Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Conventional and Bait Casting Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => Cradle Reels => Topic started by: mikeysm on July 10, 2017, 06:12:20 PM

Title: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: mikeysm on July 10, 2017, 06:12:20 PM
Can someone tell me if the back end comes apart on the cradle rod seat.

Mike
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: Bill B on July 10, 2017, 08:49:53 PM
Mike not sure which part you are referring to, but if it's the handle that is inserted into the cradle then it is more than likely epoxied in.  The one I worked on was a tight fit and held in place with a nail.  Pretty crude way of doing it.  When I rebuilt mine, I wound dacron line on the shaft and glued it in place.

I would try some boiling water and see if that loosens it.

Bill
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: 54bullseye on July 10, 2017, 09:31:47 PM
If your talking the wooden butt end I think boiling water might swell the wood and make it harder to get out. But a lot of Nep-Tuna butts were fiberglass with rubber grips so depends on material. Post a few pictures and maybe we can help.
John Taylor
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: Vintage Offshore Tackle on July 10, 2017, 10:17:01 PM
Mike, most of them are glued but I have seen two that had threaded fittings so you could take the butt off but leave the reel rigged up on the rod, an early version of the Aftco Storabutt.
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: mikeysm on July 11, 2017, 02:16:07 AM
Thanks for the information I wanted to work on the butt section. But the wood is in good shape. It also needs a new Ferell its a early style. I will machine a newer style that locks in place.

Mike
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: Bill B on July 11, 2017, 02:49:53 AM
Mike I see yours got the Swiss Cheese treatment too....drilled for 349 and 49.....Your butt section is most likely glued in.....a careful application of a heat gun should melt the glue holding the butt in the cradle...CAREFUL is the key word here brother.....unless you do not mind sacrificing the finish on the butt as there does not appear to be any finish on the cradle it's self....Bill
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: mikeysm on July 11, 2017, 03:11:48 AM
The holes I believe are factory drilled for either reel. I want to anodize the frame. I also may want to change the butt section. One screw broke off and needs to be drilled out. I have a 5-40 heli coil kit coming if necessary. Where do i find a blank that fits the ferell.

Mike
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: The Great Maudu on September 20, 2017, 05:01:09 AM
Measure the ID of your ferrule. Check out suppliers sites that sell blanks. You will be able to find one that comes close. Use masking tape to get a snug fit, Epoxy the blank butt into the ferrule and you're good to go.
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: droppedit on September 20, 2017, 08:22:36 PM
Most all the blank catalogs show the butt diameter. When gluing in the rod to the ferrule 2 things to think of. If it is a keyed ferrule make sure you spine the rod to the key. Also scuff up the inside of the ferrule and the same to the outside of the blank. This will allow the epoxy to bond better and have less risk of slipping under pressure. I've always used Rod Bond for this. As long as it is mixed right there shouldn't be any problems.


Dave
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: mikeysm on December 21, 2017, 03:18:45 PM
Here are a couple of pictures Sheridan sent me of my cradle rod he is wrapping for me.

Mike
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: droppedit on December 21, 2017, 08:51:47 PM
Sheridan, what are you going to use for the finish? The wraps look superb!

Dave
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: mikeysm on December 21, 2017, 10:03:54 PM
We talked about it and I decided not to use varnish because if the rod was fished the varnish will eventually crack.

Mike
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: 54bullseye on December 21, 2017, 10:40:05 PM
Looking good Mike !! Should be a nice looking combo when done !! Whatcha gonna fish for with it ?   John Taylor
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: Swami805 on December 21, 2017, 10:50:45 PM
Sorry for the lousey pictures, Looks way better in person. On the 3rd coat of color perservre and will get the finish on this weekend. It has some original decals on it. A little tricky to work around. Coming along great.
We've been having random power outages here which is no bueno for the rod dryer.
Hope to be done over the weekend.
Thanks Sheridan
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: 54bullseye on December 21, 2017, 11:03:23 PM
Sheridan
What type blank did you use it looks old school ??  Beautiful work !   John Taylor
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: Swami805 on December 22, 2017, 01:42:59 AM
It's an old silaflex stripped and refinished. Got very lucky as the blank was a perfect fit in the ferral.. Mike did a fantastic job on the handle too. Going to be one beautiful unit.
I'm thinking of using Diamond II finish, It's a thinner epoxy so I'll do the first coat light so the thread will show to give it a look of an old varnish finish. Never tried it and I'll see how it looks. Ant thoughts or expierince doing it this way would be appreciated. My hope would be a very durable finish that looks original.
I was able to find some period correct thread too.
Big Thanks to Mike for trusting me with this project, Always exciting to take on these restorations.
Thanks Sheridan
Title: Re: Neptuna penn 349 cradle
Post by: mikeysm on December 22, 2017, 01:50:36 AM
I'm not going to fish it John it's for display only. But if I sell it they might try to fish it. At this point it will be a collectors item. It's not something that can be replaced easily. It was allot of work to get it this far. I like to finish it to show first. But I am looking for a new project just need to find something worth doing.

Mike