Mitchell 441 (A)

[Mr B]

Once I have it up and running smoothly again and with a bit of TLC it should see me ok.
I have lots of reels so it will only get light use.
It’s a nice reel so it’s going to enjoy being out again.... “in fresh water!”

[Wallys-Cast]

These gears are notorious for losing teeth. They are made thinner than the original ones to make space for the silent anti reverse dog and are fine under normal use but excessive pressure on winding can strip the teeth off.

Its the same gear in the 300 pro by the way.

Wal.

I think this is possibly from the time manufacturing moved over to Taiwan, the transfer gears particularly are very prone to oxidisation and then strip teeth easilly....one drop of water gets in there ( let alone salt water!) and they are gone. It's not just the reels with a silent anti-reverse...and Lord knows they go wrong enough too. I like the silent idea..but anything that relies on friction to operate is surely going to have a short life......

Nobby, I think that's known as Zink pest. An interesting bit here in Wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest

It does say however that after 1960 this should be eliminated but I suppose it depends where in the world the metal was cast. A lot of cast metals from the far east are very poor quality.

And that's almost certainly another reason that the early reels last longer, finer quality metals used in making the gears.

Wal.

[Mr B]

I do wonder about the different mettle gears.
I suppose if it was all exactly the same grade it could were out quicker? Hence the brass and alloys and even nylon in the newer reels..
My dad was a welder all his life and new a lot about different steels, I picked up a little of his knowledge along the way but no we’re near as much.. he loved iron.
He welded Cast Iron and Stainless steel as well.
Loved his fishing too, would be 93 now.. still got his rod, reel and tackle box.

[Nobby]

Ah, I see the mazak gears of the Eighties are not damaged so much by water as water acts a catalyst for the damage. It just goes to show how the reels were built down and down to a cost rather thna a quality as time went on. It never works...why do they do it?

[Wallys-Cast]

Ah, I see the mazak gears of the Eighties are not damaged so much by water as water acts a catalyst for the damage. It just goes to show how the reels were built down and down to a cost rather thna a quality as time went on. It never works...why do they do it?

Maybe it was just the huge demand for the reels in the 60s , they needed a faster way to knock the internals out and maybe the cast gears needed no hand fitting, just drop them in and away they go. The earlier machined gears would have had at least a quick deburr and polish up before fitting them.

[Mr B]

That was fast!
Thanks Wal, how nice is that
All the very best and tight lines
Mr B

[Wallys-Cast]

That was fast!
Thanks Wal, how nice is that
All the very best and tight lines
Mr B

You're more than welcome Mark.
Best wishes.
Wal.

[Mr B]

All done, running like a Rolex!!!
What a difference!
Mr B

[Wallys-Cast]

Great news Mark. Happy fishing.
Wal.