Ambidex Casting Reel

[TemeLAD]

Ever since acquiring and reading Rupe Attwoods excellent book on J.W.Young & Sons reels I dreamed of sharing his excitement in opening a reel to see if it was one of the early hand engraved versions. Having acquired a reel earlier this year when push came to shove I could not bring myself to open it and resolved instead to take it to show Garry Mills who's knowledge of all things J.W Young has to be witnessed to be believed. I had the reel with me at this years Barbel Society show and Garry did the honours (deciding not to access it myself was a pretty good idea as it turned out as getting the handle off - which had clearly never been removed before was a tad troublesome to say the least. Though Garry made short work of it I think I would have bodged it up).

Anyway it was indeed one of the hand engraved versions and though I have chosen not to declare the number in this post I have included a few photographs for my angling brothers to see the reel:


Brass single side plate, chrome lettering in very good condition - set up for right hand wind


Right hand wind - note the chrome nut on both sides. Black crinkle paint finish generally very good (most paint loss evident on the handle which I understand was an issue with the plain black paint)


Front view showing the lettering on the spool tensioner "THE AMBIDEX CASTING REEL" - bail arm a little pitted. The line drum bears the Allcocks SA 24 part number and the JWY 170 part number too.


A shot from the reels underside shows the only real paint loss from the crinkle finish

All in all a lovely little reel. Hand made, hand engraved inside on the side cover and on the reel body. I have not checked the flyer or the gear wheel but see no reason why the numbers would not be there. According to Rupe's book - reasonable to assume that this reel was made before 25th November 1946.

[Nobby]

That looks in very good nick, but is that side plate definitely brass? It looks aluminium and I thought the brass ones had a 'relief' on them?


Like this one:

http://www.willowpitch.co.uk/88-207-lar ... g-sons.jpg

Or this:

http://vintagefishingcompany.com/wp-con ... =325&iar=0


I hasten to add I know nothing of early Ambidex reels, just that the silver writing and edging on the side plate looks so much like the later reels.

[TemeLAD]

Hi Nobby - yes I agree but it is definitely brass underneath. If you look closely at photo 1 you can just see the faint brass underneath at the base of the letters B & I.

The willowpitch example also shows evidence of silver on the left edge of the plate.

I too had read that the early plates were all brass but I think they failed to recognise that the silver had been removed - from my own experience with this reel it is very prone to removal and even moderate cleaning lifts the silver colour, hence me pointing out where the brass is evident.

It was such a shame you didn't make the Vintage Tackle Fair at Redditch last Sunday - I did ask after you as I had popped the reel in my bag to show you - along with an early crinkle finish Rapidex as from your earlier posts I knew you would appreciate them. Another occasion perhaps.

Cheers

[Nobby]

Ah, now you've pointed it out I can just see the brass. So they painted or plated the silver on then?

[Ambidexman]

A fine looking reel sir!

Looks like a very early example - chromed nut holding on the handle, brass side-plate, black gloss flyer, crinkle body, go on! Give us the number inside