Wooden reels

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Vole
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by Vole »

I'm rather surprised there haven't been more responses to this; it would seem that most of the wooden reels traded nowadays are destined for the book-case rather than the bank-side. This is a bit of a mystery, for a decent wooden reel, the "easy-going Nottingham" pattern that the Trent Otter recommended, looks good on on a cane rod, and is more pleasant to the touch in Winter, and still does the job it was made for - with limitations, it must be admitted; but as soon as we revert to traditional tackle, we accept some limitations.
The "investment" end of the market, I'll have to leave to others, both to advise on and to participate in; a big "name" appears to matter here, so it's Hardy, Slater, Allcock, Smith & Wall, Carter, Reuben Heaton, more or less in that order; but any reel by a maker who's bothered to stamp his name on it will be deemed more "desirable" than an identical reel, unbranded.
And this, to me, is where the fun lies - trying to sort out the good, anonymous "users" from the stuff best labelled "treen" and bought for making book-ends.
As Kevan has said, warping and excessive corrosion are signs to walk on by. Cracks needn't be a reel's death-knell; if the bearing is good enough and the wood sound, it may be worth just filling a stable crack and fishing on. Note that I'm talking about the £5-15 market here, not the reels one might hope to sell on!
Old screw holes show where a line guard has been removed or re-positioned; they may also show that the metal mounting of the back, be it star, spine, frog or whatever, has been moved. The latter should spur you into a very close search for a repair or warp. Both indicate that someone liked the reel enough to at least try to save it, and only you can judge whether their efforts were successful.

Size: A lot of small wooden reels were "boy's" reels; avoid. They are of little use, weren't made to last, and even a good one will be a pain to fish with. The smallest I'll use is a 3" Carter, and that hasn't been out for years. 3 1/2" to 3 3/4" seem to be the best sizes for coarse fishing. At 4", a bit of ambiguity creeps in; they are offered with a choice of tapered or bulbous handles. Until a couple of weeks ago, I thought that tapers were for freshwater reels, bulbous for sea. Then Luckyluca bought a 4 1/2" job with bulbous handles and was a bit surprised at the bulk of it; soon after, I bought a (presumed) Smith & Wall of the same diameter with tapered handles... it weighs 613g - nearly 1lb 6oz! So, be very careful buying 4" or above, unless you do a spot of trolling or sea fishing. Some 4" (and above) reels may be specifically designed for coarse fishing, rod in hand; these were almost certainly not ... though I do have a Gillette salmon fly reel weighing more, it had to balance fifteen feet of greenheart. They worked at their fishing, in those days!

Things to look for:
A quick release catch, Slater or otherwise, is a boon; modern lines will find their way round the back unless your line-management is perfect.
Handle receivers should fit absolutely flush on the face of the drum, or line will catch behind them.
If you find handle receivers that have recesses for the handles, so the line can't even get under those, then you've struck gold. Or, more likely, walnut.

I have but five decent wooden reels; the little Carter, a sweet 3 1/2" Sheffield-style job with a Slater-style latch but no check; another with a check and a non-Slater q.r. latch (my current favourite) and a nameless 4" no-check with an extended bush, but a knurled nut holding it together. And, of course, the Smith and Wall monster (I must take up deadbaiting)... in the order in which I love them, best first, I paid £13, 27, 15, 16 and 40, which illustrates the risky nature of ebay; and shows how far removed I am from the world of "signed" Slaters, Hardys and such. Hopefully someone with a larger hoard of revolving timber will chip in and put us all right!
Last edited by Vole on Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
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The VFC
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by The VFC »

Good replies both: I think now is a good time to collect wooden reels, even those by the likes of Slater, as they are not currently fetching the kind of prices they were 5-10 years ago. And if it was me I'd certainly look at expanding my collection with one or two mixed material reels - wood drum and brass or alloy cage for example. To my mind the best looking wooden reels are those with the heavily reinforced brass backs - frog backs and star backs etc.

ATB
Jim

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Vole
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by Vole »

Milwards! how could I forget them?! Insert alongside Allcock in my list...

Good point about the mixed materials, Jim; my dream is a narrow Slater with an annular guard and brass or ali spool-back.
A slim, understated brass star-back for me - the more timber my frozen fingers touch, the better!
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JohnL

Re: Wooden reels

Post by JohnL »

I used a wooden reel for the first time yesterday, a little three and a half inch no name which fitted beautifully under the hand. It does unfortunately have some play between the shaft and spool which although doesn't hinder the spin, feels wrong. Now (get prepared to be shot down), I'm seriously thinking of converting it to run on ball bearings, any opinions.

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Vole
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by Vole »

I doubt I'd be alone in appreciating a step-by-step photo account of how that goes.
Nothing wrong with ball bearings, I bet the maker would have fitted them had there been any chance of his customers being able to afford them. Hardy's put them in their fly reels long before the "Leeds" and Rolls-Royce lunch-break reels came along - I think...
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by Scavenger »

Vole wrote: . . . A quick release catch, Slater or otherwise, is a boon . . .
. . . the little Carter, a sweet 3 1/2" Sheffield-style job with a Slater-style latch but no check; another with a check and a non-Slater q.r. latch (my current favourite) and a nameless 4" no-check with an extended bush, but a knurled nut holding it together . . .
Please bear with this beginner reviving a topic which has been latent for over a year, and in fact not even strictly the same topic as the reel I have just acquired is not wood but bakelite. Well, I think it is really bakelite though I could be mistaken. I believe reels were being made of bakelite pre-WWII though I doubt this one is earlier than the 1950's. I was looking at some old wooden and other reels in a shop hoping to find one fairly free-running and this one impressed in this respect. I think it would classify as a centrepin of some sort though I'm not sure what sort. Are Nottinghams necessarily wood?

I notice you mention both a "Slater-style latch" and a "check" in your post. The latter I have read of before and understand that at least some checks are "adjustable" which I take to mean that the degree of retardation when the check is applied can be varied. This reel has a slider on the back that snaps a clicking device on and off and there is some retardation when the clicker is clicking but there is no adjustment provided. I take it that this does not qualify.
The Slater Latch I have not heard of until a few days ago when I saw it in an advertisement for a Nottingham reel on eBay. You initiated some discussion as another topic as to what the Slater Latch mechanism looks like but - bear with my ignorance - what is it for i.e. what does it actually do?
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Snape
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by Snape »

Welcome aboard scavenger :Hat:
Sorry I do not know about the Slater Latch but that reel is certainly bakelite and it looks like an Allcock Aerialite to me.
I'm sure someone more knowledgable than me will be along to answer your questions soon.
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Wandler

Re: Wooden reels

Post by Wandler »

Hello Scavenger!

Fascinating stuff this!

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JimmyBobkin
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by JimmyBobkin »

I haven't used a wooden reel but they do look the part. My next buy methinks.

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Paul F
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Re: Wooden reels

Post by Paul F »

Now is the time to buy a wooden reel, they have really gone down in value.

You can pick up an un-named slater latch 3" for £20-40 depending on condition, a 4" will cost less than £60

I recently bought a 3" which spins lovely for only £25, it will match perfect with my Hardy wallis all round when I get it finished

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