Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on December 26, 2025, 04:20:21 AMWhat are the gears made of?

Looks like brass main and steel pinion.

Quote from: tincanary on December 23, 2025, 05:17:53 PMI have a thing for Langley reels, specifically the 330 Lurecast and Target 340.  It was a dream of mine to combine the two so I could have a level wind plus the free spooling capabilities of the Target.  With the Target, the handle can be pulled outwards, disengaging it from the spool and level wind.  My problem, finding a cheap Target to harvest the parts I needed.  I put that in the back of my mind until I could stumble upon a Target for a price I was willing to pay.

Let's rewind back to early summer.  I'm browsing Facebook Marketplace and see a nice looking Langley 330, asking price of $80.  I looked at the photos, thought it was nice, but no way would I pay that much.  As the months went by, it kept showing up in my feed and nope, not a taker.  Fast forward to last Thursday, and I see it again, with the price lowered to $35.  I bring up the ad and read through it, this happened to be a special reel.  Mind you, I didn't read the ad previously but this time I did.  This is one of six Langley 330s built by a gentleman named John Ceroszynski for the Chicago Casting Club some time ago.  It has exactly what I was wanting to do, a Target drive gear and disengaging driveshaft, along with a cork arbor on the spool.  This reel was built to cast in the 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 tournament matches.  I messaged the seller without hesitation and he told me that he and John work together at a Bass Pro in Indiana and that John is now 83 years old. When I got it, it didn't spin the greatest, but after I got down to it, this thing is a speedy little rocket.  I'm going to spool it with some 10lb Mason braided nylon and take it to the trout streams.  It's once wicked little knuckle buster.  If it proves to be too speedy for me, I'm going to mill the palm side plates to accept a small array of neodymium magnets to keep it manageable.  Such a sweet little reel.

Here's the before video.

And after.

Reel was cleaned in mineral spirits, all bushings polished with Simichrome, residue cleaned up, and lubed with TSI 301.  I'm very happy with how this one came out.

not too bad at all. I guess we'll have to see how good you are with it this spring

Quote from: oc1 on December 25, 2025, 11:31:17 PM

Quote from: Midway Tommy on December 25, 2025, 10:53:10 PMDave, I wouldn't have a clue regarding Langley bait casters or their history. Conventional reels are way outside my area of knowledge and expertise. 

Colby Sorrells wrote a book about Langley fishing products.  A must-have for some.  I think most of the Targets were sold in the 1956-1958 time frame.  The most popular Langley fishing product was the Fish-De-Liar spring scale and tape measure gizmo.  Remember those?

The Target handle screw versus handle nut, the green aluminum grasps versus brown plastic grasps, and the screw head shape all changed at some point.  Also, an edge cover was added to the tail plate to make them more comfortable to palm.

I started buying-up Targets when they were about twenty to thirty bucks on the used market.  Now they fetch closer to a hundred bucks.

Thanks!

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on December 26, 2025, 04:20:21 AMI'm gonna have to keep an eye out for one of these if they show up reasonably priced. Then I'll be able to compare to a built out 2500c. But also the owner of this thread could also do so. It seems right up my alley either way. What are the gears made of?

Merry Christmas

Steve can help you on alternate models, but I think that there are other interesting models that are available for much smaller money.  The Streamlite 310 or 311 has a large arbor spool and weighs an insanely low 5 oz, which is not as low as a Target, but it does add a levelwind that you can remove if you are so inclined.  Same for the Lurecast, which has a nice big arbor. I think that all of the models other than the Target have a handle that spins backwards when you cast.  Don't know how tricky it would be to customize one to be like a Target. TinCanary has the perfect setup IMHO.


The folk here with more experience can provide better guidance, but of the few that I have gotten inside of, other than the handle knobs, there was little in terms of mechanical wear, even though they are used for hours of tournament practice.  All of them had bent and/or sloppy handle knobs.  And you have to use those tiny/light handles, as they spin during the cast. Corrosion was an issue, so look for a clean one.

If you do get a Langley, I would argue that you also need a short flexy rod with one of those stubby handles with the drop-down reel seat.  You want to set it up so that you can get nice and comfy when thumbing the spool.  Don't be afraid of using the spool tension knob for backlash control. That was how these reels were intended to be used.


And I'm looking forward to tincanary's report on fishing those custom Langleys.

-J

[And I'm looking forward to tincanary's report on fishing those custom Langleys.

J.  ]

Real fishing on the water can end up being a completely different scenario than competing in a tournament atmosphere, that's for sure.

The challenge I'm facing now is finding suitable line.  I was going to get some 10lb braided nylon from a place somewhat local to me, but I talked with another guy that fishes these and says it's very thick.  He advised I use Cortland Micron 20lb Dacron or Gudebrod Meatmaster 6lb braided nylon.  The Cortland is easy to find as it's used for fly reel backing, and the Gudebrod is out of production but pops up on eBay from time to time.

I see Shakespeare Wexford and/or Ashaway braided nylon in 8-12# test come up on eBay every once in awhile.

The tournament guys use modern gelspun braid  with these reels.  A few of the diehards stick to limp nylon mono.  The limper mono is really friendly to cast.

Cortland is one of the thinner Dacrons for stated strength. Scientific Anglers is about the same.  But 20 lb Dacron  is about the same "effective diameter^*" as 80 lb gelspun braid, which seems awfully thick for tossing 1/8 oz or smaller lures.  I am familiar with Gudebrod braided mono, but nothing below 20lb.  I expect thst even 6 or 8 lb braided mono is pretty chunky stuff, much larger than 20 lb Dacron.

Dunno why someone would want to use Dacron or braided mono except for fishing these reels with something closer to period correct line. 

-J

^* Multi-fiber lines are not solid or round and can have variable density in the weave. They have no diameter.  Instead, they are measured by denier, which is the weight of the line for a given length.  The diameter that we see on a spool of Dacron or gelspun braid is  the manufacturer's representation of monofilament equivalence. I.e., if  0.01 inch diameter mono would fill the spool with the same length of line, the manufacturer would list the braid diameter as 0.01, plus or minus some fudge factor for marketing purposes.

The PE rating on Japanese braids is the equivalent of of denier, but using different units.

It depends on the quarry and conditions.  The old-time tournament casters used silk tournament lines; especially the one with the reddish brown and white variegated color (can't remember the name offhand).  I've never found any that had been stored well enough to actually fish with today.  It hasn't been made in many years and silk deteriorates when there is any moisture.

By the time Langley came on the market, monofilament was also available.  But, it was still very stiff by today's standards.  You could consider monofilament, braided nylon or braided Dacron to be period correct. 

When the tolerances were not as good as they are in modern reels, there were some advantages to a larger diameter line.  Spectra casts wonderfully because of the small size but you have to learn to keep it from getting under the spool. 

I fish mine with 110 yards of 20 lb PowerPro.  With a larger diameter there is not enough capacity/yardage for the quarry.  With a smaller diameter I can't see it well enough.

Thanks everybody.  I'm not concerned about the line being period correct.  I've even considered running modern polyethylene but my only concern is wear on the line guide.  I do have a few spares on hand if need be.

I personally wouldn't worry about gelspun.  This is why:

Modern polyethylene (AKA gelspun) has a lower coefficient of friction than nylon or polyester (Dacron). More slippery = less wear.  I have some fly rods with stainless snake guides that have pulled on hundreds (maybe over a thousand) fish with 8 or 10 lbs of drag on gelsun backing. No grooving at all.  I  think that the whole braid wearing guides thing is overblown.

And the wear happens when the line is under heavier load. Sliding friction is a function of CoF and compressive force, and there ain't much force from the line against the levelwind when you are casting or winding in a lure. You have to be pulling hard on something with a lot of line passing through the levelwind.   Not a likely  scenario when using this kind of reel.

One small caveat: There is a  small risk if you constantly drag any type of braided line over a bottom with some grit in it. The grit gets trapped in the weave. Gelspun with a waxy coating (when fresh) might be a tiny bit worse.  You will see the braid getting fuzzy if this is the case, because the softer fibers will fail first. Monofilament might be a bit safer in this scenario. Perhaps this was the origin of the "braid ruining guides" anecdote.

-J

I use inexpensive and very light stainless guides (Microguides from Janns Netcraft) and would be proud as punch if I could wear them out.

Quote from: tincanary on December 28, 2025, 05:17:25 PMThe challenge I'm facing now is finding suitable line.  He advised I use Cortland Micron 20lb Dacron or Gudebrod Meatmaster 6lb braided nylon.  The Cortland is easy to find as it's used for fly reel backing, and the Gudebrod is out of production but pops up on eBay from time to time.

I have the Meatmaster 15lb on a Heddon Mark IV 3200 and it works remarkably well.. limp, handles well, doesn't tangle easily. It's not outrageously thick, entirely fishable. The 6lb would be just right if you can find it.

Quote from: oc1 on December 28, 2025, 07:46:02 PMWhen the tolerances were not as good as they are in modern reels, there were some advantages to a larger diameter line. 

That's exactly why I switched to the Gudebrod on the Heddon baitcaster - started with a modern mono, which dived behind the spool on the first hint of trouble, then cut itself on the sharp internals of the reel. The Gudebrod backlashes less, and stays out of trouble when I do that..

My Shakespeare 1740 Tournament tiny knucklebuster looks much like the Langley, spool not ported though. Pull on handle puts it into freespool for casting. It's currently loaded with the original 4lb silk line which is now about 1-2lb. My idea was to put some light braid 10lb or so which should be similar in thickness to the silk, then take it out when the ponds are stocked with trout.. the 10lb should be enough that I don't break off the fish with the direct drive ;-)

I've been eying the Langley Targets for some time, but they tend to go for quite large amounts, more than I want to spend on idle curiosity.

also on Langley, I have a Langley Riffle fly reel, which is very much functional for 5wt and lighter lines. It even has a counterbalanced spool, unusual in an inexpensive reel from the 40s..

Quote from: DougK on December 30, 2025, 10:46:59 PMMy Shakespeare 1740 Tournament tiny knucklebuster looks much like the Langley, spool not ported though. Pull on handle puts it into freespool for casting. It's currently loaded with the original 4lb silk line which is now about 1-2lb.

Coincidentally, the 1740 is my second favorite reel for daily fishing after the Target.  The spool weight is an issue though.

Quote from: oc1 on December 31, 2025, 04:57:04 AM

Quote from: DougK on December 30, 2025, 10:46:59 PMMy Shakespeare 1740 Tournament tiny knucklebuster looks much like the Langley, spool not ported though. Pull on handle puts it into freespool for casting. It's currently loaded with the original 4lb silk line which is now about 1-2lb.

Coincidentally, the 1740 is my second favorite reel for daily fishing after the Target.  The spool weight is an issue though.

Does the lack of a levelwind on the Target bother you much  when you are working lures?  I guess it could depend on the fishing method used.

-J