The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I recently bought this reel.
It's 4 inch wide with a 3 inch arbour and 3/8 inch wide at base of arbour.
It weighs 9.4 is and the spool weighs 4.5 Oz.
It spins for over one minute.
Any ideas of date or even maker?

That is gorgeous! Sorry, I've no idea about the date or maker, but that's a gem... well found!

Vole wrote: ↑Sat Oct 28, 2017 2:01 pm That is gorgeous! Sorry, I've no idea about the date or maker, but that's a gem... well found!

Agreed, it is a beauty.

The Slater style latch, with four fixing screws is distinctive. Millwards?

Thanks for the replies.
Any idea of date which to me is more interesting.
It will be going on a rod which is dated about 1952 (by Martin James )when I get around to modifying it.
It did not spin well to start with due to one part of the spool binding but with a little scraping of the spool and backplate it is very good.It now has those lovely slow revolutions at the end of a spin.
The ratchet was very stiff so I removed a little bit of the ends of the circular spring which has eased it a lot, but I'm afraid to remove too much.

I am far from being an expert as these types of reel were made in their thousands by a number of makers before and after the second world war. It could well be from the Reuben Heaton stable, the date could be anytime from the 1930s to 1950s?

It could even be a David Slater, especially as it spins so well; he often didn't mark his reels, or so I read.
I seem to remember something to do with the check spring, the blueing, flattening or fixing of it, that sorted out Slater from Heaton, but as they both seem to have supplied other makers and/or retailers, it might take a bit of unravelling.

? Distinctive features - 4 screw latch cover
Large washer under ratchet button
Horn handles
Brass coloured ratchet spring,seen when filling ends
Looking up the spool bush towards and beyond latch seems to be cylinder with cone at top to fit top 5/16 inch of spindle.
Both halves have no 54 written on them ? matching pair.Backplate has L/R on it Turners name,to check numbers if on piece rate?
No idea of significance re identification. John

Here's some pictures for comparison, these two are Heaton made first 3 pictures are a Sheffield pattern circ1930

Next 3 are a centrepin with slater type latch circ 1900.

Has the reel with the very pointed spindle got the same bearing in the latch cover? The spindle looks the same but cannot see down the spindle bearing hole.
I assume that is a grub screw to adjust for wear or for end float, in the latch cover, otherwise the cover looks the same.Was this a later development suggesting mine was earlier?
The ratchet mechanism looks the same
John

Vole wrote: ↑Sat Oct 28, 2017 5:25 pm It could even be a David Slater, especially as it spins so well; he often didn't mark his reels, or so I read.
I seem to remember something to do with the check spring, the blueing, flattening or fixing of it, that sorted out Slater from Heaton, but as they both seem to have supplied other makers and/or retailers, it might take a bit of unravelling.

I would say that it is definitely not from the David Slater stable! I have seen any number of reels and although many Slater's are not named this reel does not have enough of the "quality" features that a Slater would have!