The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Part 1. Roughing out the backplate and line drum.

..You haven't seen any pictures of the old Myford lately, so here are a few showing the construction of a custom centrepin!

This reel is very free-running, based on the second (?) model, 4" Hardy Conquest with parallel side plates and the 'wheel-in-the-hole' friction adjustment. The original was an excellent reel, but suffered from what was held to be a poor line retrieve rate, having a line drum core diameter of only 3". It was also not always easy to operate the small, tapered ratchet knob with cold or wet fingers.

This is a version which has set out to address these points, by having a rim-operated and adjustable strength check, both adjustments may be instantly made with the finger tip of the rod hand.
The line drum diameter has been increased by 3/4" and the core diameter is now 3.820", which, if my mathematics are correct, will give a line recovery rate of three turns to the yard. A quick flick on one of the handles will pull line in as quick as a fixed spool!

These pictures are mostly self explanatory, so, starting from two billets of very high quality metal, without further ado we begin by roughing out the backplate...












Now to hack out the line drum...





































Both parts have now been part finished and here you see the comparison between the new reel and an original Conquest, albeit one which has been drilled out by a previous owner..




The reel has in fact been completed and posted off, but I will not post pictures of it until I have confirmation from the new owner, that he has received it..

With regards,

wm+

Even from the first images it looked beautiful. Somebody is very lucky!

Can I ask about the liquid you use to lubricate the tools and presumably cool the metal whilst you work? What is it? I presume you get through gallons of the stuff – does it run out by purely gravity or is there a pump in the system?

I always look in wonderment and a with bit of jealousy as a block of material, wood, metal or plastic, turn into a work of art!

Simply wonderful wm+.

So envious and a tad embarrassed too. My father spent his whole working life at Myfords, serving his apprenticeship there and working through until passed retirement (they kept dragging him back in one day a week).
Why embarrassed?
Well, I never ever used a Myford lathe or would know how to work one.
Sadly Myford no longer sits there in Beeston, Nottingham, in 2011 there was a liquidation sale.

Words almost fail me! What a wonderful gift in life to have the skills to produce such an item. Thank you for sharing WM+.

Stunning Sir

"Rough out" and "Hack out", eh?
I'll have to ask Santa for a new dictionary, the old one must have got broken!
Staggering talent there.

Looking good, really good!

Dear friends,I did my apprenticeship in Cambridge at a company called Britan Manufacturing,they made small capstan lathes of exceptional quality and carried on till the late 80s,but with the onset of cnc machines they were forced to close down as they could not compete with cheaper labour from overseas.Reelmaker