Grice and Young hidden horror

[Thyratron]

I bought this reel very cheaply, thinking it was an Avon royal Supreme.



However it is, I think, a sea jecta 111 deluxe.
It has been well used with the centre of the dome broken off and the grub screw missing.
When I removed the old line and two layers of what looked like ribbon that had been used for packing, I was confronted with this!



Really bad corrosion. All but one of the pillars have some and a couple are really bad. I will need to think of a way around that problem.
Taking the spool off I was impressed with the mechanics of the drag and braking mechanism.



Wick oiler?? How does that work and why is it needed?

To sum up. The corrosion is caused by damp and, due to the binding of ribbon to form a packing for the line, lack of oxygen over a long period. The cure would be a few breather holes below the PD circle of the pillars to allow the line/packing to dry out. This, of course has developed over a period of time. Years probably.


best regards,

Paul.

[Duckett]

I have 3 G&Ys: an early Gypsy D’Or, an early Avon Royal Supreme and a later Avon Royal Supreme. The earlier ones have 3 screw central bosses and the later ones just 2 screws.

Although none of them had oxidation on the line lays, 2 of them had it on the bodies. I found that a combination of 0000 wire wool and a fibreglass pencil got rid of most of it and, so far, it hasn’t returned.

The horrible backing was probably down to the big G&Y weakness. Whilst their ‘pins are built like tanks and easy to maintain, my do they kink your line! A couple of threads down from this you’ll find my experiment with a cork backing ...... sadly, yet to be field tested but proper air drying will be essential to avoid the problem with your reel.

The wick oiler seems to be a G&Y oddity but I do actually use it on my older ARS. The screw cap has a small length of plastic tube and does a very nice job of oiling the pin. Saves me always remembering my oiler!

I’ve only ever seen Avon Royal Supreme’s with round winding handles and Jecta’s with this lozenge shaper ones, though the range of colours in impressive! I think I’ve read on here of some using Jecta’s for pike and margin carping. I use my ARS for margin carping.

Hope you manage to fix it up for yourself

[Thyratron]

Duckett,
Thank you for your reply.
I've had a few days to ponder the matter of the corrosion. I think I'll eradicate it using your way, but I don't think I will replace any of the pins as they are structurally sound. Apart from One bad one the others are ok.
I intend to 3D print an arbour to reduce the line capacity somewhat. I intend this reel to be a user not a showpiece.
Apparently it is virtually the same reel as a big piker with, I think, a more robust build due to its having a cast metal back rather than a plastic one.
If the 3D printing is a success I'll let you know.
best regards,
Paul.

[Duckett]

Duckett,
Thank you for your reply.
I've had a few days to ponder the matter of the corrosion. I think I'll eradicate it using your way, but I don't think I will replace any of the pins as they are structurally sound. Apart from One bad one the others are ok.
I intend to 3D print an arbour to reduce the line capacity somewhat. I intend this reel to be a user not a showpiece.
Apparently it is virtually the same reel as a big piker with, I think, a more robust build due to its having a cast metal back rather than a plastic one.
If the 3D printing is a success I'll let you know.
best regards,
Paul.

A pleasure. I’ve developed a soft spot for G&Y ‘pins, probably because they reflect our enthusiasm - they’re just a tad eccentric!

I look forward to hearing about a modern solution to the arbor problem. Hope it goes well.

[Nobby]

I confess I have yet to work out just how the wick oilers works on these and similar G&Y reels....so far concluding that they actually don't! I imagine the corrosion is due to wet sea line being left to dry on the reel....you should see what happens to them when they are left on a boat for an off-season. It's enough to make you weep.

[Wallys-Cast]

The wick oiler is simply a small reservoir of oil which can be used to oil the moving parts anywhere, anytime. The screw out part has a small piece of tubing attached which is used to pick up a drop of oil which can then be added to the spindle or winding handles etc.

Grice and Young really did think of everything with the better versions of their reels. The Avon Royal Supreme for instance carries the oil, spare pawl and spare spindle grub screw. The lever operated check is in the perfect position for use too. Very good reels indeed.

Wal.

[Liphook]

I too love my Avon Royal Supremes both for their affordability and that wonderful check mechanism. I've restored one that was well past its best with corrosion and dents to the spool rim. A bit of 2 part car body filler and some careful sanding followed by a few coats of 2K aerosol car paint did the job admirably - perhaps not quite true enough for trotting but ideal for my intended use for stillwater margin fishing and free lining. Now I just need to create a circular arbour to remove the line creasing caused by the line posts. I would like to find a green handled version in reasonable condition