One of the Conquests is buggered!

[Aknib]

One of my Hardy Conquests appears to be giving up the ghost!

Had a river session on Friday and upon arriving at a swim which Kev had kindly tipped me the wink about I looked on in horror as my Conquest was missing the spool!

I carry my rod assembled with the reel attached and the path to the swim was steep in places with an un-negotiable drop into the water and I feared the worst, I made a total of four sweeps back and forth to the car before finding the spool in long nettles and that was only after using the landing net pole as a 'beater'.

I then found that the ratchet wasn't working.

I took the spool off again and two tiny parts fell into the palm of my hand.

To be fair the reel has been absolutely hammered over several years, it's also the one I dropped and bounced off my garage floor many, many moons ago and it owes me nothing but I will have a look at the others (I still have four loaded with different b/s lines) to see if I can do anything with it myself or decide on a repair in which case i've got the option (I think?) of sending it to Hardy (or Pure Fishing) or sending it off to an independent.

I don't hold much hope in Hardy as the reel is long out of production.

It would be nice to get it back up and running again from a sentimental point of view but if it's gonna cost me heavy money i'll enjoy the luxury of having a spare spool and buy a good replacement when one comes up.

So I may be asking for suggestions on reputable 'pin repairers pending the outcome of sending it to Hardy.

 

[seth49]

This is the man, if you have no joy with Hardys, if you need him ring him, he doesn’t do emails.

 

[Aknib]

Thanks Keith I really appreciate that.

I was gutted to think that something 'Hardy' had failed me but in all honesty it hasn't, as I say i've abused it and it's done its service in all other respects.

And I still have the consolation of knowing that a broken reel still caught three nice Roach, three Chub with the best knocking on 5lb and seven Barbel including a couple of (likely, didn't weigh them) doubles...

Must admit it's a weird sensation when you're playing a fish and changing the angles on the rod and the spool is free-riding up and down the pin to the point of coming off!

I'd only re-spooled with fresh Pro Gold that morning too, the old having been on there five or six years without flaw.

Factor in having to initially tackle up twice without actually fishing a bait after first setting up and carefully running the float through until the olivette just dragged bottom without a hooklink, to find the depth, only to discover a huge bird's nest at the reel (due to no ratchet and a freely running spool whilst my attentions were elsewhere) and buying Kev, who was fishing around a quarter of a mile downriver, a pint at a riverside pub after we'd both packed up, for putting me onto the swim, and it all amounted to quite an eventful afternoon.

 

[The Sogster]

Mmm Pro gold

 

[sam vimes]

You don't appear to have explicitly stated what part(s) has/have broken. Something I'm keen to have spelled out so I can inspect both of my reels.

However, from your description, I'm guessing that it's something to do with the spool release/retention. Is it the groove in the spindle that's worn away or the sprung release in the spool?

I was expecting you to say that the ratchet had gone. The way that the lever works on an interference fit in the backplate slot is a wear problem waiting to happen. That's the issue I keep an eye on, but I'll keep an eye out for whatever has happened to yours too.

 

[Aknib]

Sorry Chris the detail was a little scant.

You'll recognise the parts instantly, the little black plastic (ptfe?) post or rivet, which holds the metal part in place, has sheared off.

You can see where the leading arm of the reel seat had one hell of a thwack a few years ago when it hit the concrete garage floor, it's a wonder it ever fitted back on the rod but it did.

Apologies for the state as it's still gunked in corn syrup from Friday ...

And how it should be when intact...

 

[sam vimes]

Ok, I'm with you now, I know what's going on. To be honest, I think you may struggle to get the reel repaired. I can't see Pure Fishing (Hardy Greys) being any help. It would require a new upper plastic arch of the ratchet mechanism. I doubt PF will have spares. Replacing it would also require the removal of the rivet (right hand as viewed in the pictures) which secures the upper and lower arms. I doubt that PF will be geared up for such a repair, though I suppose there might be one of the old boys with such skills still hanging on grimly to his job in the Hardy building. I also have my doubts that Garry Mills will take it on, but there's no harm in asking. I reckon your best bet will be to remove the upper spring (which is possibly fouling the spool's central pillar/ratchet cog) and turn the lower ratchet dog so it will engage.

Must admit it's a weird sensation when you're playing a fish and changing the angles on the rod and the spool is free-riding up and down the pin to the point of coming off!

I'm still somewhat puzzled by this. Unless the spindle or sprung spool release is broken, there's little reason for the spool to ride up and down the spindle shaft. I can only guess that the upper ratchet spring (no longer in its proper place due to the loss of the dog tooth) is stopping the spool from fully engaging and locking on the spindle.

I suspect that you may be able to have a (mostly) functioning reel without any need for a repair

 

[@Clive]

Can't the stump of the plastic rivet be drilled out and replaced by a brass rivet using metal adhesive?

 

[Aknib]

I'm still somewhat puzzled by this. Unless the spindle or sprung spool release is broken, there's little reason for the spool to ride up and down the spindle shaft. I can only guess that the upper ratchet spring (no longer in its proper place due to the loss of the dog tooth) is stopping the spool from fully engaging and locking on the spindle.

I suspect that you may be able to have a (mostly) functioning reel without any need for a repair

It looks like you're right, having reached the 'little to lose' stage with it i've just removed the remainder of that plate and the spool is locking in properly again.

Scrap that lol, i'd typed it after trying it, ready to post, and then just did a random spin and off it flew again!

I've gotten to the bottom if it though and it's a separate problem altogether.

The tiny lever on the outside of the spindle housing, which you flick to remove the spool, is just flapping around under no tension.

It looks easy enough to get into so i'm going to have a look later, i'm guessing there is a small spring that's gone. If I can at least get that sorted i'll be happy enough.

 

[Aknib]

Can't the stump of the plastic rivet be drilled out and replaced by a brass rivet using metal adhesive?

In theory I can't see any reason why not Clive, a bit tedious and micro-surgery for my skills though.

And...

I've removed, by no subtle means, the remainder of the plate now and that's definitely not going back on

 

[Aknib]

Right...

I think i've gotten to the bottom of this having finally found time to have a proper look at it.

The tiny spool release lever spring wasn't working, so not locking on the spool and I think this what caused the plastic rivet to fail and shear away the triangular tooth from the plate it was fixed to.

At some point, probably the last Barbel it played prior to this latest trip, the ratchet was engaged and therefore the small triangular tooth which engages when the ratchet is on, and which came adrift, was engaged with the spindle cog and I think the spool has ridden up the 'pin, due to the failed locking spring, but the tooth and spindle cog couldn't disengage due to the tension they were under and this has put the plate under side pressure and snapped the plastic pin which holds the tooth in place, due to it being put under extreme pressure in a direction it was never designed for.

Quite how the spool release lever came to fail is still a mystery though.

I took off the cover by unscrewing the three screws and did the same with another Conquest and everything was identical, I even overlaid the two springs and again no difference at all.

So, having nothing to lose, I decided to try and widen, very slightly, the gape on the failed spring and...

Ping!

Broke in two and shot off into the garden somewhere!!

There is a happy ending here though...

The spring wasn't working so no loss there and I doubt i'd get one from Hardy but, after a bit of thought, i've discovered that a hair stop fits in the slot perfectly and the 'U' acts in pretty much the same way as the spring albeit externally and none too obtrusive with ease of removal too, no matter how hard I batted the spool it remained there under it's own tension.

Whether that will remain the case under load I don't know but I have no reason to think it won't.

This at least means I can salvage the spool and use it, with ratchet and securely held, on one of the other Conquests that I have and the only time I need to remove the hair stop, which takes a matter of seconds as does refitting it, is when I change the spool.

I'm just glad I have two silver and two black Conquests, that would really mess with my OCD otherwise.

 

[sam vimes]

If you remove the spring on the broken upper ratchet and turn the dog of the lower ratchet through 90 degrees, you'll have a functional reel. At worst you'll have a jury-rigged spool and a ratchet that might sound a little different and be a touch less strong (depending on whether you have the line off the top or bottom).

 

[@Clive]

Ironic that you can buy springs and rivets for Hardy reels dating back to the 1920's but not for a modern Conquest. If you have access to a micrometer or know someone who has try and measure the length and diameter of the spring and the wire diameter of the spring in one of you other reels and try a lawn mower / garden tools technician as carburettor springs might fit or be adapted. If you are close to Tuxford Lawnmowers my old mate Ted Johnson loves that sort of challenge.

 

[@Clive]

Those fiddly little springs and plastic rivets on modern reels can be a pita. This is how reels should be made.

The maker was the top man at Hardy's for over 20 years until he went into business on his own. It was made between December 1913 and June 1914 and still works perfectly. The lever you can see on the left hand side as you look at it has three positions. Lower = variable light drag. Centre = free spool. Upper = variable heavier drag that can be increased further by lifting the lever during the cast or playing a fish. Two springs, two levers and two small adjusters.