Fly rod and Rod tube winter project

[Alasgun]

Sorry about the “dead spot”, i’ve been playing with the “check works” on the reel and not wanting to just drill a bunch of holes in the frame while i try this or that; i built a little turning fixture. With this i can look straight in from the side and see what’s happening; which is pretty important at this point.
The first thing i discovered was that the first check sprocket was way to course, causing the reel to actually vibrate while cranking. Back to the drawing board!
Earlier i mentioned how compromise creeps in but in this case good enough is not good enough so i thought about it and set up to make a replacement going from 24 tooth to 36 tooth and reduced the tooth cutter depth from .045 to .010! In the fixture this was a very nice combination so i machined the hole pattern in the reel and fit a pawl. I used Delrin 500af Brown for the check pawl and while it’s not a true Silent check, it is pretty quite and extremely smooth. A lot of thought went into the pawl and along the way i ended up with a head full of ideas that may bear fruit in the future?
For now all the Machine work is done and tomorrow i’ll line the reel to see how it functions while stripping line etc. if everything’s still sweet i’ll pull it all down and get the spool and frame off to an Anodizer for some color. There’s still some hand finish work on several of the brass pieces which will be accomplished while waiting for the Anodizing!
Tomorrow i’ll let you know how it runs “fir real” then some final thoughts and pictures once every-things ready for show and tell!

 

[Alasgun]

What started as a one time winter project may turn into an annual event, Lord willing? I will however, need to make some good notes before i sleep too many times. There was so much to learn as i went along figuring out what’s important and the sequence of finishing the parts in the right order. Next time my little cup of back-ups wont be as large. Although i was able to use some of those parts for my turning fixture which was helpful!

This morning i lined it with something that was on an old reel and mounted it on a 706 to check function. How does it feel when stripping line etc. how much resistance is my Delrin check providing? I have to say im very pleased with the outcome.
I’m settled on Anodizing and once i find a source i feel good about, i’ll get this thing all dressed up for the Parade!
There’s still some hand work on the foot and line guard that can be accomplished while waiting for color.

Once fully assembled i’l detail the materials i used. Right now it’s still running on a dummy bearing as i can’t press my Vesconite bushing into the spool till after anodizing.

It truly is a “collection of compromise” including design elements from the 50’s along with some high end materials found in reels made by reputable makers and a good bit of my imagination!