I just learned about this forum from a good friend who recently joined.
Thanks in advance.
Dano
Orvis Madison by Pflueger
Orvis Madison by Pflueger
I bought a vintage Orvis Madison at an auction for 10 bucks once and it was set for left hand retrieve. While trying to research how to change it to rh, I lost the pawl spring. I have sent it off to Orvis for repair, but after looking at the ratchet it appears that it was designed for only left hand retrieve. I think this reel was made at the Pflueger plant in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the 70's. Any thoughts on this reel or any information as to history, and whether it can be changed to RH retrieve.
I just learned about this forum from a good friend who recently joined.
Thanks in advance.
Dano
I just learned about this forum from a good friend who recently joined.
Thanks in advance.
Dano
Dano,
Good catch for 10 bucks. They are pretty much identical to Pflueger Medalists, except for the color. Some of them had a lever for adjusting the drag, instead of the standard Medalist knob, but are otherwise identical to Medalists from that time period. The method for reversing the drag is the same as on the Medalist. You remove the brass retaining ring that sits at the base of the spindle by removing the two screws holding it down. Once you removed this ring, you can lift up the drag ring and flip it over. You also have to turn the little "tooth" or pawl that sits under the drag ring so that it conforms to the flipped over ring. This means turning it 180 degrees, assuming it was installed correctly in the first place. Replace the retaining ring and screw it in and you're all set. Of course you have to reverse the direction of the line guard as well, but it should be pretty obvious how to do that.
If your drag ring does not have detents on the other side when you flip it over, then something is suspicious. Medalists from the 1950s or earlier were not reversible. I would expect that all of the Orvis Madisons would be reversible, since they came later. I assume you have a Madison 6/7, which is equivalent to a Medalist 1494.
Good catch for 10 bucks. They are pretty much identical to Pflueger Medalists, except for the color. Some of them had a lever for adjusting the drag, instead of the standard Medalist knob, but are otherwise identical to Medalists from that time period. The method for reversing the drag is the same as on the Medalist. You remove the brass retaining ring that sits at the base of the spindle by removing the two screws holding it down. Once you removed this ring, you can lift up the drag ring and flip it over. You also have to turn the little "tooth" or pawl that sits under the drag ring so that it conforms to the flipped over ring. This means turning it 180 degrees, assuming it was installed correctly in the first place. Replace the retaining ring and screw it in and you're all set. Of course you have to reverse the direction of the line guard as well, but it should be pretty obvious how to do that.
If your drag ring does not have detents on the other side when you flip it over, then something is suspicious. Medalists from the 1950s or earlier were not reversible. I would expect that all of the Orvis Madisons would be reversible, since they came later. I assume you have a Madison 6/7, which is equivalent to a Medalist 1494.
Thanks Gadabout, just the info I was looking for. When I flipped over the drag ring, the teeth did not match what was on the other side. Should it have, or at least in reverse of what was on the top. (Hard to explain). I did lose the pawl spring and am hoping Orvis can replace it, as I have sent it in for repair. I should have checked with you experts before I messed with it. Again I appreciate the quick response.
Dano
Dano
Yes, there are twice as many detents on one side as the other, giving you twice as many clicks per revolution of the handle. I always thought this was strange. Maybe one of the Pflueger experts here can shed some light on the reason for this. Offhand, I don't remember which configuration has the higher number of detents. In any case, if you decide you want the "more detents behavior" but this is not the right configuration you wanted, you could always buy the aftermarket drag plate from One-Pfoot. This is a higher quality plate than the stock part and will have the same number of detents on both sides of the plate. Of course this will cost you twice as much as you paid for the whole reel!
