lubing them several nights with Mobil 1 with no success. What do you use for the silicone lube? How much of each?

Wayne, I'm using Liquid Wrench Penetrating Oil and Silicone Spray, in approximately equal amounts.

When I spray this stuff on parts, I put the parts over a can to collect the overspray and dripping stuff off the reels. I just submerge the handles in the solution and let them soak.

[Skip]

Robert Ellis used to claim that running them under a hot water tap, then cranking for a bit when they got sufficiently hot would work well to loosen tight grasps... worth a try!

Skip, how about a couple pics of the style handles you are looking for. I have lots of handles but don’t have much faith in my abilities to ID them!

John

Sounds like it's worth a try. It's the metal pins corrosion that fills the gap and sticks the handles (grasps?). If the hot water causes the handle to expand it could create clearance, maybe even flush some of the corrosion out.

I'll get some pics of the handles I'm looking for, John. Thanks for offering to help.