Walkers BB reel - material used

[Hovis]

Keep going Steve, I for one would be most interest in you progress and efforts. I've found surprisingly little information online regarding reel making as opposed to rod making.

[Shed_Monkey]

Swarf is good stuff too Steve, they make robots wigs out of it you know.

Wal.

Boogie, Boogie

[Nobby]

As one of those who has been lucky enough to hold the reel Dick Walker made I can say that my very first thought on having it in my hands was how light it was for its size.

Just what it is made from I have no idea and I had just the same surprise in store for me when I held the 'Conquest' made for ted by Leszek. It just might be that Dick had access to a fancy aircraft grade aluminium alloy of similar properties.


The only answer is to get some swarf off Dick's reel and try and light it........over to you, John.........

[Fredline]

Hi Nobby, I have tried to ignite the "Thorndike Reel" with a blow lamp but it just melted the handles and discoloured the front plate.

[Lea Dweller]

Hi Nobby, I have tried to ignite the "Thorndike Reel" with a blow lamp but it just melted the handles and discoloured the front plate.

Thank you John, when I read this I laughed and spilt cold beer down my shirt!

[Nobby]

Hi Nobby, I have tried to ignite the "Thorndike Reel" with a blow lamp but it just melted the handles and discoloured the front plate.

Ah, that's a bugger. Still ....easy come easy go..........there'll be another along soon.

[Lea Dweller]

Hi Nobby, I have tried to ignite the "Thorndike Reel" with a blow lamp but it just melted the handles and discoloured the front plate.

Ah, that's a bugger. Still ....easy come easy go..........there'll be another along soon.

I may not have used a blow lamp on a reel, but I did once bury an Aerial in the flower bed of my garden! A previous owner had polished it to a “Bright” finish and I was told that burying it for a few weeks would age it! I was not advised to protect the xylonite handles and when I dug it up they had deteriorated badly. It just goes to prove how naive I am, I am honest though!