Orvis Battenkill 3/4 disc

[timbow]

Nice little reel. Made in England. PM for pics. $65 shipped. Thanks

 

[linwood]

PM sent.

 

[RLeep2]

They are a nice little reel and that's a decent price, IMO.. I've had mine for about 25 years and it's only been back to Manchester/Roanoke once to replace the flummergasatinerspitzen mechanism that keeps the drag from free spooling. That's not bad for the bazillion hours I've put on it.

I fish 5 wgt lines on mine. It'll hold a WF with about 50 yards of 12 lb. backing and a DT with just enough backing to go around the spool a half dozen times.

The only thing I wish is that the OEM line guards were still available. They're zinc and they develop grooves and need replaced or reinforced every 1000 hours or so. Or at least mine have.

Nice reel..

 

[timbow]

They are nice reels, just clearing out some gear. As far as the line grooves go, try to make a conscious effort to strip line straight out and not down. No grooves and your expensive lines will last much longer!

 

[dryflyguy]

My old battenkills always got that groove in the line guard too.

I ended up filling it with epoxy, then sanding it smooth.
Not a permanent fix - but I haven't figured out anything better to do with it

 

[JackM]

I was going to suggest filing the edge periodically, but the epoxy suggestion sounds sensible for deep grooves or thin line guards. Just curious dryflyguy, do you re-paint the edge to match colors?

 

[dryflyguy]

JackM wrote:
I was going to suggest filing the edge periodically, but the epoxy suggestion sounds sensible for deep grooves or thin line guards. Just curious dryflyguy, do you re-paint the edge to match colors?

No
Most epoxy's - I use a brand called JB Weld - turn out to be gun metal gray in color. And I have no problem with it.
I guess if you wanted to blend it in better, you could buy some chrome or stainless steel colored paint

 

[RLeep2]

The relationship between the stripping direction and development of line guide grooves has at least some plausibility given that I tend to cram 5 wgt lines onto my Batternkill 3/4. I'd have to think on it some more before I signed up though...

So far as repairing the grooved line guide, I've had some success with JB Weld sanded down smooth. Some.. I've actually had better luck with a tiny strip of duct tape replaced prn.

I have a buddy who has a part time business refurbishing and repairing vintage Medalists. He has all kinds of CNC machine tools for making dinky parts. I may ask him to intervene on my behalf and make me a few.

None of this changes the fact that the 3/4 is a fine reel and the one offered is no doubt a good deal at the price posted.

Carry On..