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Reel Seat Repair/Replacement

Author	Comment
laxdad	Reel Seat Repair/Replacement		Lead	[-]
Posts: 46 03/26/2009 09:43	Tags : None Gentlemen, I recently bid on and won an early Heddon #17 (Black Beauty) that was offered with a reel seat which broke off about an inch from the butt. There are no Black Beauty attributions on the rod but the spiral "Heddon" and the #17 are clear. I was looking for a 9' 6/7 wt tool for those windy days on a big river and after a session on the pond out back this rod seems to be exactly what I am looking for. Other than the broken reel seat it is good condition and is all original. Tips are full length and straight, a little fine rust on some of the guides but nothing serious. Wraps are very good with a couple losing the orange tipping. No alligatoring. In other words good but not excellent condition. Now the problem......The original seat broke because the rod butt ends about one and a half inches from the reel set end. In other words, about 1 1/2 inches of the seat is unsupported by the blank. Not being a collector, (even though I currently own 17 fly rods, 10 cane) my thought is to replace the seat with a black skeleton and an insert from a piece of very dark, (almost black) claro walnut that I have left over from a woodworking project. With a little redish/orange dye it should look very much like the original plastic insert. My feeling is that the walnut insert should be strong enough to support a reel since very little stress is on the seat itsel. In the opinion of the restorers in this forum, Is their anything that I should do to strenghthen the seat end? e.g. a dowel? It would be nice to retain the rod in original condition but finding an original replacement is somewhat doubtful and I'd like to use this rod during high water this spring...... George Last Edited By: laxdad 03/26/2009 09:46. Edited 1 time.
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tedgolden		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2789 03/26/2009 10:30 Moderator	George, I have replaced a few Heddon reel seats over the years and in every case the blank did not extend to the end of the plastic seat. It was always an inch or so short. Thus it must have been by design that the rod was constructed that way. As a general rule this original seat is more than strong enough to withstand normal use/abuse. If you want to keep the rod original, I'd keep an eye on the on-line auction and look for a black Heddon seat either on a fiberglass rod or a parts rod from an old #17. If you are patient, they come up once in a while.
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cheffy		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 138 03/26/2009 11:31	Lax, I just redid a Heddon 17 that the reel seat had melted down to nothing. I replaced it with a new modern one at the owners request. The blank only extended about 2" or less from the grip. I used Ebony and finished with CA glue. When I drilled the insert I only drilled in the length I needed to cover the blank. Hope this helps. Oh, I've got some Ebony left over if you want to try that wood.
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laxdad		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 47 03/26/2009 12:04	cheffy wrote: Lax, I just redid a Heddon 17 that the reel seat had melted down to nothing. I replaced it with a new modern one at the owners request. The blank only extended about 2" or less from the grip. I used Ebony and finished with CA glue. When I drilled the insert I only drilled in the length I needed to cover the blank. Hope this helps. Oh, I've got some Ebony left over if you want to try that wood. Chef, Good info. It's satisfying to know that the short butt was a product decision and not a defect. Thanks for the offer of the Ebony but I think I'll go with the Claro. It has a couple of small light streaks that should take the Transtint dye very well and look pretty nice without being garish. Ted, Thanks for the advice. As I mentioned in my original post, I want to fish it this spring on the upper Delaware and I don't have the patience to wait until I can find a replacement. What I'll probably do is put on a new seat, fish it and look for an original at the same time. If I find one I'll pull my replacement and go back to an original. Interesting question for the collectors, is then the rod an original, or is it an original copy? I guess the question really is, when does a rod lose it's original status?? By the way, thanks for the suggestion to look through the fiberglass sources. I would never have thought of that.. George
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PaducahMichael		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 542 03/30/2009 22:03	George, As far as "originality" of a rod, I have a simple saying : "If it isn't ALL original, it isn't original at all." Some folks think that's too severe, but I don't know where else you can safely draw a line. The New Divine Rods
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laxdad		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 48 03/31/2009 08:05	PaducahMichael wrote: George, As far as "originality" of a rod, I have a simple saying : "If it isn't ALL original, it isn't original at all." Some folks think that's too severe, but I don't know where else you can safely draw a line. Michael, I don't think it's severe at all. My own feeling is that to be "original", all componenets, including the finish, should be as the manufacterer shipped it. If I were a collector that's what I would expect in an "original" rod or for that matter, anything else that's "original". If I were to find a reelseat from an old Black Beauty and replace it on the rod above , I would not feel right in offering it as an "original" rod. My ethic would require me to present it as a repaired or refurbished item. I guess my standards, the money and the need to use what I buy will always prohibit me from becoming a collector. George
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