I spotted something the other day , and said why not looks different . A quick search and found nothing yet . Looks like Wkirlaway Capstan 77
A little smaller that a 270 . Built like a 270 . About the size of a 440 spool .
The oscillating gear and slider is made of nylon . Pictures as I received it .
Will know more after giving it a bath !!
;D ;D Well there is a surprize to this reel, and I will save that for later . I was going to build a 270 reel with a 440 rotor on top . This reel filled the need .
This reel had to have been fished in Salt lake city , this spool had more salt than any spool that I have encountered . It left a pile after digging with a knife .
About 2 hours in Dawn soap and fizzing away in the U S cleaner .
The reel is missing the bail . Looks to be a screw in on one side 8.75 mm . The spread is going to be a little bigger than 85 mm
I believe Whirlaway was one of a few Japanese firms in the 50's that made close, but not the same exact copies of popular fishing reels. DAM Quick, Mitchell, Alcedo, Penn, and others.
In some cases the quality was higher than the original brands, in most cases less so —- in all cases, parts were unavailable unless the model copied was a direct fitment.
Best, Fred
Made in Australia by Capstan in the late '50s, Joe. You can read all about it here if you scroll down to the Cs: https://www.reelmanaustralia.com/vintageoldcollectablefishingreels
Here's what it looked like when new for your resto. It's a fairly rare reel, you might want to keep the resto original. It's quite a bit more valuable than a standard Dam Super. Maybe not better, but worth more in the collector market.
Yes That is it , when I saw that last night ,that led me on a journey.
https://www.reelmanaustralia.com/capstan-reel-page-30
https://www.reelmanaustralia.com/vintageoldcollectablefishingreels
The guts are 270 to a tee . I can replace the nylon gear and slider with the 270 brass and aluminum parts . The casting is very close body shape wise . I can just put the rotor on the 270 and have a bulletproof reel in a 440 size . The back bushing is shoulded and the same size .
You posted while I was typing . The only thing that stings is that the foot is missing a small piece . I may graft a piece under the foot . It is still seatable as is . Still on the fence with that fix . Finding a bail will take some time .
Interesting. "Surprisingly there was no evidence of any dissatisfaction on the part of the DAM Quick makers".
A nylon oscillation system, why?
'
Quote from: Gfish on May 17, 2025, 05:29:14 PMInteresting. "Surprisingly there was no evidence of any dissatisfaction on the part of the DAM Quick makers".
A nylon oscillation system, why?
'
Yes ,when I read that I was thinking that maybe they bought the parts from Dam .
Just a notch in the slider and call it a day ,bullit proof .
The oscillation shaft is the same length ,just a smaller click gear for the smaller spool diameter . And a picture with the brass gear in place .
Good to know, Tommy!
Best, Fred
Cool project.
I wondered about the non-metal oscillation parts because one might need that on a baitcaster to save fingers from damage, but a spinner? Oh well, it saves the manufacturer $, ?.
Nylon gearing was the big new break through in the late '50s & early '60s. A lot of manufacturers tried it out back then, even in bait casters. Nylon made things quieter but torque & stress can be a big factor.
Nylon gear pros:
1. quieter,
2. smoother,
3. more resistant to corrosion (salt),
4. self-lubricating,
5. simpler production,
6. cheaper manufacturing technology,
7. in most cases (when it is not a question of the main driving pair) more resistant to wear,
8. less mass,
9. cheaper raw materials.
For the avoidance of doubt, I prefer metal mechanics. ;D ;)
Personally, I tend to hire human mechanics.
;D
I wanted to say I prefer metal parts.
I keep looking at it ,and knew that I would not be happy with a missing piece of foot .
So I JB weld a piece of aluminum tube under foot and built up . Just a little more sanding for final fit ..
Nice work, Joe! You might want to think about pinning/riveting it to original material. I'm not sure the JB Weld will hold up under big fish stress. It would probably be OK if the seat went up far enough to get over the alloy but may separate if out towards the end.
Yeah I'd really want something that runs the full length of the foot. I lack the ability to describe the issue in less than a 500 word essay so I drew a (sloppy and quickly drawn) diagram.
Ok I should have added more pictures . The foot has a full length splint ,supper cleaned the two metals before glueing together . Picture of what I took out of the tube . And the wire wheel rough up of the surfaces on the left side versus the smooth right side .
In that case, you hid it really well. Job well done.
Epoxy is quite strong, but I still think it will eventually fail given continued stress and, eventually, the right amount of force & leverage unless the original stub is secured by a seat hood. JB Weld isn't fail proof. It does look really good, though!
Finally got around to finish this reel . I made the mistake that the parts were a 270 to a tee, they are very close .
The main shaft is threaded english threads , and a tic longer.
The handle shaft is a little thicker .
The gears are different sizes also , but I believe complete gear swaps are possible .
The stroke on the oscillating gear is shorter .
Quote from: Gfish on May 17, 2025, 05:29:14 PMInteresting. "Surprisingly there was no evidence of any dissatisfaction on the part of the DAM Quick makers".
A nylon oscillation system, why?
'
The sizes varied by 3-4 thousand of a inch .
I still have to finish painting the detail parts .