The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

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Nobby
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The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Nobby »

Watermole+, my dear friend Leszek, and I have been discussing a stillwater reel to suit my needs, that will still trot a stream if needed and he has been working on it for some time now. Beyond mere dimensions and choices of materials I've given him all sorts of problems to overcome like needing the spool rim close to my thumb, which required setting the reel spine down into the composite reel back to draw the rim upwards and a thicker than usual rim-mounted check lever as the sides of my fingers seem be rather tender. He's also developed further his 'ball bearing' centrepin idea which creates a long-lasting spindle tip that will never wear and a new type of check using lighter leaf springs, which still gives a substantial 'check' to any running fish if needed and reduces my famous birdsnests on the bankside.

The rascal wouldn't send me any images except a couple of the annular rings to strengthen the composite reelback and the heavily ventilated spool still in the lathe chuck....so I really had no idea what I might get!

This time he has gone professional.


Today I received, not only the reel, but specification letters detailing the design and choice of materials, a cleaning cloth, a reel bag, an oil bottle and a 'quality control' card detailing the reels running clearances after its final build......some wood samples, some spare handles and all this came in a very professional looking green velvet box...and even contained some green tissue paper reminding me of the J W Young reel boxes of the early Fifties.
Image
The tub of Polish sausage, Kabanos, in the background is my little joke ....and our shared passion



That final running clearance? Does the abbreviation 0.0005" mean anything to any of you?...Yes that's half of one thousandth of an inch! Since this is the run out of a circulating object, taken on its outer edge the actual deviance is in fact half that again.....one quarter of one thousandth of an inch....0.00025". So well made is it that once spinning slowly you can turn the reel into any plane you like in the palm of your hand and it just keep quietly turning, completely unaffected by the situation.......

Here's the new leaf spring check arrangement:
Image

Here is the reel back, you can see the varieties of wood used, two tones of Turkish Walnut and some Indian Ebony within a Tufnol ring and the fishtail spine cleverly conceals mounting points required by the new check design. You can also see the bullet-nosed check lever knob that will be easier on my forefinger. You'll see we had a bit of a 'green' thing going on here...retro-cammo, if you like......
Image

The beautiful acrylic handles in mock amber mounted on Hiduron alloy pillars:
Image


I asked him to put his name on it for me:
Image


Now this reel isn't run in yet..........or is it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3rYNA1 ... e=youtu.be

As you can see it already has that magic 'eternal motion' thing going on......the 'thing' on the rim is my darning needle gadget for threading the line up the rings, it didn't mind the imbalance.


The compressed reel back:
Image

But maybe my favourite bit of the whole thing, .... these professional looking box labels...this time he means business!
Image
Last edited by Nobby on Wed Aug 16, 2017 3:09 pm, edited 7 times in total.

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LuckyLuca
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by LuckyLuca »

Oh my!
He's done it again. Another jaw dropper from Leszek. Lots more pictures please Nobby.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

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Keston
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Keston »

Wow... that's sublime .

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Muscavado
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Muscavado »

I'm lost for words....what a wonderful wonderful piece of craftsmanship
Nobby, I'll PM my details to you, to make sure you spell my name correctly in your will :tea:

John

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AndyB
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by AndyB »

Wow, that is stunning Nobby. That fishtail is something else.

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Nobby
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Nobby »

:Hahaha: :laugh: :laugh1: :laugh1:

JAA

Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by JAA »

:Hat: Fantastic.

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Mark
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Mark »

Tis a thing of beauty. :drool:
Mark (Administrator)

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Northern_Nomad
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Northern_Nomad »

As I have said before " when art meets engineering then something special happens" ( Nobby stop nicking my phrases :Tongue: ).

WM+, you told me that you had a few reels in progress, I had no idea how stunning they were going to be.

Thank you for all your encouragement also, although seeing the likes of this makes the urge weaken.

Absolutely fantastic engineering and up there with the all time master craftsmen. :Thumb:

Edit: Sorry Nobby, so overawed by the reel I only commented on its composition and creator. I really do envy you on owning such a beautiful pice of craftsmanship. :Wink:
Last edited by Northern_Nomad on Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"We knelt side by side looking at it. I knew it was big, and suddenly it dawned on me it was more than that. It was tremendous!" - Richard Walker

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Fredline
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Re: The 'Naiad' reel by Watermole+

Post by Fredline »

Engineering and design at its very best. To say I am green eyed is an understatement.
If you have no grease with you, and your rings are full of ice, do not cut out the ice with a pen-knife but get your man to put the rings one by one in his mouth, and so to thaw the ice.
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