Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

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Tomeland
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Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Tomeland »

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Very light strip and clean my Hardy H.J.S. reel.... like a Swiss watch in there... very delicate Dural spool with tiny Delrin shoes which swing as a centrifugal brake. (Same type as most of the Elarex reels except the final 1960 version). Made from 1938 to 1952 at a time when only American multipliers were known in the UK and they nearly all had wide spools with level-wind mechanisms, and were of the knuckle-busting type because the handles spun as one cast with spool and gearing locked together. The inventor of this reel wanted free-spool mechanism which engaged as one wound in... we are familiar with today but then not known. He also didn't want a level-wind which reduces distance so insisted on a narrow spool which will self-lay. Used with his 5 1/2' crank-handled baitcasting rod it showed his liking for the American style but sought to improve upon it too. The first couple of years this reel sold well but during and after WW2 it soon stopped production. Materials, skills and peoples purchasing power were all reduced by the war. The Elarex became more popular and sold well being a more familiar style and with larger spool capacity for a range of fishing styles and target fish. It has been suggested that the inventor collaborated with ABU and some see the very likeness of their Record/Abu 2100 Sport to the H.J.S. as possible proof, but during and after the war it is unlikely that 'Jock Scott' travelled to Svangsta. Perhaps letters were exchanged. The 2100 Sport is almost identical in size and has a similar free-spool lever and might be their first reel to have such a mechanism. Odd how the final version of the Elarex from 1960 changed to have a similar type of centrifugal brake shoe and rod as we became familiar with on ABU Ambassadeur reels.

showing the later Elarex brake (pic at bottom of page)
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I would be interested to know if there were any other multipliers made pre-war which had a free-spool mechanism... American, Swedish or anywhere?

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Tomeland
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Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Tomeland »

ttt
Last edited by Tomeland on Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Nigel Rainton
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Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Nigel Rainton »

An amazing reel, how did you load the video onto the forum?

Paul D

Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Paul D »

Wouldn't fancy taking that to bits! What a lovely thing. :Hat:

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Marc
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Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Marc »

What Paul said. The second I had the side plate off, I'd have been screwing it down tight forever. What a thing to own though.
Marc. (Prince of Durham)

“A life that partakes even a little of friendship, love, irony, humor, parenthood, literature, and music, and the chance to take part in battles for the liberation of others cannot be called 'meaningless'...”

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Tomeland
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Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Tomeland »

SofaSurfer wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:00 am An amazing reel, how did you load the video onto the forum?
There is a Youtube button in the full editor to allow adding video links..... but now for some reason I cannot see the video link on the page ?lol

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Nigel Rainton
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Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Nigel Rainton »

I can see it :-)

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Tomeland
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Re: Tinkering with my H.J.S. reel

Post by Tomeland »

"You were lucky!... I used t' dream of bein' able t' see t' ont' page me lad... ee by gum" (Pythonsque)

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