Charity Shop Bargains

[Nicepix 5,650]

Spotted these in the advert on FB for our local charity shop.

Got there about 20 minutes after they opened and was just in time. Somebody was hanging over my shoulder while I was examining them. So I took the reels away to a different section to have a proper look. After all, they were €8 each and I'm not made of money.

The Mitchell 300 is the same model as Dick Walker used to catch his record carp and the Mordex Merlin dates from the same sort of 1950's / 60's era.The Mitchells never ra smooth even from new so I wasn't too bothered at the rough running. The centrepin was also a bit rough, but once away from the rival buyer I put a bit of saliva on the spindle and it loosened it up.

Back home I found the Mitchell to be lacking any grease at all so filled it with some good stuff and then cleaned the spindle of the Merlin up, applied some light graphite grease and it run absolutely smooth as silk.....

There was about 3 miles of 20lb line on the Merlin. I'm a bit mean with the line loading on 'pins; 60 metres is usual. That's 30m for the cast and 30m for the fish. Too much line causes line to dig in and can make casting more difficult. I'll put 60m of 10lb line on it and use it for barbel and carp fishing, The Mitchell has been re-loaded with 6lb Ultra and put on my old cane Avon rod for a bit of chubbing.

 

 

 

[comanche 2,943]

5 hours ago, Nicepix said:

Spotted these in the advert on FB for our local charity shop.

Got there about 20 minutes after they opened and was just in time. Somebody was hanging over my shoulder while I was examining them. So I took the reels away to a different section to have a proper look. After all, they were €8 each and I'm not made of money.

The Mitchell 300 is the same model as Dick Walker used to catch his record carp and the Mordex Merlin dates from the same sort of 1950's / 60's era.The Mitchells never ra smooth even from new so I wasn't too bothered at the rough running. The centrepin was also a bit rough, but once away from the rival buyer I put a bit of saliva on the spindle and it loosened it up.

Back home I found the Mitchell to be lacking any grease at all so filled it with some good stuff and then cleaned the spindle of the Merlin up, applied some light graphite grease and it run absolutely smooth as silk.....

There was about 3 miles of 20lb line on the Merlin. I'm a bit mean with the line loading on 'pins; 60 metres is usual. That's 30m for the cast and 30m for the fish. Too much line causes line to dig in and can make casting more difficult. I'll put 60m of 10lb line on it and use it for barbel and carp fishing, The Mitchell has been re-loaded with 6lb Ultra and put on my old cane Avon rod for a bit of chubbing.

 

 

 

They are good finds. I stripped and customised my Mordex; just for fun . It's not as if they are worth much . You may know this but be very carefull if you fiddle with the centre boss as they are a weak design that gets brittle with age. I'm waiting for a mate to turn me up a brass one on his lathe. If you really want it to spin as it was meant,ditch the grease on the spindle,polish the tip of the spindle and the end of the grub screw in the boss and use sewing machine oil as a lubricant. You should get it spinning for at least a minute if not a lot more. You need a tiny bit of free play between the grub screw and the head of the spindle.  But do be careful ; if the centre boss is cracked or distorted you may make things worse by fiddling with the grub screw. 

Those Mitchells are great reels.Though ,and I appologise if I'm wrong(and I often am) wasn't the one Walker used an earlier model with the half bail arm?

[terrier s 123]

3 hours ago, comanche said:

They are good finds. I stripped and customised my Mordex; just for fun . It's not as if they are worth much . You may know this but be very carefull if you fiddle with the centre boss as they are a weak design that gets brittle with age. I'm waiting for a mate to turn me up a brass one on his lathe. If you really want it to spin as it was meant,ditch the grease on the spindle,polish the tip of the spindle and the end of the grub screw in the boss and use sewing machine oil as a lubricant. You should get it spinning for at least a minute if not a lot more. You need a tiny bit of free play between the grub screw and the head of the spindle.  But do be careful ; if the centre boss is cracked or distorted you may make things worse by fiddling with the grub screw. 

Those Mitchells are great reels.Though ,and I appologise if I'm wrong(and I often am) wasn't the one Walker used an earlier model with the half bail arm?

Yeah mate it was a half bail mitchell 300 and one of his own made cane rods he used to catch clarissa the then world record carp in 1952 , 

mitchell 300 reels are great but not as good and fancy as modern day reels but were bomb proof and easy serviceable 

[Nicepix 5,650]

The Mitchell company made over 30 million reels, most of them the 300 range. I have another 300 that I bought new in 1973, but is worn out through hauling heavy feeders. And two mint 440A Match reels, one given to me by a friend who bought it new and one from ebay. No bearings, just that reassuring hum as you wind in.

Commanche; Thanks for the advice. I use the reel oil that comes with ABU and Shimano bait casters to lubricate my better quality reels (I have a Match Aerial, Speedia, Trudex, Leeds, Adcocks Stanton and two Okuma Trents). The Mordex isn't that good a quality reel and whilst sewing machine or reel oil would be good in the short term, I think something with a bit more viscosity will be better for actually fishing with it. I diluted a small amount of graphite grease with some graphite oil after cleaning the inside of the bush and the spindle with white spirit.

I have thought about stripping the Speedia to give a finish similar to how you have yours. It has been hand painted and isn't a very good finish. The early Mitchell reels were not painted when sold. That is why there are so few about now

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

More patience than myself lads .Hate Mitchel reels since losing a decent barbel on the Avon when I was a kid .Reel jammed solid .

[comanche 2,943]

1 hour ago, Nicepix said:

 "(I have a Match Aerial, Speedia, Trudex, Leeds, Adcocks Stanton and two Okuma Trents). The Mordex isn't that good a quality reel and "

I probably was telling you nothing you don't  already know about tuning centrepins. Sorry and thanks for being so polite.

Yes the Mordex reels are a bit clunky. I think once mine has its brass hub it will just end up sitting around looking pretty rather than being used.

I've amassed a few drum reels over the years a few of which are proper fidget-spinner centrepins . None of mine are in the collectors' catagory but I can undetstand why some folk develop an expensive obsession with them.There is something mesmerizing about a well set up centrepin.

 

[comanche 2,943]

Just for fun and in celebration of the coming opening of the River Season,who can identify the makes of these reels and which are centrepins?

[Nicepix 5,650]

Nice collection

I used to have a few older reels but sold them before coming to France. At one time you could buy good, usable pins on flea markets for less than a quid but not now.

Right, your challenge; bottom right Speedex? Bottom left is your customised Mordex?

Middle right; Grice & Young - possibly Jecta? If the top / right is a Hardy Conquest then I am envious!

The wooden reel is commonly classed as a Nottingham, but I'm not really up on the makers. Top / left is a fly reel, not a centrepin. No idea about the middle two.

 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Look like blocks without the tackle to me .Dust collectors at best .

[Nicepix 5,650]

A few of my 'dust collectors'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by Nicepix

[Daniel cain 45,146]

52 minutes ago, Nicepix said:

A few of my 'dust collectors'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

some fun them cats I bet on a centrepinhope to get some fishing for mullet when we go away on our holidays  in October caught them in Greece,turkey in the past,never had one in the uk

[Nicepix 5,650]

I used to fish a canal in Lincolnshire where the mullet would come into as low tide approached and then get locked in for four hours as the tidal gates closed behind them. A bag of breadcrumbs and a few slices were all you needed. I'm hoping to get off to a similar area in France next week for a bit of mullet fishing. There are catfish under the moored boats too. In one pound of the canal I've had cats, mullet, roach, chub, bream, zander and carassins which are very similar to crucian carp, and also the tench photographed above.

[comanche 2,943]

12 hours ago, comanche said:

Starting left with the Intrepid Rimfly ;actually it is a true centrepin ,allbeit a crude one Then,yes, a Nottingham drum;not a centrepin. Auger Matchatta,again a drum ,not a c/p ,although it does run on a bush. Top left(unfortunatly not a Hardy), a 1930s Perfection Flick Em,made by the dozen by Youngs of Redditch and badged for everyone from Allcock's and Hardy to your local ironmonger. A proper C/P . Middle ,a Dowling,very mundane but a real C/P.

Bottom left ,yes Nicepix,the Mordex centrepin masquerading as something more upmarket. A Trudex C/P .

And middle right ,Nicepix strikes again,it is a Grice and Young. An Avon Royal Supreme . 

[Nicepix 5,650]

The G&Y looks quite large that's why I thought it was the Jetta which was made for sea fishing and pike fishing. Before I came out here my collection included  cast alloy reel that was quite narrow but had a diameter of 8" and ran like a Rolls Royce. It was too heavy though. I also had a Bakelite reel that was from a Bradford company. That had a drag of sorts in that you could screw down the tension on the drum and had a very free running brass bearing. I used it for river fishing on the River Dearne.

As a kid I always dreamed of owning a Match Aerial. I finally bought a very nice one a few years back, but hardly use it as it is too precious and I find the handle placements too close to the rim so I keep catching the handles when slowing the reel during casting. Also, the drag isn't easily accessible.  I find the Trudex and Speedia a lot more user friendly. The Trudex is a very under rated reel IMO. I had it in my head that the black ones were almost identical to the grey ones but called something else like Speedex or similar?

Probably my favourite is the Adcocks Stanton. It was in a bit of a state when I bought it and I had it refurbished at the factory with new bearings and a good fettling. It has no drag or ratchet and spins for over two minutes at a time. A proper 'Mester's Reel' that requires a lot of concentration to avoid tangles and over runs. But when used properly there is no trotting reel like it.

[comanche 2,943]

I bet some of the younger members of this forum think we are talking a foreign language . I think Nicepix,that G & Y used the same parts for several of their larger reels and simply fitted wide or narrow spools and different badges to market the same reel under different guises. Apparently the "One to have" is the late modelBig Piker which is just an Avon/Jecta type thing with a different sticker. 

I've seen those big alloy engineers' type reels and marvelled at their precision but never had an urge to use one. I just visualise me cocooned in a huge bird's-nest.

       My Flick Em is my reel for general use.  The G&Y is loaded with 8lb braid and the old Nottingham drum is used for piking. It has a real(!!!!)history to it-almost worth risking a separate thread but I don't want to bore those with mo interest in vintage tackle.

You could be right about the Trudex being marketed as a Speedex or something similar. Youngs who made them ,very obligingly would custom badge the reels for other companies to sell as their own product

I think I too would be too scared to use a real classic Aerial . A while ago I was invited by a friend to accompany him on a visit to a workshop that makes bespoke centrepins. We were treated to tea,biscuits and the chance to handle some old reels so that my friend could pick out the features he would like on the reel he was having made.

       One Aerial really took my fancy ; it had a strange organic feel to it. The proprietor saw my face light up  and said"If you like that ,have a look at this," and scuttled into a side room. When he returned he placed a  wood , copper and brass reel of the most exquisite making in my hand. He watched as I pinged the spool off ,played with the ratchet and generally fondled it in a way a Gentleman should probably not be seen fondling an inaminate object ...Then he grinned and casually mentioned that it was one of the first Aerials made. And was worth about ten grand..... Never have I handed anything back so quickly!